Sustainability, perceived quality and country of origin of farmed salmon: Impact on consumer choices in the USA, France and Japan

Abstract

Technological advancements that enable countries to produce farmed seafood domestically, including land-based production, could potentially improve sustainability measures. However, whether consumers prefer domestic farmed seafood to imported seafood is unclear. This paper aims to fill this gap by employing hypothetical choice experiments from the US, France, and Japan. We find that, in each country, there is a sizable consumer segment (varying from one-quarter to two-thirds of the market) with a strong preference for domestic farmed salmon, including those from land-based production. These consumers associate domestic origin with higher qualities in all relevant dimensions and are willing to pay a price premium. There is also a segment of consumers with a strong preference for imported Norwegian salmon (from one-fifth to two-thirds of the market), linking Norwegian origin to higher qualities, and willing to pay higher prices. Consumers’ attitudes towards the environment and food, usage of label information, age, income, and consumption frequencies, are among the characteristics that explain consumer heterogeneity. Our results show the market potential for domestic farmed seafood, thus, providing consumers with reliable origin information for farmed seafood that also covers land-based production would be important. At the same time, the existence of a segment with a preference for imported seafood implies that active trade will remain, indicating the importance of continued international corporation for a holistic and transparent policy framework and common standards for a sustainable aquatic food system.