Sustainable and responsible labelling and consumption of milk: the consumer’s perception

Abstract

This paper aims to know the situation of the responsible consumption of milk in Spain and the consumers’ perception about labels indicating the responsible and/or sustainable character of a product. Different seals and labels used at national level have been analysed and a prospective survey was carried out on a sample of 200 individuals. Main results suggest the existence of some level of disinformation, which leads to confusion among consumers´, which accept seals and labels with misleading content as valid, as they are unaware of the existence of official certifications and their implications. Therefore, the most obvious conclusion is that companies and institutions in the dairy sector must work to improve their communication actions and, specifically, they must carry out actions to train and inform consumers about the content of the different labels and badges. This effort would not be in vain, as these same consumers are already demanding useful and truthful information about the sustainability of their products and processes.

Keywords

• responsibility
• sustainability
• dairy sector
• labelling
• responsible consumption