ABSTRACT

Following the growth in the demand for organic food in many Western markets, restaurants are following up by using organic produce in their meal preparation. We conduct a study investigating the role of information on use of organic produce in consumers’ restaurant choice, and the role of a state-certified labelling scheme in this context, using the Danish Organic Cuisine Label (OCL) as an example. We conduct a preparatory focus group study to gain an initial understanding of the role of organic product in restaurant choice and of criteria when choosing restaurants in general. We then conduct a discrete choice experiment investigating the potential role of the use of organic ingredients for consumers’ choice of restaurants, and the role of a certified labelling scheme in such a choice. We find that the role of organics in restaurant choice is limited, as the use of organic ingredients is not linked to the hedonic aspects that consumers are found to put most weight on when selecting a restaurant. The role of the certified label is biggest for a small but very organic-oriented segment. Also, for a price conscious segment, the label was associated with quality, but also with higher prices.

摘要

随着许多西方市场对有机食品需求的增长，餐馆也开始在备餐时使用有机农产品。我们以丹麦有机美食标签 (OCL) 为例，开展了一项研究，调查有机农产品使用信息在消费者餐厅选择中的作用，以及国家认证标签计划在这方面的作用。我们进行了预备性焦点小组研究，以初步了解有机产品在餐厅选择中的作用以及一般选择餐厅时的标准。然后，我们进行了一项离散选择实验，调查使用有机成分对消费者选择餐厅的潜在作用，以及经过认证的标签方案在这种选择中的作用。我们发现有机物在餐厅选择中的作用有限，因为有机食材的使用与消费者在选择餐厅时最看重的享乐方面无关。认证标签的作用对于一个小但非常有机的细分市场来说是最大的。此外，对于价格敏感的细分市场，标签与质量相关，但也与更高的价格相关。