Consumers' willingness-to-pay for sustainable food products: the case of organically and locally grown almonds in Spain

Analysis of consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for sustainable foods produced using new agri-food technologies is required to enhance the uptake of innovations that accelerate the transition towards sustainable food systems. Consumers’ willingness to buy new food products, with no or limited consumption experience, mainly depends on their food choice motivational orientations (promotion- vs prevention-orientation). The objective of this study was to elicit consumers’ WTP for foods that are produced with microbial applications during the plant production phase with the aim to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals in crop farming, as well as to understand the associations of food choice motives, personal and socio-demographic factors with the WTP. We used contingent valuation to elicit consumers’ WTP for three food products (wheat bread, consumer potatoes and tomato sauce) through online surveys. Data were collected from 291 consumers, primarily from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. Descriptive statistics, latent variable modelling and logistic regression were used to analysis data. Results show that more than two-third of the respondents are willing to pay premiums of at least 0.11 euro per kg of food products for reductions in synthetic chemical use by at least 50% due to microbial applications. The amount of WTP increases with the level of reductions in synthetic chemical use. The majority of the respondents are promotion-oriented consumers in relation to their food involvement, and are more likely to pay premiums for the sustainably produced food products. Environmentally concerned consumers are also more likely to pay premiums, whereas health concerned consumers are not. This study contributes to understanding of consumers’ attitude and perceived health risks towards foods obtained using microbial applications, and the heterogeneity of their preferences. Results provide insights for identifying potential buyers of foods produced using microbial applications, and to set prices according to the levels of consumers’ WTP.

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Meta-analysis of consumers’ willingness to pay for sustainable food products

10.31428/10317/10570 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Li Shanshan ◽

Kallas Zein

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Food Products ◽

Sustainable Food

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Sustainable agri-food products: A review of consumer preference studies through experimental economics

Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) ◽

10.17221/272/2017-agricecon ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (No. 12) ◽

pp. 554-565 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lucio CECCHINI ◽

Biancamaria TORQUATI ◽

Massimo CHIORRI

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Experimental Economics ◽

Consumer Choice ◽

Consumer Preferences ◽

Consumer Preference ◽

Food Products ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Additional Information ◽

Premium Price ◽

Increased Sensitivity

In the last few decades, the interest of consumers towards sustainable agri-food products has been growing. This trend reflects changes in the consumption patterns, which have been deeply influenced by the increased sensitivity concerning social and environmental issues. In this sense, several studies, with different methodological approaches, have investigated consumers’ willingness to pay and its determinants for products with different sustainability labels. To systematise the obtained results, this paper offers a review of the studies that used experimental economics in studying consumer preferences for sustainable food and agricultural products. The 41 studies included in the review were selected on the basis of the pre-identified criterion according to the systematic review approach. Albeit discordant, the results show that a large share of consumers is willing to pay a premium price for products with eco-friendly and organic certifications. Animal welfare, ‘local’ production, or social certification appear to have a lower influence on consumer choice of purchasing. Additional information is able to modify consumer expectations and consequentially their willingness to pay, depending on the individual’s responsibility and awareness.

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Project-Based Learning in a Transinstitutional Research Setting: Case Study on the Development of Sustainable Food Products

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12010233 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 233 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hartmut Derler ◽

Simon Berner ◽

Daniela Grach ◽

Alfred Posch ◽

Ulrike Seebacher

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Food Products ◽

Research Process ◽

Project Based Learning ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Research Setting ◽

School Students ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Problem Solving Skills

Project-based learning (PBL) has been thoroughly integrated in university sustainable development curricula, but has not been well-established in curricula used at pre-university educational levels. Integrating real-world settings into the teaching of secondary school students can help to promote problem-solving skills and competencies at younger ages, which is a crucial task in sustainability education. Therefore, in this article we describe the results of a case study on the development of sustainable food products that involved a university and two secondary schools in Austria. The methods used in this case study were drawn from the transdisciplinary case study (TCS) and the PBL literature. Data were collected by carrying out participatory research methods such as photovoice, focus group discussions, food diaries, student evaluations, and surveys. We divided the study design into three phases: (1) exploration, (2) product ideation, and (3) product prototyping and optimisation. The case study illustrates that the use of PBL research approaches by students at different levels of education provides promising results, if the research process is clearly structured and managed. When a demand for learning is encountered by students, secondary school teachers and university researchers must provide the students with additional sources of information. The establishment and management of a transinstitutional research setting is a promising, yet time-consuming endeavour.

