Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T08:33:16.809Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay as affected by information about organic production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2010

Fabio Napolitano ,
Ada Braghieri ,
Edi Piasentier ,
Saida Favotto ,
Simona Naspetti  and
Raffaele Zanoli
Fabio Napolitano*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano 10 – 85100Potenza, Italy
Ada Braghieri
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano 10 – 85100Potenza, Italy
Edi Piasentier
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Via S. Mauro 2 – 33010Udine, Italy
Saida Favotto
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Via S. Mauro 2 – 33010Udine, Italy
Simona Naspetti
Affiliation:
DIIGA, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche – 60131Ancona, Italy
Raffaele Zanoli
Affiliation:
DIIGA, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche – 60131Ancona, Italy
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the effect of information about organic production on Pecorino cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay. Mean scores of perceived liking were similar for organic cheese (OC) and conventional cheese (CC). Expected liking scores were higher for OC than for CC (P<0·001). For OC the expected liking was significantly higher (P<0·001) than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (negative disconfirmation), whereas for CC the expected liking was significantly lower (P<0·001) than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (positive disconfirmation). Consumers assimilated their liking for OC in the direction of expectations, as the difference actual vs. perceived liking was significant (P<0·001). However the assimilation was not complete, as also the difference actual liking vs. expected liking was significant (P<0·001). Consumers showed a willingness to pay OC (mean±se=4·20±0·13 €/100 g) higher than the local retail price for conventional (1·90 €/100 g) and even organic cheese (3·00 €/100 g). We conclude that the information about organic farming can be a major determinant of cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay, thus providing a potential tool for product differentiation, particularly for small scale and traditional farms.

Keywords

organic productioncheese likingexpectancyinformationwillingness to pay
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 77 , Issue 3 , August 2010 , pp. 280 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2010

