Determinants affecting consumers' attention to fish eco-labels in purchase decisions: a cross-country study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the role of consumer altruism and other socio-cultural factors in predicting how much attention consumers pay to seafood eco-labels.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical investigation was carried out by administering an online questionnaire to a sample of Italian and Spanish people from December 2019 to April 2020. After carrying out the principal component analysis procedure, the work made use of an ordinal logistic regression.FindingsBoth Italian and Spanish consumers with an altruistic attitude, who feel that food produced in a sustainable way can protect the environment and workers, appear more likely to take an eco-label into account. In addition, in both countries, consumers with a higher level of education and in the older age range are more likely to read eco-labels before buying fish products.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation is mainly related to the sampling procedure, which is not probabilistic and does not allow for generalisation of the results. Furthermore, some indicators related to COVID-19 were not included as the planning stage of the research methodology occurred before the pandemic.Practical implicationsA better understanding of the main determinants predicting consumers' attention to seafood eco-labels could be crucial to promote effective marketing strategies aimed at increasing consumer interest and awareness in sustainable seafood and eco-labels.Originality/valueExploring the role of consumers' altruism in how much attention is paid to seafood eco-labels appears to be a new approach that emphasises the role of altruism as a variable capable of bridging the “value-action gap”.

Consumer Demand for Environmental, Social, and Ethical Information in Fishery and Aquaculture Product Labels

“…The habits regarding FAPs include questions regarding the frequency on the consumption and purchase of these products, the aspects that are considered when buying these products, or the information that should be included in the product labeling. The greater awareness about ESE issues in society is considered in the buying and decisionmaking process (Del Giudice et al, 2018;Panda et al, 2020;Galati et al, 2021) and, therefore, has affected the demand for sustainable certifications and labels in FAP products (Onozaka et al, 2010;Salladarré et al, 2010;Uchida et al, 2014;Lewis and Boyle, 2017;Tinacci et al, 2019). Thus, we can expect that consumer consideration of ESE aspects when purchasing FAPs is positively impacting the willingness to have ESE information included on FAP labels.…”

“…To date, few studies have been carried out in order to analyze the consumers' knowledge and perception toward seafood ecolabels and their willingness to pay a premium price for ecolabeled products (Brécard et al, 2009;Uchida et al, 2014;Bronnmann and Hoffmann, 2018). Findings reveal a positive perception and WTP of consumers for fish ecolabeling, such as MSC, FSC, or organic aquaculture, as a consequence of their awareness of the social, environmental, and economic impacts linked to their decision-making process (Onozaka et al, 2010;Salladarré et al, 2010;Uchida et al, 2014;Menozzi et al, 2020;Galati et al, 2021). In particular, the greater the environmental awareness, the more attention consumers will pay to ecolabels (Galati et al, 2021).…”

“…Findings reveal a positive perception and WTP of consumers for fish ecolabeling, such as MSC, FSC, or organic aquaculture, as a consequence of their awareness of the social, environmental, and economic impacts linked to their decision-making process (Onozaka et al, 2010;Salladarré et al, 2010;Uchida et al, 2014;Menozzi et al, 2020;Galati et al, 2021). In particular, the greater the environmental awareness, the more attention consumers will pay to ecolabels (Galati et al, 2021). This environmental awareness can be related to concepts such as ecological citizenship (Dobson, 2007) that encompasses a theory of change towards sustainable lifestyles and living standards (Wolf et al, 2009).…”

“…In a similar way, the analysis of consumer altruism is the object of this study. A recent cross-country study (Galati et al, 2021) reveals that Italian and Spanish consumers with an altruistic attitude, who identify seafood products produced in a sustainable way with a greater protection of the environment and workers, pay more attention to ecolabeling during the decisionmaking process. However, as several authors emphasize, if it is true that consumers attach importance to the sustainability of fish products, this attention is not reflected on their choices highlighting that ethical and social considerations do not shape the fish consumers' behavior (Verbeke et al, 2007).…”

“…Thereby, the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on purchasing decisions is relevant. Aspects such as age, gender, education levels, and income levels have been extensively studied and tend to play a significant role in determining preferences for certified or labeled products (Pérez-Ramírez et al, 2015;Kim and Lee, 2018;Galati et al, 2021). Lastly, most of the studies cited have incorporated aspects related to the purchasing and consumption process.…”