Impact of Food Sustainability Labels on the Perceived Product Value and Price Expectations of Urban Consumers

Joanna Kaczorowska, Krystyna Rejman, Ewa Halicka, Agata Szczebyło and Hanna Górska-Warsewicz
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Joanna Kaczorowska: Department of Food Market and Consumer Research, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Krystyna Rejman: Department of Food Market and Consumer Research, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Ewa Halicka: Department of Food Market and Consumer Research, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Agata Szczebyło: Department of Food Market and Consumer Research, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Hanna Górska-Warsewicz: Department of Food Market and Consumer Research, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: Sustainable labelling is an important tool in raising awareness and informing potential buyers regarding environmental, economic and social issues. This study provides insights into consumers’ value of food sustainability labels through the exploration of the impact of logos on their purchasing decisions (willingness to buy (WTB)) and readiness to pay (willingness to pay (WTP)) a higher price for sustainability-labelled products. Data was collected via an online survey among a sample of 423 adult city dwellers in Poland. The structured questionnaire beside sections concerning consumer buying behaviour and perception of the food labels consisted of a behavioural choice experiment (CE), where two categories of plant products: fresh (apples or bananas) and non-perishable (rice or beans) varied by type of labelling (logos: Euro-leaf, PGI, Fair Trade or without logo) and by price. Cluster analysis revealed two consumer groups (named “Sceptical” and “Mindful”) that had varied opinions and perceptions of sustainable labelled food and buying behaviour. The research results indicate that when the logo is poorly-known even consumers with positive attitudes towards sustainability do not use it as a cue when shopping for food. Moreover, urban consumers were very price sensitive and showed a restrained desire to pay a higher price for sustainability labelled products.

Keywords: sustainability labels; willingness to buy; willingness to pay; food choice; urban consumers; Poland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:24:p:7240-:d:298814

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