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

Strengths and weaknesses of food eco-labeling: a review

Food labeling is increasingly expanding and adding more information to the food package. There is strong evidence about nutrition labeling effectiveness in driving food choice, especially if displayed in the front of package (FoP). Despite the growing attention to nutrition and sustainable diets, few countries have implemented sustainable labels or eco-labels that could address economic, social and/or environmental concerns. Implementing new techniques of eco-labeling emerges as a consumer-focused solution. However, evidence of the effectiveness of eco-labeling in driving consumers' choices is heterogeneous and not univocal. Thus, this review aims to summarize the evidence about the effectiveness of FoP eco-labeling in driving food choice and provide a reference framework of the eco-labeling initiatives relative to food package labeling. This narrative review addresses both the potential benefits as well as the main concerns that arise from the use of eco-labels. Although eco-labeling seems to provide a series of sustainability benefits for producers and consumers, the implementation of such policies should take into consideration potential trade-offs and inter-sectorial coordination to obtain bigger impacts, assuming that a policy itself cannot transform the whole food system. Eco-labeling could be encouraged and implemented within a set of policies shaping sustainable food systems.

Predicting m-health acceptance from the perspective of unified theory of acceptance and use of technology

Addressing the growing popularity of mobile health (m-Health) technology in the health industry, the current study examined consumers' intention and behaviour related to the usage of digital applications based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). In particular, this study quantitatively assessed the moderating role of perceived product value and mediating role of intention to use m-Health application among Indonesians. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and collected quantitative data from conveniently selected respondents through an online survey, which involved 2068 Telegram users in Indonesia. All data were subjected to the analysis of partial least square- structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The obtained results demonstrated the moderating effect of perceived product value on the relationship between intention to use m-Health application (m-health app) and actual usage of m-Health app and the mediating effects of intention to use m-Health app on the relationships of perceived critical mass, perceived usefulness, perceived convenience, perceived technology accuracy, and perceived privacy protection on actual usage of m-Health app. However, the intention to use m-Health app did not mediate the influence of health consciousness and health motivation on the actual usage of m-Health app. Overall, this study's findings on the significance of intention to use m-Health app and perceived product value based on the UTAUT framework serve as insightful guideline to expand the usage of m-Health app among consumers.

How Do Consumers Living in European Capital Cities Perceive Foods with Sustainability Certificates?

Certification aims at ensuring food quality and safety, as well as confirming other beneficial credence attributes, such as local origin and sustainability. In order to explore the visibility and credibility of such certification labels functioning in the European Union, a study was conducted among residents of two EU Member States, Poland and Belgium. Face-to-face questionnaire-based interviews and focus group interviews were conducted among 701 adults living in Warsaw and Brussels-the capital cities of these countries. Almost 44% of Belgian respondents and 33% of Polish respondents considered certified foods as being of better quality compared to unlabeled products. Focus group interviews demonstrated that Belgian consumers had more extensive knowledge and a higher level of trust in certified foods compared to Warsaw inhabitants. Our findings suggest that certificates are moderately important factors of food choice due to the wide variety of certificates, leading to consumer confusion, a lack of label uniformity, greenwashing, limited visibility and availability at points of sale, consumer price sensitivity and the prioritization of other factors. These constraints can be alleviated by introducing food labeling standards and regulations. Increasing consumer awareness and the availability and affordability of certified foods can also boost the demand for sustainable products in the region.

Market intelligence for guiding crop improvement: A systematic review of stakeholder preference studies in the rice sector in the Global South and beyond

