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Governmental and private certification labels for organic food: Consumer attitudes and preferences in Germany

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  • Janssen, Meike
  • Hamm, Ulrich

Abstract

In July 2012, the new EU logo for organic food became mandatory for all packaged organic products produced within the EU. While voluntary governmental and private organic certification labels have a long tradition in Europe, the introduction of a mandatory logo is novel in the regulatory environment. The variety of organic labels in the market raises a number of questions from the perspective of consumers that remain open. Based on empirical findings from Germany, this paper discusses and analyses consumer attitudes towards the mandatory EU logo for organic food and analyses consumer preferences and willingness to pay for a variety of governmental organic labels and farmers’ association labels. The aim of this paper is to provide recommendations for governmental and private owners of organic certification labels.

Suggested Citation

  • Janssen, Meike & Hamm, Ulrich, 2014. "Governmental and private certification labels for organic food: Consumer attitudes and preferences in Germany," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 437-448.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:49:y:2014:i:p2:p:437-448
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.05.011
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    Cited by:

    1. Goddard, Ellen & Muringai, Violet, 2017. "Trust, Fairness and Acceptance of Food Technologies," Project Report Series 264423, University of Alberta, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology.
    2. Samia Ayyub & Xuhui Wang & Muhammad Asif & Rana Muhammad Ayyub, 2018. "Antecedents of Trust in Organic Foods: The Mediating Role of Food Related Personality Traits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Irene (Eirini) Kamenidou & Aikaterini Stavrianea & Evangelia-Zoi Bara, 2020. "Generational Differences toward Organic Food Behavior: Insights from Five Generational Cohorts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-25, March.
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    11. Bi-Kun Tsai & Ku-Yuan Lee & Chi-Ming Hsieh & Pimpinan Somsong, 2019. "Determinants of Actual Purchase Behavior in Farmers’ Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-14, October.
    12. Dabbert, Stephan & Lippert, Christian & Zorn, Alexander, 2014. "Introduction to the special section on organic certification systems: Policy issues and research topics," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P2), pages 425-428.
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    14. Hobbs, Jill E. & Goddard, Ellen, 2015. "Consumers and trust," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 71-74.
    15. Gorton, Matthew & Tocco, Barbara & Yeh, Ching-Hua & Hartmann, Monika, 2021. "What determines consumers' use of eco-labels? Taking a close look at label trust," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    16. Domenico Carlucci & Biagia De Devitiis & Gianluca Nardone & Fabio Gaetano Santeramo, 2017. "Certification Labels Versus Convenience Formats: What Drives the Market in Aquaculture Products?," Marine Resource Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(3), pages 295-310.
    17. Elofsson, Katarina & Bengtsson, Niklas & Matsdotter, Elina & Arntyr, Johan, 2016. "The impact of climate information on milk demand: Evidence from a field experiment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 14-23.
    18. Mameno, Kota & Kubo, Takahiro & Ujiie, Kiyokazu & Shoji, Yasushi, 2023. "Flagship species and certification types affect consumer preferences for wildlife-friendly rice labels," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PB).
    19. András István Kun & Marietta Kiss, 2021. "On the Mechanics of the Organic Label Effect: How Does Organic Labeling Change Consumer Evaluation of Food Products?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-25, January.
    20. Vincenzo Girgenti & Stefano Massaglia & Angela Mosso & Cristiana Peano & Filippo Brun, 2016. "Exploring Perceptions of Raspberries and Blueberries by Italian Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-16, October.
    21. González-Azcárate, Mario & Cruz-Maceín, José Luis & Bardají, Isabel, 2022. "Certifications in short food supply chains in the region of Madrid. Part of the alternative?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    22. Felix Zoll & Caitlin K. Kirby & Kathrin Specht & Rosemarie Siebert, 2023. "Exploring member trust in German community-supported agriculture: a multiple regression analysis," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(2), pages 709-724, June.
    23. Zhu, Zhanguo & Zhang, Tong & Hu, Wuyang, 2023. "The accumulation and substitution effects of multi-nation certified organic and protected eco-origin food labels in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    24. Johannes Dahlin & Verena Halbherr & Peter Kurz & Michael Nelles & Carsten Herbes, 2016. "Marketing Green Fertilizers: Insights into Consumer Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-15, November.
    25. Carlucci, Domenico & Dedevitiis, Biagia & Nardone, Gianluca & Santeramo, Fabio Gaetano, 2016. "Certification Labels Vs Convenience Formats: What drives the market in aquaculture products?," MPRA Paper 75448, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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