Exploring Perceptions of Raspberries and Blueberries by Italian Consumers

Consumers can be important active contributors to a sustainable society by selecting foods that are produced respecting environmental and socially ethical standards. In the fruit sector, sustainability issues are often associated with imprecisely defined concepts such as “locally grown”, “freshness” and “local product”. This study has investigated raspberries ( Rubus idaeus L.) and blueberries ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) purchases in order to identify how berry fruits choice attributes are ranked by consumers in two Italian Regions, using a choice experiment (best-worst methodology). Twelve attributes—that indirectly refer to the concept of environmental sustainability—have been investigated. According to the preferences expressed by our sample of retail purchasers ( n = 669), the results show that the reasons for the purchase of berries are associated with numerous parameters among which freshness and product origin are the most important and price was not ranked as so relevant. These findings indirectly testify the consumer attention towards the sustainability of local production and the link between sustainability and territory. Therefore, we can presume that the improvement of consumer familiarity with attributes such as “locally grown” and “local product” could support more eco-friendly consumption of raspberries and blueberries.

[1]  Bruno Mezzetti,et al.  Determinanti della qualità delle produzioni ortofrutticole , 2009 .

[2]  R. Hutchins,et al.  Organic confusion: sustaining competitive advantage , 1995 .

[3]  Wuyang Hu,et al.  Consumer Acceptance and Willingness to Pay for Blueberry Products with Nonconventional Attributes , 2009, Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

[4]  Risk Reducing Strategies Used in the Purchase of Wine in the UK , 1989 .

[5]  B. Schnettler,et al.  Preferences for berries among consumers in southern Chile: blueberries are produced but are they consumed? , 2011, Journal of food science.

[6]  U. Hamm,et al.  Governmental and private certification labels for organic food: Consumer attitudes and preferences in Germany , 2014 .

[7]  W. Bruce Traill,et al.  Local, national and imported foods: A qualitative study , 2007, Appetite.

[8]  Larry Lockshin,et al.  Testing the Robustness of Best Worst Scaling for Cross-National Segmentation with Different Numbers of Choice Sets , 2013 .

[9]  Cristiana Peano,et al.  Innovation strategies in a fruit growers association impacts assessment by using combined LCA and s-LCA methodologies. , 2016, The Science of the total environment.

[10]  John R. Mitchell,et al.  Food Texture and Viscosity: Concept and Measurement , 2003 .

[11]  J. Aguilera,et al.  Producer–Consumer Misalignment as a Possible Cause for New Food Failure: Empirical Evidence From Chile , 2015 .

[12]  Cristiana Peano,et al.  From "farm to fork" strawberry system: current realities and potential innovative scenarios from life cycle assessment of non-renewable energy use and green house gas emissions. , 2014, The Science of the total environment.

[13]  Brian C. Briggeman,et al.  Food Values , 2009, Science.

[14]  Jordan J. Louviere,et al.  Using Best–Worst Scaling Methodology to Investigate Consumer Ethical Beliefs Across Countries , 2007 .

[15]  Benjamin Senauer.  THE FOOD CONSUMER IN THE 21ST CENTURY: NEW RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES , 2001 .

[16]  S. Dekhili,et al.  How consumers choose olive oil: The importance of origin cues , 2011 .

[17]  J. Louviere,et al.  Determining the Appropriate Response to Evidence of Public Concern: The Case of Food Safety , 1992 .

[18]  Chris Meyer,et al.  What's Your Preference? , 2008 .

[19]  Hans J. Rosenfeld,et al.  Quality of red raspberry Rubus idaeus L. cultivars after storage in controlled and normal atmospheres , 2002 .

[20]  F. Escher,et al.  Importance and consumer perception of freshness of apples , 2006 .

[21]  K. Grunert.  How changes in consumer behaviour and retailing affect competence requirements for food producers and processors , 2011 .

[22]  L. Lockshin,et al.  Examining market segments and influencers of choice for wine using the Best-Worst choice method , 2008 .

[23]  R. Testa,et al.  La filiera corta: una possibile strategia per migliorare la competitività dell’azienda agraria , 2013 .

[24]  Sara R. Jaeger,et al.  Comparison of five common acceptance and preference methods , 2008 .

[25]  Per B. Brockhoff,et al.  A comprehensive approach to evaluate the freshness of strawberries and carrots , 2007 .

[26]  Cristiana Peano,et al.  Green marketing tools for fruit growers associated groups: application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for strawberries and berry fruits ecobranding in northern Italy , 2015 .

[27]  Eli Cohen,et al.  Applying best‐worst scaling to wine marketing , 2009 .

[28]  K. Brownell,et al.  The impact of food prices on consumption: a systematic review of research on the price elasticity of demand for food. , 2010, American journal of public health.

