Do consumers care about local feedstuffs in local food? Results from a German consumer study

Publication date: Available online 10 January 2019Source: NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life SciencesAuthor(s): Adriano Profeta, Ulrich HammAbstractWe analyse if the introduction of a label showing a local feed origin is a promising product differentiation marketing strategy for animal products. Until now, animal products sold in Germany have not normally been labelled with any information about the feed origin. A Discrete-Choice experiment (DCE) was applied for pork cutlets and eggs. The German label ‘Regionalfenster’ (‘RF’) was used as the carrier for the local feed origin and different local feed-share levels (75%, 90%, 100%) were considered. The findings show a high market potential for a product differentiation strategy in the local supply chain. Results of a multinomial logit model (one-class-model) showed that there is a clear linear relationship between the percentage of the local feed-share and consumer preference. However, a more detailed latent class analysis revealed that for pork cutlets, 70% of the consumers would be satisfied with a local feed share below 100%, whereas for eggs, this holds true for only 37% of consumers.
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - Category: Biology Source Type: research