Doherty, Bob orcid.org/0000-0001-6724-7065, Duckworth, Jay J., Randle, Mark et al. (4 more authors) (2022) Do front-of-pack ‘green labels’ increase sustainable food choice and willingness-to-pay in U.K. consumers? Journal of Cleaner Production. 133466. ISSN 0959-6526
Abstract
Aim In a series of pre-registered online studies, we aimed to elucidate the magnitude of the effect of general sustainability labels on U.K. consumers’ food choices. Methods Four labels were displayed: ‘Sustainably sourced’, ‘Locally sourced’, ‘Environmentally friendly’, and ‘Low greenhouse gas emissions’. To ensure reliable results, contingency valuation elicitation was used alongside a novel analytical approach to provide a triangulation of evidence: Multilevel-modelling compared each label vs. no-label; Poisson-modelling compared label vs. label. Socioeconomic status, environmental awareness, health motivations, and nationalism/patriotism were included in our predictive models. Results Exp.1 Multilevel-modelling (N = 140) showed labelled products were chosen 344% more than non-labelled and consumers were willing-to-pay ∼£0.11 more, although no difference between label types was found. Poisson-modelling (N = 735) showed consumers chose Sustainably sourced and Locally sourced labels ∼20% more often but were willing-to-pay ∼£0.03 more only for Locally sourced products. Exp.2 was a direct replication. Multilevel-modelling (N = 149) showed virtually identical results (labels chosen 344% more, willingness-to-pay ∼£0.10 more), as did Poisson-modelling (N = 931) with Sustainably sourced and Locally sourced chosen ∼20% more and willingness-to-pay ∼£0.04 more for Locally sourced products. Environmental concern (specifically the ‘propensity to act’) was the only consistent predictor of preference for labelled vs. non-labelled products. Conclusions Findings suggest front-of-pack ‘green labels’ may yield substantive increases in consumer choice alongside relatively modest increases in willingness-to-pay for environmentally-sustainable foods. Specifically, references to ‘sustainable’ or ‘local’ sourcing may have the largest impact.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Authors. |
Keywords: | : Sustainability; Consumer choice; Willingness-to-pay; Food labelling; Front-of-pack labels |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > The York Management School |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BBSRC (BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL) BB/N02060X/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 22 Aug 2022 11:00 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 18:41 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133466 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133466 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190275 |
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