ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN IN CONSUMER EVALUATION OF FOOD QUALITY

Three food groups, which are central in the Norwegian diet, were chose n for investigation of consumer valuation of quality: fruits and veget ables, potatoes, and meat. Most consumers prioritize freshness, taste and nutritional value. Those consumers who gave priority to environmen tal aspects were least satisfied with the quality of these products. A further investigation of consumer relationship to environmental aspec ts of food was made through analyses of the characteristics of consume rs who 1) put priority on environmental aspects in their quality valua tion of food, 2) are willing to pay an extra price for foods produced in an environmentally sound manner, and 3) buy these products today. T he results showed that women are more likely to prioritize environment al aspects in their quality evaluation of food, and they are more like ly to buy these products, than men. People in the highest educational group were also more likely to put priority on environmentally sound p roduction. There were geographical differences; people living in Oslo and Northern Norway were least likely to put priority on ecological pr oduction. There was no independent effect of income, occupation or age . However, the reasons for buying foods from environmentally sound Pro duction were different in the various age groups. The youngest age gro up based their buying behavior on the considerations for the environme nt and animal welfare, whereas consideration for own health was the mo st prominent reason in the oldest age group. The results indicate that many consumers are interested in foods produced in an ecologically so und manner, but they are not willing to pay the present high prices fo r these products. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd