Regional Food Products and Region-Wise Consumer Ethnocentrism

Abstract

Iwona OLENIUCH 1 Izabela CICHOCKA 2 REGIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS AND REGION-WISE CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM The article is an attempt to answer the question about the relationship between regional food and buyers' attitudes as well as consumer ethnocentrism phenomenon. The concept of regional products was defined by using both the definition of the labeling associated with this category in the legislation of the EU and terms used by practitioners and theoreticians concerned with food market. On the basis of a review of literature, a number of benefits generated by regional products were shown. Both their individual dimension (benefits for manufacturers, distributors and consumers), and the advantages in macro scale were highlighted. Taking into account the latter, it was found that the regional products may comprise a direct response to the needs of the consumers with ethnocentric attitudes. The choice of this type of product can be not only attractive but also easy for them. Regional products, defined as having a specificity related to the area of origin, in most cases refer to the place of manufacture when it comes to their names. It seems that highly loyal to regional products can be clients defined as 'local patriots', who are buyers with high level of regional ethnocentrism. A number of authors advocate the introduction of this semantic category, besides the broader term of 'consumer ethnocentrism'. They stress regional differences in consumer's preferences as well as applying them in every day choices, not only with national but also local context. The article is a part of this trend.

The Effect of Ethnocentrism on Product Evaluation and Purchase Intention: The Case of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

“…The literature has identified several reasons for buying domestic foods (see [108] for a review), among which the following stand out: health-related issues [11], which has caused an increase in demand for high-quality, functional, or sustainable products; paying special attention to elements related to "emotional value" [7]; and an opposition to globalization in food production, which has focused on social aspects related to sustainability [6]. This behavior relates to support of local products and "can constitute a direct response to the needs of the ethnocentric consumer" [130] (p. 149). Thus, since understanding EC levels in a market can determine the success or failure of a particular product, the appropriate use of COO identifiers can provide competitive advantages based on the product [131].…”

Ethnocentrism Effects on Consumers’ Behavior during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Moreover, some studies (Fernández-Ferrín et al 2020;Bianchi and Mortimer 2015), have shown that consumer ethnocentrism can vary among different regions of the same country and that it has a strong influence in purchasing local or regional products, because consumers want to support local economy. This is particularly evident when consumers buy regional or local labelled products, such as Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indications and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (Oleniuch and Cichocka 2015) products or local sustainable fruits and vegetables (Boca 2021), because, by means of their consumption, they contribute to the sustainable development or rural areas.…”