Sustainability of Fresh Fruit Certifications: Willingness to Pay Measures

Abstract

This study analyzes sustainability of fresh fruit certifications using consumers' willingness-to-pay measures of 12 different kinds of fruits. Consumers tended to pay higher prices for fruit certifications when retail prices of fruits were relatively high. If certified fruits were purchased for gifts, purchasing quantities tended to be larger for fruits of high retail prices like wax apples, Indian jujubes, and grapes. If certified fruits were purchased for household consumption, low-priced fruits like guava, honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapples, grapefruits, and papaya tended to be purchased in large quantities. Fresh fruit certifications can be sustainable if marketing strategies are well targeted to customers.