Improvement of crop varieties can be a powerful strategy for addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South if it is guided by market intelligence. We conducted a systematic literature review of stakeholder preference studies that aim at guiding crop improvement in rice, the Global South's most important staple food. We review behavioral indicators such as purchase intention, willingness to pay, acceptance, probability of adoption, and preference. Results from 106 studies reveal important gaps in terms of geographical and stakeholder representation: (1) Southcentral Asia is underrepresented and (2) studies focused either on upstream (farmers) or downstream (consumers) stakeholders along the value chain, while missing out on midstream actors (processors, traders). From the consumer studies, urban consumption zones are adequately represented as sources of end-market opportunities for farmers to tap into demand. Evidence suggests that consumer preferences for intrinsic attributes revolve around eating and cooking quality attributes (i.e., aroma, texture, swelling capacity, taste) and physical traits (i.e., whiteness, size and shape, proportion of broken grains). Evidence from farmer studies reveals that (1) preferences for agronomic attributes dominate and focus on yield, maturity, plant height, lodging tolerance, and tillering ability; (2) yield and early maturity were generally considered priority attributes and were often jointly considered as such; and (3) preferences for abiotic stress tolerance revolve around drought, submergence, and salinity. These insights can help refocus market intelligence research to aid crop improvement in addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South, which may be expanded globally.

A systematic review of emerging environmental markets: Potential pathways to creating shared value for communities

The emerging environmental markets have been adopted by various sectors and industries worldwide, with regulations being implemented to make it compulsory to protect against environmental degradation through emission reduction. Thus, understanding the framework of environmental markets and their implications in mitigating climate change and addressing challenges is crucial. Following the updated PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted to provide important insights into environmental labels and their values in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Their potential for investments in emerging business opportunities was also explored. The literature search was limited to the past 20 years and focused on peer-reviewed journal articles in the agricultural sector, using databases such as CAB Abstract, Business Sources Ultimate, Scopus, and ProQuest between March and May 2022. It is worth noting that this study did not use other popular databases (e.g. Web of Science), which might result in the omission of some relevant studies in the environmental market domain, potentially introducing some imprecisions to the findings. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 51 articles were finally selected for the study. Thematic content analysis was conducted using Nvivo software, and the results were synthesized and presented in different themes. The findings indicate that carbon, environmental, and eco-labels are among the seven identified labels, wherein environmental and carbon markets, among the four identified markets, were found in new emerging and popular markets in most countries. There has been substantial growth in the value of environmental goods and services due to increasing demand from different stakeholders seeking environmental protection, as mandated by regulations. Overall, consumers have a positive response to the willingness to pay (WTP) premium prices, particularly for environmentally friendly labels and products (eco-label and environmental labels) than conventional ones (carbon and organic labels). Further, there is huge potential for investments in the newly emerging environmental markets, e.g., the carbon market through carbon/greenhouse gas emission reduction and carbon offset/credit market by soil carbon sequestration and carbon neutral products. This study contributes to the understanding of the market structure, the main drivers influencing new environmental markets, its advantages, and co-benefits for the various stakeholders in the value chain. Overall, the adoption of environmental strategies and practices can contribute to the socio-economic and environmental benefits, as well as lead to environment-friendly sustainable production.

The clean label trend: An ineffective heuristic that disserves both consumers and the food industry?

What started around the late 2000s as the "Clean Label" (CL) trend has now become a meaningful segment of the food market, appealing to consumers who want foods made of a limited number of simple and recognizable ingredients. However, this description and tentative definitions of CL foods are vague, subject to multiple interpretations, and CL remains an informal denomination for foods, making consumers' demands and food manufacturers' offerings hardly compatible. Therefore, rather than attempting an illusory definition of CL foods, this narrative review aims to (1) show how CL appears to be a heuristic used by consumers to attempt to make safe and healthful food choices, (2) discuss how this heuristic overlooks many critical aspect of food safety and healthfulness and is consequently ineffective to guide consumers' choices, and (3) discuss the implications of the CL trend on the food chain's stakeholders and their relationships.

Consumers’ Awareness, Behavior and Expectations for Food Packaging Environmental Sustainability: Influence of Socio-Demographic Characteristics

Packaging is a leading factor determining the total environmental effect of food products. This study investigated consumers’ awareness, behavior and expectations in relation to the environmental sustainability aspects of food packaging. Using an online survey, responses from 646 participants were collected. The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on all variable responses was explored by ANOVA models and t-tests. Participants were segmented according to a visual approach based on a principal component analysis applied on the consumers’ behavioral data. Gender, age, and education level affected consumer awareness, behavior and expectations differently. Four groups of consumers were distinguished on the grounds of their behavior in relation to food packaging: (1) More sustainable—packaging-role-oriented; (2) More sustainable—packaging minimizers; (3) Less sustainable; and (4) Medium sustainable. The most sustainable groups were mainly composed of females, while less sustainable consumers were mainly the youngest. The four groups differed in terms of expectations for sustainability-related information that can be communicated through food labels. In conclusion, this work provided new knowledge that is useful to understand the factors that influence consumer behavior and to promote the consumers’ packaging-related sustainability choices through food packaging.

