Consumers’ Preference and Future Consideration Toward Organic Instant Noodles: Evidence from Indonesia

Abstract

The consumption of instant noodles in Indonesia is the second highest globally. However, people are now more aware of sustainable lifestyles and the health risks of consuming food additives, so some opt for more organic choices, including instant noodles. Research on customers’ preferences in this area remains lacking, so the current study aims to fill the gap. This study also analyses the relationship between the choices and consumers’ future considerations. Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) method was used to reveal the perception of sustainable attributes in organic instant noodles. The future considerations were measured using the Future Consequences Consideration (FCC) scale. As many as 592 respondents participated in the study, selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were analyzed using conditional logit via package support.CEs on R software. The findings show that Indonesian consumers’ preferences are primarily based on the extrinsic attributes: organic labels and packaging materials, but they also consider the health claims. They will likely prefer instant noodles with organic characteristics for future considerations. The results of this study have implications for instant noodle product development. Young consumers take up a large portion of the market, and they are now more aware of sustainability and health. The current study can inform the product development and the approach to the targeted market. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on consumer perception on sustainability attributes in organic instant noodles.