Factors influencing Albanian consumer preferences for standardized olive oil

Abstract

Albania is considered one of the most important countries where olives are cultivated due to its geographical position and climate conditions. The country is facing many problems with the quality of olive oil which is related to cultivation methods and agronomic techniques. The economic value of the sector is calculated almost €20 million per year. For years the cultivation of olives and associated products have been considered an important sector within agriculture and are an integral part of the Albanian diet. The current study aims to analyze the factors influencing consumer preferences for a standardized olive oil. The data collection was conducted through a socio-economic survey. The survey was an important element which provided general and specific information linked to the study area. The interviewees were selected randomly. Descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the survey data. As a result, we conclude that Albanian consumers prefer domestic olive oil because they are familiar with the taste and believe in its qualities. Usually, Albanian consumers choose the quality of olive oil at the purchase moment, due to their close relationship with the seller.
 JEL CODE: D12

Sustainability Labels on Olive Oil: A Review on Consumer Attitudes and Behavior

“…which together make up 82% of those surveyed. In another research of Muça et al [97], dealing also with Albanian consumers, it was found that they usually develop trust relationships with suppliers because they lack other information about the quality of the olive oil at the time of purchase. Hence, Albanian consumers preferred domestic olive oil, mostly from the south of Albania, because they were familiar with the taste and believe in its qualities not like when olive oil is imported.…”

“…The lack of a clear definition represents an obstacle in the analysis of local food demand [57]. In the case of olive oil, various studies conducting consumer research on olive oil have considered the local attribute as an influencing factor on consumer behavior for olive oil [95][96][97][98][99], but the different perceptions and definitions of the term 'local' among consumers, researchers, regions and policymakers led to a variety of judgments among consumers.…”

“…Consumers' perception of olive oil quality based on the region of origin varies among countries [87,116]. Consumers from producing countries are more likely to show more sensitiveness to origin and to choose olive oil from their country-of-origin or the region-of-origin if they are from producing regions [89,90,[96][97][98]100]. On the other hand, consumers from non-producing countries accord importance to the country-of-origin of the olive oil they would also consume [91,116] and rely sometimes on certified geographical indications to choose the origin of olive oil they would consume with a higher value attributed to PDO compared to PGI [116].…”

Determinants of consumers’ preferences for the sources of spices in Gauteng Province, South Africa

“…Over the past few decades, spices have played an important role in economic development as a consistent source of income, employment, and a healthy option in the global food seasoning industry (Jiang, 2019). Global demand for spices remains robust, with the United States of America (USA) being the world's largest market in terms of demand for spices in both consumption and imports (Nguyen et al, 2019). Over the past several years, the spice and herb industries in South Africa have experienced a significant increase in demand (Asowata-Ayodele et al, 2016).…”