The influence mechanism and spatial effect of carbon emission intensity in the agricultural sustainable supply: evidence from china's grain production

Agricultural carbon mitigation is critical for China to encourage the sustainable development of agriculture and achieve the carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. By exploring the impact mechanism of the carbon emission intensity (CEI) of grain production, we can effectively promote the low-carbon transformation of agricultural production and ensure the sustainable development of the food supply. This article analyzes the temporal and spatial evolution of the total carbon emission (TCE) and CEI of staple crops and adopts a dynamic spatial model to explore the influence mechanism and spatial spillover effects of the CEI of grain production based on evidence from China's major grain-producing provinces from 2002 to 2018. The results indicate that the TCEs of rice, wheat, and maize fluctuate upward and that the CEI in most producing areas decreases with low-low agglomeration (or high-high agglomeration). Among the influencing factors, technology is the main factor reducing CEI. Technical efficiency, urbanization, industrial structure, agricultural agglomeration, and agricultural trade openness can be transmitted to neighboring areas through spatial spillover mechanisms. The spatial spillover mechanisms are resource flow, technology spillover, and policy learning, producing the demonstration effect and siphon effect. Based on our findings, agricultural technology innovation and popularization, urbanization, optimization of the agricultural structure, financial payments, and factor flow among regions should be improved to encourage the low carbon transformation of grain production.

Effects of University Students’ Perceived Food Literacy on Ecological Eating Behavior towards Sustainability

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and industrialized food systems, people’s eating behavior has become seriously restricted. Especially, university students have started to overly depend on processed foods and carnivorous diets, and it places a huge burden on society by inducing the deterioration of health and environmental sustainability. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the effects of university students’ perceived food literacy on ecological eating behavior towards sustainability. A total of 395 university students in South Korea participated in this research. First, students’ food literacy components, which are reading labels and budgeting, healthy snack styles, healthy food stockpiling and resilience and resistance, exert positive influences on ecological eating behavior; second, the other two components, which are food preparation skills and social and conscious eating, have no positive impact on ecological eating behavior. Finally, the influences of food literacy on ecological behavior are significantly moderated by gender differences. This suggests that strengthening university students’ food literacy through education is necessary to promote ecological eating behaviors and advance the development of sustainable society.

The Impact of Green Marketing on Consumer Behavior in the Market of Palm Oil Products

The aim of the article is to examine the impact of green marketing on consumer behavior in the market for products containing palm oil. The first chapter addresses the theoretical approach—the impact of green marketing on consumer behavior. We considered a questionnaire survey to be the most appropriate method to conduct our research. In order to test our hypotheses, we applied Crosstab and Pearson’s chi-square test. The strength of the relationship between the variables was measured using Cramer’s V. The third chapter presents the research results based on the processed information of 527 obtained datasheets from the respondents. The data were collected from Slovak consumers in the summer of 2021. Hypotheses H1 (There is a significant relationship between the opinion of the consumer regarding purchasing products containing palm oil and the knowledge that the product does contain palm oil.) and H2 (There is a relationship between the consumer willingness to refuse the purchase of certain products if it has negative impact on the environment and the generational group the consumer belongs to.) were approved, however the relationship proved to be weak in both cases. The research makes it clear that the majority of consumers do not spend time reading descriptions on product packaging. It might be helpful for companies to make it clear and visible on the packaging that their product does not contain palm oil, informing the consumer and influencing them with the negative emotional message of the advert. The obtained research results are useful both for the producers and the customers.