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

Aaron, JI, Mela, DJ & Evans, RE 1994 The influences of attitudes, beliefs and label information on perceptions of reduced-fat spread. Appetite 22 25–37CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
ACNielsen 2005 Organic and functional foods have room for growth. http://hk.nielsen.com/news/20051219.shtml. Accessed Jan. 29, 2010Google Scholar
Banovic, M, Grunert, KG, Barreira, MM & Fontes, MA 2009 Beef quality perception at the point of purchase: a study from Portugal. Food Quality and Preference 20 335–342CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernard, JC & Bernard, DJ 2009 What is it about organic milk? An experimental analysis. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 91 826–836CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beuvier, EK, Berthaud, S, Cegarra, A, Dasen, S, Pochet, S, Buchin, S & Duboz, G 1997 Ripening and quality of Swiss-type cheese made from raw, pasteurized or microfiltered milk. International Dairy Journal 7 311–323CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braghieri, A & Napolitano, F 2009 Organic meat quality. In Kerry, J. and Ledward, D., Improving the sensory and nutritional quality of fresh meat (pp. 387–417). Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing LtdCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bredahl, L 2004 Cue utilisation and quality perception with regard to branded beef. Food Quality & Preference 15 65–75CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brennan, C, Gallagher, K & McEachern, M 2003 A review of the “consumer interest” in organic meat. International Journal of Consumer Studies 27 381–394CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, MS & McKeith, FK 1999 Consumer related quality characteristics as related to purchase intent of fresh pork. Journal of Food Science 64 171–174CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caporale, G & Monteleone, E 2004 Influence of information about manufacturing process on beer acceptability. Food Quality & Preference 15 271–278CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cardello, AV & Sawyer, FM 1992 Effects of disconfirmed consumer expectations on food acceptability. Journal of Sensory Studies 7 253–277CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlucci, A, Monteleone, E, Braghieri, A & Napolitano, F 2009 Mapping the effect of information about animal welfare on consumer liking and willingness to pay for yogurt. Journal of Sensory Studies 24 712–730CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpentier, A & Latouche, K 2005 French consumers' and citizens' concern: which willingness to pay for “green pork”? International workshop on green pork production, Paris, May 25–27, 2005. pp. 17–18Google Scholar
Chapman, GB & Johnson, EJ 1994 The limits of anchoring. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 7 223–242CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daillant, B & Issanchou, S 1993 Influence of sugar and fat contents on preference for cream cheese. A preliminary study. Food Quality & Preference 4 133–139CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dransfield, E, Ngapo, TM, Nielsen, NA, Bredahl, L, Sjödén, PO, Magnusson, M, Campo, MM & Nute, GR 2005 Consumer choice and suggested price for pork as influenced by its appearance, taste and information concerning country of origin and organic pig production. Meat Science 69 61–70CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gil, JM, Gracia, A & Sanchez, M 2000 Market segmentation and willingness to pay for organic products in Spain. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 3 207–226CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grunert, KG, Beach-Larsen, T & Bredal, L 2000 Three issues in consumer quality perception and acceptance of dairy products. International Dairy Journal 10 575–584CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grunert, KG, Bredahl, L & Brunsø, K 2004 Consumer perception of meat quality and implications for product development in the meat sector – a review. Meat Science 66 259–272CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hayes, DJ, Shogren, JF, Shin, SY & Kliebenstein, JB 1995 Valuing food safety in experimental auction markets. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 77 40–53CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huffman, E, Shogren, J, Rousu, M & Tegene, A 2003 Consumer willingness to pay for genetically modified food labels in a market with diverse information: evidence from experimental auctions. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 28 481–502Google Scholar
Kähkönen, P, Tuorila, H & Rita, H 1996 How information enhances acceptability of a low-fat spread. Food Quality & Preference 7 87–94CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kihlberg, I, Johansson, L, Langsrud, Ø, Risvik, E 2005 Effects of information on liking of bread. Food Quality & Preference 16 25–35CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lange, C, Rousseau, F & Issanchou, S 1999 Expectation, liking and purchase behaviour under economical constraint. Food Quality & Preference 10 31–39CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lange, C, Martin, F, Chabanet, C, Combris, P & Issanchou, S 2002 Impact of the information provided to consumers on their willingness to pay for champagne: comparison with hedonic scores. Food Quality & Preference 13 597–608CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Latacz-Lohmann, U & Foster, C 1997 From niche to mainstream strategies for the marketing of organic food in Germany and the UK. British Food Journal 99 275–282CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lusk, JL & Shogren, JF 2007 Experimental Auctions, Cambridge University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
McEachern, MG & Schröder, MJA 2002 The role of livestock production ethics in consumer values towards meat. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 15 221–237CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McInerney, J 2004 Animal welfare, economics and policy. Report prepared for DEFRA. http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/animalwelfare.pdf. Accessed Sept. 20, 2007Google Scholar
Michaelidou, N & Hassan, LM 2008 The role of health consciousness, food safety concern and ethical identità on attitudes and intentions towards organic food. International Journal of Consumer Studies 32 163–170CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moskowitz, HR 1995 The dollar value of product quality: the effect of pricing versus overall liking on consumer stated purchase intent for pizza. Journal of Sensory Studies 10 239–247CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Napolitano, F, Braghieri, A, Caroprese, M, Marino, R, Girolami, A & Sevi, A 2007a Effect of information about animal welfare, expressed in terms of rearing conditions, on lamb acceptability. Meat Science 77 431–436CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Napolitano, F, Caporale, G, Carlucci, A & Monteleone, E 2007b Effect of information about animal welfare and product nutritional properties on acceptability of meat from Podolian cattle. Food Quality & Preference 18 305–312CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Napolitano, F, Pacelli, C, Girolami, A & Braghieri, A 2008 Effect of information about animal welfare on consumer willingness to pay for yogurt. Journal of Dairy Science 91 910–917CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Organic Monitor 2006 The North American Market for Organic Meat Products. Organic Monitor LtdGoogle Scholar
Poelman, A, Mojet, J, Lyon, D & Sefa-Dedeh, S 2008 The influence of information about organic production and fair trade on preferences for and perception of pineapple. Food Quality & Preference 19 114–121CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Resurreccion, AVA 2004 Sensory aspects of consumer choices for meat and meat products. Meat Science 66 11–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rousu, MC & Corrigan, JR 2008 Estimating the welfare loss to consumers when food labels do not adequately inform: an application to fair trade certification. Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization 6(1) Article 3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tagbata, D & Sirieix, L 2008 Measuring consumer's willingness to pay for organic and fair trade products. International Journal of Consumer Studies 32 479–490Google Scholar
Tregear, A, Dent, JB & McGregor, MJ 1994 The demand for organically grown produce. British Food Journal 96 21–25CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vickrey, W 1961 Counterspeculation, auctions, and competitive sealed tenders. Journal of Finance 16 8–37CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wheeler, TL, Shackelford, SD & Koohmaraie, M 2007 Beef longissimus slice shear force measurement among steak locations and institution. Journal of Animal Science 85 2283–2289CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zanoli, R, Bahr, M, Borschen, M, Laberenz, H, Naspetti, S & Thelen, E 2004 The European Consumer and Organic Food. Organic Marketing Initiatives and Rural Development, vol. IV. School of Management & Business. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 175 pGoogle Scholar