How Do Italian Consumers Value Sustainable Certifications on Fish?—An Explorative Analysis

Francesco Bimbo, Rosaria Viscecchia, Biagia De Devitiis, Antonio Seccia, Rocco Roma and Annalisa De Boni
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Francesco Bimbo: Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Rosaria Viscecchia: Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Biagia De Devitiis: Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Antonio Seccia: Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Rocco Roma: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Annalisa De Boni: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Sustainable certifications communicate the environmental benefits of food products to consumers, and allow producers to differentiate their products from conventional ones. This study expands existing knowledge on fish consumers by assessing the importance of sustainable certifications in fish selection. A best–worst analysis was applied to a convenient sample of Italian household members responsible for food shopping, segmented with a latent class clustering model based on their socio-demographic characteristics, fish purchase behaviors, as well as attitudinal features. The results show that sustainable certifications were of interest to consumers, as more than 1 out of 10 respondents valued sustainable certifications in purchasing fish. Respondents interested in sustainable certifications on fish were medium-aged consumers, with high working status, well educated, as well as living in a medium-size household without children. These consumers were more interested in organic foods and had an interest in food nutritional information; they likely have a healthy holistic lifestyle, and may purchase organic food, including fish, to improve their health by increasing their physical well-being.

Keywords: fish attributes; sustainable attribute; consumer preferences; best-worst analysis; cluster analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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