Role of the Food Supply Chain Stakeholders in Achieving UN SDGs

This paper gives an overview of main food supply chain stakeholders and their role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As this supply chain is global, playing a significant role in feeding the world, a deeper analysis of 17 SDGs, their targets and indicators reveals numerous direct and indirect connections with various SDGs. To perform such an overview, the authors investigated the link between the main stakeholders of the chain (farmers, food processors, food traders and consumers) with UN SDGs. In parallel, the authors explored the roles of policymakers, inspection services, certification bodies and academia in supporting these SDGs. In spite of numerous papers, calculations and estimations, discussion and media coverage, the authors believe that only the tip of the iceberg has been revealed. Based on this overview, the authors emphasize SDG 2—Zero Hunger and SDG 12—Responsible Consumption and Production as the most dominant for the food supply chain. In parallel, the achievement of SDG 17—Partnerships for the Goals will enable deeper intertwining of the goals and all stakeholders in the food supply chain continuum. Additional efforts are needed to pave the way for fulfilling the targets of the UN SDGs and exceeding expectations of all stakeholders.

Assessing Sustainable Consumption in Packaged Food in Indonesia: Corporate Communication Drives Consumer Perception and Behavior

Sustainable consumption has been addressed in the literature in recent years, especially in relation to changing from a traditional consumption to sustainable consumption. Reducing environmental impacts from waste generation has been the focal point of sustainable consumption. However, a large number of attributes has caused a complexity in understanding which attributes effectively enhance the consumption. In particular, sustainable consumption has been facing a negative trend due to low levels of knowledge about packaging’s environmental impact, failed communication which leads to misperception and irresponsible behavior. This study contributes to proposing a set of attributes for enhancing sustainable consumption in the Indonesian food industry, to fulfill the lack of understanding of the attribute interrelationships using qualitative information. This study proposes a set of attributes to enhance sustainable consumption with qualitative information by assessing the interrelationships among the attributes employing the Delphi method and fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method to provide causal and effect relationships. As a result, corporate communication, consumer perception, consumer behavior, and product packaging are major aspects for sustainable consumption enhancement. Corporate communication becomes a major driver to affect perception and behavior. This study proposes a managerial insight for the packaged food industry on improving several criteria including green marketing, green consumerism, verbal features, and importance of information.

Exploring Sustainable Food Choices Factors and Purchasing Behavior in the Sustainable Development Goals Era in Spain

The aim of the present study was (1) to investigate what consumers include within the concept of food sustainability and its link with sustainable consumption, by identifying meaningful consumer typologies from the concept of food sustainability and food choice factors framed by SDG 12, and (2) to know how different farm systems attributes affecting purchase behavior are associated with such typologies. Consumers from two Spanish regions (n = 403) answered a paper questionnaire to know their degree of knowledge of sustainability, and beliefs, behavior, attitudes and preferences towards food sustainability, and the importance given to product characteristics and shopping practices. A principal component analysis was conducted to identify groups with similar answers, to average some of the questions before the final analysis of variance, which includes demographic classes as fixed effects. A cluster analysis using the most representative questions identified two clusters. cluster 1 (68.4%) responded to more sustainability-related attributes, and cluster 2 (31.5%) presented a less-expanded concept of sustainability. The origin of the product and quality certification (local, organic) was important for food purchase practices. The place of residence and gender differences of the consumers were the most influential factors. In the conjoint study, regarding the purchase of Iberian pork, cluster 1 remained unwilling to sacrifice outdoor systems and local breed at the expense of the price, in the case of the Iberian pig production. The most important demographic differentiator was the region of residence of the consumer. In conclusion, consumers are not aware of the wider aspects included in the sustainability concept. Moreover, the concept of sustainability elicits different meanings to the segments of the consumers identified.

Consumer Response to Cake with Apple Pomace as a Sustainable Source of Fibre

The use of apple pomace flour (APF) as a fibre enrichment strategy was investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate consumers' response to intrinsic and extrinsic properties of a bakery premix product when using APF. Apple pomace, a by-product from the juice industry, was dried and ground. APF is high in carbohydrates (47.47%) and fibre (38.48%), and it was used to partially substitute wheat flour and sugar in a cake premix. Acceptability, health, and nutrition questions were evaluated with and without information in terms of regular and fibre-enriched cake. The regular cake score was not affected by information, while the enriched cake's score increased with information. Three clusters were identified. Cluster 1 (29%) showed high liking scores for regular cake, cluster 2 (31%) for the fibre-enriched cake, and cluster 3 (40%) showed similar liking for both. Consumers described the samples and ideal cake using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) questionnaire. Penalty analyses explained differences in acceptability among consumers. Healthiness, tastiness, and fibre content were the main reasons to buy the enriched cake for cluster 2; taste for consumers in cluster 1; and healthiness and taste for consumers in cluster 3. APF as a functional ingredient may be a consumers' choice as a sustainable use of apple pomace.