[29]  S. Y. Wang,et al.  Antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves of blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry varies with cultivar and developmental stage. , 2000, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[30]  Alessandro Brazzini,et al.  L’utilizzo degli standard privati di qualità nella gdo italiana. Il caso dello standard GlobalG.A.P. , 2014 .

[31]  S. O'Reilly,et al.  A Ten-Year Delphi Forecast of the Irish Speciality Food Market , 2003 .

[32]  R. Balling,et al.  The relevance of origin information at the point of sale , 2012 .

[33]  David Martín-Consuegra,et al.  The importance of packaging in purchase and usage behaviour , 2015 .

[34]  S. Kuznesof,et al.  Policy initiatives for regional foods: some insights from consumer research , 1998 .

[35]  S. Jaeger,et al.  Best–worst scaling: An introduction and initial comparison with monadic rating for preference elicitation with food products , 2008 .

[36]  J. Lee,et al.  The Best–Worst Scaling Approach: An Alternative to Schwartz's Values Survey , 2008, Journal of personality assessment.

[37]  R. Stamminger,et al.  Consumers Perceptions and Preference for Strawberries—A Case Study from Germany , 2015 .

[38]  M. Thomsen,et al.  Market trends and consumer demand for fresh berries , 2013 .

[39]  Genotype and growing season influence blueberry antioxidant capacity and other quality attributes , 2012 .

[40]  J. Louviere,et al.  Some probabilistic models of best, worst, and best–worst choices , 2005 .

[41]  Thomas Aichner,et al.  Country-of-origin marketing: A list of typical strategies with examples , 2014 .

[42]  M. Baker,et al.  Country of origin effects: a literature review , 1998 .

[43]  R. Boshier,et al.  Best and worst dressed web courses: Strutting into the 21st century in comfort and style , 1997 .

[44]  J. Barreiro-Hurlé,et al.  What comes first, origin or production method? An investigation into the relative importance of different attributes in the demand for eggs , 2013 .

[45]  K. Grunert.  Food quality and safety: consumer perception and demand , 2005 .

[46]  A. Lindgreen,et al.  Unpicking Motives to Purchase Locally-Produced Food: Analysis of Direct and Moderation Effects , 2015 .

[47]  T. Bjørndal,et al.  Consumer trends and prefences in the demand for food , 2014 .

[48]  A. C. Bech,et al.  Food-Related Lifestyle: A Segmentation Approach to European Food Consumers , 2001 .

[49]  S. Rousseau.  The role of organic and fair trade labels when choosing chocolate , 2015 .

[50]  Mikelis Grivins,et al.  A Comparative Analysis of the Social Performance of Global and Local Berry Supply Chains , 2016 .

[51]  A. Cardello,et al.  The Concept of FoodFreshness:Uncovering Its Meaning and Importance to Consumers , 2002 .

[52]  Eva Almenar,et al.  Influences of packaging attributes on consumer purchase decisions for fresh produce , 2012, Appetite.

[53]  Yoshihisa Kashima,et al.  The effect of packaging, branding and labeling on the experience of unhealthy food and drink: A review , 2016, Appetite.

[54]  M. McCarthy,et al.  Speciality food orientation of food related lifestyle (FRL) segments in Great Britain , 2008 .

[55]  L. Albisu,et al.  Do Millennial generation's wine preferences of the “New World” differ from the “Old World”? , 2011 .

[56]  Athina-Evera. Qendro.  Albanian and UK Consumers’ Perceptions of Farmers’ Markets and Supermarkets as Outlets for Organic Food: An Exploratory Study , 2015 .

[57]  O. Paredes-López,et al.  Berries: Improving Human Health and Healthy Aging, and Promoting Quality Life—A Review , 2010, Plant foods for human nutrition.

[58]  Jutta Roosen,et al.  Demand for Beef from Cattle Administered Growth Hormones or Fed Genetically Modified Corn: A Comparison of Consumers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States , 2003 .

[59]  Wim Verbeke,et al.  Personal determinants of organic food consumption: a review , 2009 .

[60]  P. Bryła.  The role of appeals to tradition in origin food marketing. A survey among Polish consumers , 2015, Appetite.

[61]  U. Hamm,et al.  Consumers’ perceptions and preferences for local food: A review , 2015 .

[62]  Gastón Ares,et al.  Influence of brand information on consumers’ expectations and liking of powdered drinks in central location tests , 2010 .

[63]  C. Peano,et al.  Biodegradable and Compostable Film and Modified Atmosphere Packaging in Postharvest Supply Chain of Raspberry Fruits (cv. Grandeur) , 2015 .