Food Quality, Price and Consumer Choices

Dear Colleagues,

A variety of high quality food products have specific credence quality attributes such as, production methods, sustainability aspects, geographic location, and origin. These products are considered to be “credence attributes” since consumers cannot evaluate them either before or after purchase. Hence, food quality labels play a critical role in signaling these quality features to consumers. Fernqvist and Ekelund (2014) identified credence categories including health-, production-, ethics-, and origin-related credence. Credence quality labels indicate for example the sustainability character, or the geographical indications or the traditional character, or the nutritional content of a food product. Examples of credence quality labels are environmental and ethical sustainability labels (e.g., organic, sustainable aquaculture and fisheries, animal welfare, fair trade, carbon footprint, local, food miles), symbols and origin labels (country of origin, Protected Designation of Origin, PDO and Protected Geographical Indication, PGI) and labels related to traditional production (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed, TSG), and nutrition- and health-related claims.

Quality labelling consist of cues used by consumers to access food quality and assist consumers in making informed food choices while retaining freedom of choice, and reducing search costs. For food producers, quality labelling is one of the major instruments to differentiate their products by informing consumers about credence quality attributes. Quality labels thus provide opportunities to strengthen their competitiveness by offering a way to differentiate and communicate the nature of their products in the marketplace. Quality labelling will be traded-off against other informational cues on the package, as well as price when consumers make food choices. This special issue is focused on the quality labels, price and how it relates to food choice.

Dr. Ellen Van Loo
Dr. Vincenzina Caputo
Dr. Claudia Bazzani
Guest Editors

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