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Consumer Preferences for Ecolabeled Seafood: A Comparison ofConsumers in the US and Norway.

By Holger Donath, Cathy Wessells, Rob Johnston and Frank Asche

ABSTRACT

Purchasing decisions of environmentally-conscious consumers of products are often not only influenced by price, quality and convenience, but also by non-consumption attributes relating to the production method used. In response to this increased demand for information about the environmental attributes of products, ecolabeling schemes have developed around the world. Ecolabeling, or the certification of a product with regard to (environmental) standards by an independent third party, offers consumers condensed information in form of a label on the package, indicating compliance with established standards.

The proposed paper examines consumers' preferences for ecolabeled seafood in the US and in Norway. The data arecollected from 1,640 telephone surveys in the US in 1998 and 2,000 surveys in Norway in 1999. Respondents are asked, in a contingent choice framework, to choose between ecolabeled and nonlabeled salmon, shrimp and cod, with varying premiums for ecolabeled products. The results regarding consumers' acceptance of ecolabeling is analyzed as a function of current consumption patterns, demographic characteristics and current environmentally motivated purchasing behavior as a measure of "green" consumerism. Consumer characteristics and preferences for ecolabeled seafood in both countries are compared and existing differences highlighted.

KEYWORDS: Ecolabel, Seafood, environmentally conscious consumer, non-consumption attributes, consumer preferences, US, Norway,


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