Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Clams with Sustainability Certification in Mediterranean Countries

Vilma Xhakollari, Sina Ahmadi Kaliji, Marija Cerjak, Damir Kovačić, Luca Mulazzani and Luca Camanzi
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Vilma Xhakollari: Department of Agri-Food Economics and Marketing, School of Agriculture Policy, and Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6BZ, UK
Marija Cerjak: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Damir Kovačić: University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Luca Mulazzani: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Luca Camanzi: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-18

Abstract: For some types of seafood, such as clams, there are now sustainability certificates that guarantee their sustainable production. However, their consumption may be associated with some ethical and sustainability concerns, as clams are harvested in ways that may be harmful to the environment. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate consumers’ sustainability concerns based on their purchasing preferences and WTP for clams with sustainability certification in three Mediterranean countries—Italy, Spain and Croatia. Data were collected online and consumer preferences were elicited using a labelled discrete choice experiment. The results show that in general all consumers prefer clams from their country of origin, while there are differences in their appreciation for the sustainability certification. While Croatian consumers are not very interested in the current Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability certification, consumers in Spain are willing to pay a higher price for it. At the same time, consumers in Italy are more interested in new certifications such as Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM). These results could be of interest to clam production and distribution companies trying to advance their corporate social responsibility activities and positioning.

Keywords: clams; consumer preferences; sustainability certification; choice experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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