Zhongguo shipin weisheng zazhi (Feb 2024)
Consumer awareness and willingness-to-pay analysis of nutritional labeling in fresh agricultural products
Abstract
ObjectiveTo provide a reference for developing nutrition labels for fresh agricultural products， we explored consumers’ understanding of and willingness to consume fresh agricultural products with nutrition labels.MethodsIn total， 682 valid questionnaires were collected via online surveys. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze consumers’ understanding of nutrition labels for fresh agricultural products， their willingness to consume them， and the underlying factors.ResultsE-commerce platforms are important channels for selling fresh agricultural products. The demand for pre-packaged and exquisitely packaged fresh agricultural products has increased gradually. More than 75% of consumers frequently check nutritional labels when purchasing food products. Approximately 88.9% of consumers expect nutrition labels for fresh agricultural products and pay attention to the nutritional claims， including the content of sugar， vitamins， minerals， phytochemicals， and other ingredients. Consumers prefer quantitative labeling of nutritional components and the format of nutrition fact tables. Significant differences （P<0.05） were observed in consumers’ willingness to consume fresh agricultural products with nutrition labels and to pay a premium based on different identities and monthly incomes. Overall， 88.56% and 91.94% of the consumers had varying degrees of willingness to consume and pay premiums for nutrition labels on fresh agricultural products， respectively.ConclusionThis study indicates that consumers have a strong demand to understand the nutritional information of fresh agricultural products. They also expect to include nutrition labels for fresh agricultural products and are willing to pay premiums. Therefore， promoting the development and inclusion of nutritional labels for fresh agricultural products has practical significance and potential for the market.
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