Abstract
This study aimed to identify selected predictors of country-of-origin (COO) information placed on food packaging. The dependent variable was operationalized in two ways: (1) as a Likert-style question about COO importance in general, and (2) as an indication of COO as the most important food attribute at first purchase, which I called top-of-mind COO importance. The survey was conducted with the use of the internet panel of a research agency in a representative sample of 1051 Polish consumers. In bivariate analyses, I identified the characteristics of consumer segments attaching high importance to each type of COO information. In a multivariate log-normal regression, general COO importance was affected to the largest extent by the product originating from Poland, which confirmed the strong relation between COO importance and consumer ethnocentrism. In multivariate logit regressions, top-of-mind COO importance depended also on the Polish origin of the product to the largest extent. The remaining predictors were sex (men were over 1.5 times more likely to indicate COO as the most important attribute) and age (each year of life contributing to a 2% increase in the likelihood of indicating top-of-mind COO). A theoretical implication is to differentiate between general and top-of-mind COO measures, as different results were obtained depending on whether the COO effect was measured as a response to questions such as “How important is the product COO for you?” or “What is the most important product attribute for you?—COO” Not only were the answer patterns different, but their determinants also varied.
Highlights
This study aimed to address this research gap and answer the following research question: what are the characteristics of consumers who attach importance to country-of-origin information placed on food labels? A wide range of demographic, behavioral, and psychographic criteria were tested, first in analyses of variance, and second, in regression models in order to find out which predictors of the dependent variable were the most important
It grew with the importance attached to the following types of information put on food labels: brand, organic certificate, and quality signs
It was determined to the largest extent by the importance attached to the product originating from Poland, which confirmed the strong link of COO importance with consumer ethnocentrism
Summary
Country-of-origin (COO) information constitutes one of the principal attributes used by consumers in their process of selecting a food product. Despite a relatively long tradition of research in this subject area, there is still insufficient knowledge about COO food-labeling effects [1]. Even though they are among the most commonly traded items, food products have received less attention from COO researchers than other product categories (i.e., consumer electronics, cars, fashion, and footwear). Consumer assessments of country-of-origin, brand, and price cues are connected [3], but a country’s image may differ across product categories [4]
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