Bibliography

To identify whether EU certified food – here organic and geographical indications – is more sustainable than a conventional reference, we developed 25 indicators covering the three sustainability pillars. Original data was collected on 52 products at farm, processing and retail levels, allowing the estimation of circa 2000 indicator values. Most strikingly, we show that, in our sample, certified food outperforms its non-certified reference on most economic and social indicators. On major environmental indicators – carbon and water footprint – their performance is similar. Although certified food is 61% more expensive, the extra-performance per euro is similar to classical policy interventions to improve diet sustainability such as subsidies or taxes. Cumulatively, our findings legitimate the recent initiatives by standards to cover broader sustainability aspects.

This cross-country study investigates the relative role of organic labelling in consumers’ purchase decisions for apples and the extent to which behavioral constructs, derived from an extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior, influence consumers’ choices. We apply an Integrated Choice and Latent Variable Model, combining a discrete choice experiment with structural equation modelling. Empirical validation draws on data from an online survey conducted in three European countries (NGermany = 404; NNorway = 407; NUK = 401). In all countries, price is by far the most important attribute in consumers’ purchase decision of apples, followed by country-of-origin and production method. The results show considerable consistency across the investigated countries regarding the importance of behavioral constructs – attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, trust, and personal moral norms – in explaining consumers’ intentions to buy, and purchase choices for, organic apples, confirming the derived theoretical framework.

Eco-labels are informational cues that transform credence into quasi-search attributes but their influence on consumer decision making is often disappointing. This paper identifies antecedents of trust in, and use of, eco-labels, validating a theoretical model with data for four publicly managed organic labels (the EU green leaf and three national labels from France, Germany and Serbia). Drawing on a large dataset of European consumers, the analysis reveals that the effect of institutional trust on use of an eco-label is mediated by trust in that eco-label. Trust in an eco-label positively affects use of that eco-label. Knowledge of third-party certification positively affects trust in, and use of, an eco-label. The results suggest that for eco-label managers wishing to increase consumer uptake of their labels, communicating third-party verification as is a critically important informational cue for enhancing consumer trust.