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An Examination of Consumer Willingness to Pay for Local Products

Agricultural and Resource Economics Review ◽

10.1017/s1068280500005050 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 253-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Aaron Adalja ◽

James Hanson ◽

Charles Towe ◽

Elina Tselepidakis

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Conjoint Analysis ◽

Random Sample ◽

Local Food ◽

Food Products ◽

The Other ◽

Local Production

We use data from hypothetical and nonhypothetical choice-based conjoint analysis to estimate willingness to pay for local food products. The survey was administered to three groups: consumers from a buying club with experience with local and grass-fed production markets, a random sample of Maryland residents, and shoppers at a nonspecialty Maryland supermarket. We find that random-sample and supermarket shoppers are willing to pay a premium for local products but view local and grass-fed production as substitutes. Conversely, buying-club members are less willing to pay for local production than the other groups but do not conflate local and grass-fed production.

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The Willingness to Pay for Local, Domestic, and Imported Bundled Fresh Produce by Online Shoppers

Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.5539/jas.v10n12p15 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 15

Author(s):

Jean D. Gumirakiza ◽

Taylor Choate

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Online Shopping ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Fresh Produce ◽

The United States ◽

Online Shoppers ◽

Interest Level ◽

Different Origins ◽

Locally Grown

This study applies a Censored Normal Tobit Model on the 2016 survey data from 1,205 online shoppers in the South region of the United States to explain their Willingness To Pay (WTP) for a bundle of fresh produce from different origins. This study indicates that online shoppers are willing to pay $6.91, $6.38, and $5.22 for four pounds of bundled fresh produce that are locally, domestically grown, and imported respectively. We found that income category, interests in online shopping, interest level for local, interest level for organic, and monthly spending on fresh produce have a significant positive impact on the WTP for locally grown fresh produce. Results indicate that being married, high income, interests in online shopping, interests in local produce, interests in organic, and the monthly spending on fresh produce increase the WTP for domestically grown fresh produce, while age and being a female diminishes it. We further found that age, being a female, and interest in the freshness of the produce decrease the WTP for imported produce. Based on the findings from this study, we have suggested a couple of marketing implications and suggestions.

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The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy on the Sustainable Food Consumption Intention From a “One Health” Perspective

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.622122 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Greta Castellini ◽

Mariarosaria Savarese ◽

Guendalina Graffigna

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

One Health ◽

Food Products ◽

World Health ◽

Italian Economy ◽

Psychological Reactions ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Close Link ◽

The Impact

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a transmissible illness that was recognized in December 2019 and World Health Organization (WHO) stated a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As no cure has been developed for COVID-19 disease yet, Italy has adopted restrictive measures to avoid the spread of the virus, causing different psychological reactions (e.g., stress, anxiety) that lead people to change lifestyle and in particular the consumer orientation toward food. In addition, the COVID-19 emergency had also affected the Italian economy, causing an 11.3% decrease in GDP (gross domestic product). All these changes gave rise to a sense of instability, but it is known that new possibilities may arise in these situations. In particular, the pandemic could be the turning point to make consumers aware of the close link between human health and the ecosystems, supporting the “One Health” perspective and enhancing the orientation to consumer sustainable food products. However, little is known about how the psychological reactions to COVID-19 emergency have affected the consumers' intention to purchase sustainable food products. In order to answer these questions, a representative sample of 1,004 Italian citizens, extracted by stratified sampling, answered an online survey between May the 12th and 18th 2020. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and contingency tables. The results show that during phase one of COVID-19 disease about 30% of the sample reported that have frequently (often and always) consumed the certified sustainable food products and about 20% of the sample have intention to increase the consumption of them in the next 6 months, percentages that increase among those who feel more vulnerable regarding the risk contagion. Moreover, the psychological impact of the COVID-19 emergency has led to a change in consumers' attitudes, increasing the interest in animal and environmental issues and in human health. These aspects seem to drive the future intention of purchasing sustainable food products. This research highlights how the psychological reactions to the health emergency have changed the consumers' attitudes toward sustainability issues, leading them to follow a more sustainable diet that is recognized as a way to preserve human health, environmental preservation, and animal welfare for present and future generations.

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