Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T15:50:45.209Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of self-reported attitudes toward organic foods in consumer preferences and willingness to pay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2022

Rodolfo Bernabéu ,
Roberto Nieto  and
Adrián Rabadán Open the ORCID record for Adrián Rabadán [Opens in a new window]
Rodolfo Bernabéu
Affiliation:
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos y de Montes (ETSIAM), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Roberto Nieto
Affiliation:
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos y de Montes (ETSIAM), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Adrián Rabadán*
Affiliation:
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos y de Montes (ETSIAM), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: Adrián Rabadán, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Although consumers' interest in organic products has increased in recent years, the total demand for these products is still small in most countries. This mismatch between the positive perception of these products and their limited final demand is the so-called intention-behavior gap. The aim of this study is twofold. The first aim is to evaluate the effect of self-reported attitudes toward organic foods in the willingness to pay (WTP) for these products. Second, we analyze the effects of these self-reported attitudes in the final purchasing decision when consumers are asked to evaluate several food attributes simultaneously. The results show that self-reported attitudes toward organic products are useful predictors of higher WTP and can be arranged in different categories (range 15.2–20.1%). However, when a conjoint analysis of different food attributes was conducted, the segment of pro-organic consumers reported that the origin of the product was more important for them than the production system. This opens a new debate about the advisability of promoting the joint use of both labels (organic and origin labels) to engage pro-organic consumers.

Keywords

Conjoint analysisconsumer attitudesconsumer behaviorHanemann's modellocal foodshort channels
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 37 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 360 - 368
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aertsens, J, Mondelaers, K, Verbeke, W, Buysse, J and Van Huylenbroeck, G (2011) The influence of subjective and objective knowledge on attitude, motivations and consumption of organic food. British Food Journal 113, 1353–1378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aguirre González, JA (2009) Market trends and consumer profile at the organic farmers market in Costa Rica. British Food Journal 111, 498–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akgüngör, S, Miran, B and Abay, C (2010) Consumer willingness to pay for organic food in urban Turkey. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing 22, 299–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aryal, K, Chaudhary, P, Pandit, S and Sharma, G (2009) Consumer” willingness to pay for organic products: a case from Kathmandu Valley. Journal of Agriculture and Environment 10, 15–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asif, M, Xuhui, W, Nasiri, A and Ayyub, S (2018) Determinant factors influencing organic food purchase intention and the moderating role of awareness: a comparative analysis. Food Quality and Preference 63, 144–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Auger, P and Devinney, TM (2007) Do what consumers say matter? The misalignment of preferences with unconstrained ethical intentions. Journal of Business Ethics 76, 361–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Batte, MT, Hooker, NH, Haab, TC and Beaverson, J (2007) Putting their money where their mouths are: consumer willingness to pay for multi-ingredient, processed organic food products. Food Policy 32, 145–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bean, M and Sharp, JS (2011) Profiling alternative food system supporters: the personal and social basis of local and organic food support. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 26, 243–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernabéu, R and Tendero, A (2005) Preference structure for lamb meat consumers. A Spanish case study. Meat Science 71, 464–470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernabéu, R, Díaz, M and Olmeda, M (2010) Origin vs organic in Manchego cheese: which is more important? British Food Journal 112, 887–901.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernabéu, R, Rabadán, A, El Orche, NE and Díaz, M (2018) Influence of quality labels on the formation of preferences of lamb meat consumers. A Spanish case study. Meat Science 135, 129–133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bezawada, R and Pauwels, K (2013) What is special about marketing organic products? How organic assortment, price, and promotions drive retailer performance. Journal of Marketing 77, 31–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, RC and Heberlein, TA (1979) Measuring values of extramarket goods: are indirect measures biased? American Journal of Agricultural Economics 61, 926–930.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourn, D and Prescott, J (2002) A comparison of the nutritional value, sensory qualities, and food safety of organically and conventionally produced foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 42, 1–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Braña, T and Ferraces, J and Válera, J (1995) Diseño factorial incompleto. IV Simposium de Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento. Murcia (Spain).Google Scholar
Bryła, P (2016) Organic food consumption in Poland: motives and barriers. Appetite 105, 737–746.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bunte, FHJ, Van Galen, MA, Kuiper, WE and Tacken, G (2010) Limits to growth in organic sales. Economist 158, 387–410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canavos, GC (1998) Probabilidad Y Estadística. Aplicaciones y métodos. Mexico: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Chengyan, Y and Cindy, T (2009) Organic or local? Investigating consumer preference for fresh produce using a choice experiment with real economic incentives. HortScience Horts 44, 366–371.Google Scholar
