Retail Price Differences between Packaged and Unpackaged Fruits (Apples) and Vegetables (Tomatoes, Peppers)

Samuel Fritschi, Thomas Decker and Sven Sängerlaub ()
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Samuel Fritschi: Department for Technical Systems, Processes and Communication, Munich University of Applied Sciences HM, Lothstraße 38, 80335 Munich, Germany
Thomas Decker: Marketing and Management of Biogenic Resources, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Am Essigberg 3, 94315 Straubing, Germany
Sven Sängerlaub: Department for Technical Systems, Processes and Communication, Munich University of Applied Sciences HM, Lothstraße 38, 80335 Munich, Germany

World, 2023, vol. 4, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: Since, according to many scientific studies, price is a very important factor when buying fruits and vegetables, it is interesting to study whether price differences between them occur in retail markets. Because of the discussion regarding sustainability, we performed an observational, orienting study on the retail prices of frequently bought packaged and unpackaged fruits and vegetables (apples, tomatoes, and bell peppers) in the Munich area in February and March 2022. We also differentiated between organic and non-organic produce. The relationship between the type of packaging (packaged versus unpackaged) and the retail price (EUR/kg) was determined by means of correlation coefficients, and we examined whether unpackaged products were more expensive than the packaged variants. The results differed for the organic and non-organic variants of the products, as well as among the individual fruit and vegetable varieties. We found a tendency towards unpackaged products being more expensive than packaged fruits and vegetables, in three out of four cases for the non-organic and two out of three cases for the organic products. For all cases, single products and single cost values were observed where the opposite was found.

Keywords: fruits; vegetables; cost analysis; price premium; sustainability; packaging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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