Abstract
Sustainable labelling is an important tool in raising awareness and informing potential buyers regarding environmental, economic and social issues. This study provides insights into consumers’ value of food sustainability labels through the exploration of the impact of logos on their purchasing decisions (willingness to buy (WTB)) and readiness to pay (willingness to pay (WTP)) a higher price for sustainability-labelled products. Data was collected via an online survey among a sample of 423 adult city dwellers in Poland. The structured questionnaire beside sections concerning consumer buying behaviour and perception of the food labels consisted of a behavioural choice experiment (CE), where two categories of plant products: fresh (apples or bananas) and non-perishable (rice or beans) varied by type of labelling (logos: Euro-leaf, PGI, Fair Trade or without logo) and by price. Cluster analysis revealed two consumer groups (named “Sceptical” and “Mindful”) that had varied opinions and perceptions of sustainable labelled food and buying behaviour. The research results indicate that when the logo is poorly-known even consumers with positive attitudes towards sustainability do not use it as a cue when shopping for food. Moreover, urban consumers were very price sensitive and showed a restrained desire to pay a higher price for sustainability labelled products.
Highlights
Sustainable food consumption is an important aspect of sustainable development and is becoming more urgent with every passing year [1]
The study revealed two types of consumers that varied with respect to their opinions and perception of sustainability labelled food as well as their buying behaviour (Table 4)
Our study shows that urban consumers in Poland vary in regard to the value they attach to sustainability labelled food products, 1/3 of them is more “mindful” and has higher WTB and willingness to pay (WTP) for such foods
Summary
Sustainable food consumption is an important aspect of sustainable development and is becoming more urgent with every passing year [1]. Due to the way it operates in the food chain and the extent to which end-users are involved in communicating with the entity, sustainable labels are classified as B2C type (from Business-to-Consumer or from Business-to-Customer) [7,8] They are often in the form of a logo and/or a statement on the product that tells the consumer that the food meets the standard of that scheme, e.g., the food is produced in a certain geographic region, is organically produced, is produced with respect to the local economy (e.g., prevents poverty) or in accordance to additional requirements relating to animal welfare [6]. The Ecolabel Index (2016) indicated that there were 148 public and private sustainability standards and quality assurance schemes for food and beverages available at the EU or national levels what points to a gradual increase in their number [10,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