Chryssochoidis, G (2000) Repercussions of consumer confusion for late introduced differentiated products. European Journal of Marketing 34, 705–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Costanigro, M, Kroll, S, Thilmany, D and Bunning, M (2014) Is it love for local/organic or hate for conventional? Asymmetric effects of information and taste on label preferences in an experimental auction. Food Quality and Preference 31, 94–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dorce, LC, Da Silva, MC, Mauad, JRC, De Faria Domingues, CH and Borges, JAR (2021) Extending the theory of planned behavior to understand consumer purchase behavior for organic vegetables in Brazil: the role of perceived health benefits, perceived sustainability benefits and perceived price. Food Quality and Preference 91, 104191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ecological (2018) El sector ecológico en España 2018 [Online]. Available at https://www.ecological.bio/es/sectorbio2018/El-Sector-Ecologico-en-Espa%C3%B1a-2018-EcoLogical.pdf (Accessed 14 December 2020).Google Scholar
Fourmouzi, V, Genius, M and Midmore, P (2012) The demand for organic and conventional produce in London, UK: a system approach. Journal of Agricultural Economics 63, 677–693.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghali-Zinoubi, Z and Toukabri, M (2019) The antecedents of the consumer purchase intention: sensitivity to price and involvement in organic product: moderating role of product regional identity. Trends in Food Science & Technology 90, 175–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giampietri, E, Bugin, G and Trestini, S (2020) Exploring the interplay of risk attitude and organic food consumption. International Journal on Food System Dynamics 11, 189–201.Google Scholar
Gil, JM, Gracia, A and Sánchez, M (2000 a) Market segmentation and willingness to pay for organic products in Spain. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 3, 207–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gil, JM, Soler, F, Díez, I, Sánchez, M, Sanjuán, AI, Ben Kaabia, M and Gracia, A (2000 b) Potencial De Mercado De Los Productos Ecológicos En Aragón. Zaragoza, Spain: Diputación General de Aragón.Google Scholar
Gracia, A, De Magistris, T and Nayga, RM Jr. (2012) Importance of social influence in consumers' willingness to pay for local food: are there gender differences? Agribusiness, 28, 361–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gracia, A, Barreiro-Hurlé, J and Galán, BL (2014) Are local and organic claims complements or substitutes? A consumer preferences study for eggs. Journal of Agricultural Economics 65, 49–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, PE and Rao, VR (1971) Conjoint measurement from quantifying judgemental data. Journal of Marketing Research 8, 355–363.Google Scholar
Grimmer, M and Miles, MP (2017) With the best of intentions: a large sample test of the intention-behaviour gap in pro-environmental consumer behaviour. International Journal of Consumer Studies 41, 2–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grunert, KG, Hieke, S and Wills, J (2014) Sustainability labels on food products: consumer motivation, understanding and use. Food Policy 44, 177–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hair, J, Anderson, R, Tatham, R and Black, W (1999) Análisis Multivariante. Madrid: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Hair, J, Anderson, R, Tatham, R and Black, W (2007) Análisis Multivariante. Madrid: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Halbrendt, CK, Wirth, EF and Vaughn, GF (1991) Conjoint analysis of the Mid-Atlantic food-fish market for farm-raised hybrid stripted bass. Southtern Journal of Agricultural Economics 23, 155–163.Google Scholar
Hamm, U, Aschemann, J and Riefer, A (2007) Are the high prices for organic food really the main problem regarding sales? Berichte uber Landwirtschaft 85, 252–271.Google Scholar
Hanemann, WM (1984) Welfare evaluations in contingent valuation experiments with discrete responses. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 66, 332–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hempel, C and Hamm, U (2016) Local and/or organic: a study on consumer preferences for organic food and food from different origins. International Journal of Consumer Studies 40, 732–741.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughner, RS, Mcdonagh, P, Prothero, A, Shultz, CJ II and Stanton, J (2007) Who are organic food consumers? A compilation and review of why people purchase organic food. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 6, 94–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
INE (2017) National Statistics Institute [Online]. (accessed 2 November 2017).Google Scholar
Ifoam, F (2020) The world of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and emerging trends [Online]. Available at https://shop.fibl.org/CHen/mwdownloads/download/link/id/785/?ref=1 (accessed 7 December 2020).Google Scholar
Kapuge, KDLR (2016) Determinants of organic food buying behavior: special reference to organic food purchase intention of Sri Lankan customers. Procedia Food Science 6, 303–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krystallis, A, Fotopoulos, C and Zotos, Y (2006) Organic consumers’ profile and their willingness to pay (WTP) for selected organic food products in Greece. Journal of International Consumer Marketing 19, 81–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kushwah, S, Dhir, A, Sagar, M and Gupta, B (2019) Determinants of organic food consumption. A systematic literature review on motives and barriers. Appetite 143, 104402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, S and Kallas, Z (2021) Meta-analysis of consumers' willingness to pay for sustainable food products. Appetite 163, 105239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lund, TB, Andersen, LM and O'doherty Jensen, K (2013) The emergence of diverse organic consumers: does a mature market undermine the search for alternative products? Sociologia Ruralis 53, 454–478.Google Scholar