Certification Labels in Shaping Perception of Food Quality—Insights from Polish and Belgian Urban Consumers

Food quality is considered to be one of the most important determinants of food choice. Given the variety of food products and the overflow of information in the market, certification labels are intended to encourage consumers to select healthier and more sustainable product options. This study focuses on how urban consumers from Poland and Belgium perceive food quality and whether certification labels shape their views on it. Research material was collected using quantitative (Paper and Pencil Interviews (PAPI)) and qualitative (focus groups (FGs)) methods. The survey was conducted among people visiting sustainable food fairs, on a sample of 701 adults in the cities of Warsaw, Brussels and Ghent. This study confirms that consumers are interested in food quality when choosing food, but their perception varies depending on the place of residence and other socio-demographic characteristics (age, income, education, household structure). Certificates were important for consumers if their message clearly signals exceptional quality and is consistent with awareness of sustainability challenges. Consumers from Belgium (a country with a long-established market economy) reveal deeper knowledge and a more favourable approach to certification labels than Poles. The role of labelling in shaping consumers’ perceptions of food quality depends on their awareness, experience and understanding of sustainability issues. This, in turn, is determined by the cultural environment of consumers, which in the case of our study was the country of residence.

Assessing Young Consumers’ Responses to Sustainable Labels: Insights from a Factorial Experiment in Italy

This study provides insights into young consumers’ responses to sustainable labels. Drawing on signaling theory, the article studies how third-party labels (TPLs) act and interact with company-level claims, trying to better understand their impact on young consumers’ perceptions and willingness to buy (pay for) a chocolate bar. A between-subjects factorial experiment—conducted by manipulating third-party sustainable labels (presence/absence of the labels) and self-declared claims (absence of the claim, formal claim, and friendly claim)—was used to test: (a) the effect of TPLs and self-declared claims on consumers’ perceptions, purchase intention, and willingness to pay, (b) whether this effect was mediated through the perceived credibility of the sustainability message, and (c) what kind of tone-of-voice adopted in the company’s claim was more effective. Data were collected via an online survey among a sample of 315 consumers (age range: 18–39 years) in South Italy. We found that third-party labels, “alone” were not effective in influencing consumers’ perceptions and willingness to buy/pay, while a self-declared claim, especially if characterized by a formal tone of voice, had a much more relevant impact. The combination of TPLs and self-declaration affected most consumers’ willingness to pay when the copy claim was informal. The perceived credibility of the sustainability message mediated the relationships between self-declared claims and the majority of the dependent variables, while, with reference to the relationship between TPLs and dependent variables, it did not act as a mediator.

You Are What You Eat: The Relationship between Values and Organic Food Consumption

In current times, the man-made problems affecting our planet (climate change, loss of biodiversity, etc.) are making an urgent case for shifting towards a more sustainable kind of consumption. One of the ways these problems can be addressed is to promote organic agriculture, which means boosting levels of organic food consumption. This study examines the relationship between the number of organic foods consumed and the specific values that consumers look for in foods, in order to deepen the current knowledge regarding the behaviour of the organic food consumer. To this end, data was analysed from a face-to-face survey of 776 people in Spain through bivariate analysis techniques. Results show that organic food consumers have a different pattern of values from non-consumers and a greater level of involvement with food in general. Moreover, within the group of organic consumers, the effect of values on the quantity or variety of foods consumed is not as marked, although there are differences in favour of those that consume more frequently. Lastly, the main implication of the results obtained is that, in order to increase consumption, selfish values should be connected with altruistic ones. For this reason, instilling a specific value based on the term or concept “life” is proposed.