Abstract
AbstractDespite a proliferation of articles focused on consumer willingness-to-pay for locally produced foods, few studies have systemically considered the role of food identity in the price premium of local foods. This article uses primary and secondary data to fill that gap. Using data from 9,329 U.S. households, we identify what foods each state considers a part of their collective food identity. We then compare each state's collective food identity to the actual production within the state. Finally, we utilize a discrete choice experiment (N = 484) focused on a state with one such collective food identity to test whether a consumer's preference for local foods is a function of the collective food identity within the state. Results from the open-ended survey suggest that each state connects with their food production in unique ways and that not all state identities are consistent with actual agricultural production. Results from the discrete choice experiment suggest that consumers are more willing to pay a premium for the local food that is a part of their local food identity than for a similar product that is not a part of their local food identity. Our findings imply that future research on consumer preferences for local food systems should consider the relationship between food culture and geography.
Highlights
During the last few decades, consumers in the United States have become increasingly interested in alternative food systems, and local food chains are a key component
The results of our discrete choice experiment provide support for the notion that, at least for Michigan, consumers are likely to place a higher premium on the locally grown foods that they perceive as part of their collective food identity
This study explored that interaction by evaluating the degree of correspondence between a state’s collective “local food identity” and the state’s local agricultural production as well as the role of belonging to local food identity in willingness to pay for localness
Summary
During the last few decades, consumers in the United States have become increasingly interested in alternative food systems, and local food chains are a key component Authors such as Wendell Berry (1977) blame the modernization of agriculture for disintegrating farming culture and destroying rural communities. Some consumers came to believe common middle-class cuisines were unhealthful and unethical, leading to public voices calling for a return to home cooking, using of unprocessed and natural foods, support of small farmers, and shorter food chains (Laudan 2013). Within these “countercuisines,” “localness” became a valuable attribute (Schnell and Reese 2003). This proliferation of articles suggesting large premiums for local foods could be wrongly interpreted as a positive impact for all types of products in all geographies
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