Marchesini, S, Hasimu, H and Regazzi, D (2007) Literature review on the perception of agro-foods quality cues in the international environment. EAAE Semiar International Marketing and Internacional Trade of Quality Food Products. Bolognia, Italy.Google Scholar
Marian, L, Chrysochou, P, Krystallis, A and Thøgersen, J (2014) The role of price as a product attribute in the organic food context: an exploration based on actual purchase data. Food Quality and Preference 37, 52–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monier, S, Hassan, D, Nichle, V and Simioni, M (2009) Organic food consumption patterns. Journal of Agricultural and Food Industrial Organization 7, 12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mueller, S, Remaud, H and Chabin, Y (2011) How strong and generalisable is the generation Y effect? A cross-cultural study for wine. International Journal of Wine Business Research 23, 125–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ngobo, PV (2011) What drives household choice of organic products in grocery stores? Journal of Retailing 87, 90–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, J and Rana, J (2012) Consumer behavior and purchase intention for organic food. Journal of Consumer Marketing 29, 412–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, D, Henryks, J and Jones, H (2011) Organic food: what we know (and do not know) about consumers. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 26, 171–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rabadán, A, Díaz, M, Brugarolas, M and Bernabéu, R (2020) Why don't consumers buy organic lamb meat? A Spanish case study. Meat Science 162, 108024.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rabadán, A, Martinez-Carrasco, L, Brugarolas, M and Bernabéu, R (2021) Perceptions of geographical indication labels as quality indicators inside and outside the labels' area of influence: the case of spring fruits. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 36, 569–575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rana, J and Paul, J (2020) Health motive and the purchase of organic food: a meta-analytic review. International Journal of Consumer Studies 44, 162–171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rimal, AP, Moon, W and Balasubramanian, S (2005) Agro-biotechnology and organic food purchase in the United Kingdom. British Food Journal 107, 84–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rödiger, M and Hamm, U (2015) How are organic food prices affecting consumer behaviour? A review. Food Quality and Preference 43, 10–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rödiger, M, Plaßmann, S and Hamm, U (2016) Organic consumers’ price knowledge, willingness-to-pay and purchase decision. British Food Journal 118, 2732–2743.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodríguez-Bermúdez, R, Miranda, M, Orjales, I, Ginzo-Villamayor, MJ, Al-Soufi, W and López-Alonso, M (2020) Consumers' perception of and attitudes towards organic food in Galicia (Northern Spain). International Journal of Consumer Studies 44, 206–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sánchez-Bravo, P, Chambers, VE, Noguera-Artiaga, L, Sendra, E, Chambers, E IV and Carbonell-Barrachina, ÁA (2021) Consumer understanding of sustainability concept in agricultural products. Food Quality and Preference 89t, 104136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schäufele, I and Hamm, U (2018) Wine consumers’ reaction to prices, organic production and origins at the point of sale: an analysis of household panel data. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 35, 261–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schnettler, B, Ruiz, D, Sepúlveda, O and Sepúlveda, N (2008) Importance of the country of origin in food consumption in a developing country. Food Quality and Preference 19, 372–382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schröck, R (2012) The organic milk market in Germany is maturing: a demand system analysis of organic and conventional fresh milk segmented by consumer groups. Agribusiness 28, 274–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skuras, D and Vakrou, A (2002) Consumers’ willingness to pay for origin labelled wine: a Greek case study. British Food Journal 104, 898–912.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SPSS (2013) IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Guide user. Armonk, New York, USA: IBM Corp.Google Scholar
Sriwaranun, Y, Gan, C, Lee, M and Cohen, DA (2015) Consumers’ willingness to pay for organic products in Thailand. International Journal of Social Economics 42, 480–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steekamp, JB (1987) Conjoint measurement in ham quality evaluation. Journal of Agricultura Economics 38, 473–480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thøgersen, J, Jørgensen, A-K and Sandager, S (2012) Consumer decision making regarding a “green” everyday product. Psychology & Marketing 29, 187–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tranter, RB, Bennett, RM, Costa, L, Cowan, C, Holt, GC, Jones, PJ, Miele, M, Sottomayor, M and Vestergaard, J (2009) Consumers’ willingness-to-pay for organic conversion-grade food: evidence from five EU countries. Food Policy 34, 287–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsakiridou, E, Boutsouki, C, Zotos, Y and Mattas, K (2008) Attitudes and behaviour towards organic products: an exploratory study. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 36, 158–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ureña, F, Bernabéu, R and Olmeda, M (2008) Women, men and organic food: differences in their attitudes and willingness to pay. A Spanish case study. International Journal of Consumer Studies 32, 18–26.Google Scholar
Van Loo, E, Caputo, V, Nayga, JRM, Meullenet, J-F, Crandall, PG and Ricke, SC (2010) Effect of organic poultry purchase frequency on consumer attitudes toward organic poultry meat. Journal of Food Science 75, S384–S397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yadav, R and Pathak, GS (2016) Intention to purchase organic food among young consumers: evidences from a developing nation. Appetite 96, 122–128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed