Pre- and during COVID-19: Households’ Willingness to Pay for Local Organic Food in Italy

Food demand and food supply have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand changes in households’ behavior related to the pandemic, we investigated the willingness to pay for local organic apples before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed the changes that occurred withi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2023-06, Vol.15 (13), p.10247
Main Authors: Bigerna, Simona, Marchini, Andrea, Micheli, Silvia, Polinori, Paolo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Apple
Attitudes
Consumption
COVID-19
Eating behavior
Epidemics
Food production
Food products
Food safety
Food supply
Households
Natural & organic foods
Natural foods industry
Organic foods
Pandemics
Preferences
Supply and demand
Supply chains
Willingness to pay
Women
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Summary:Food demand and food supply have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand changes in households’ behavior related to the pandemic, we investigated the willingness to pay for local organic apples before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed the changes that occurred within families, estimating separate models for the two members of a couple. Our findings show that respondents have a positive price premium for local organic apples, whose consumption helps reduce the environmental costs associated with food production. The median estimated values during the pandemic ranged from 34% to 250%. Overall, respondents show a positive mean willingness to pay, which increased with the pandemic. The socio-economic variables are the most important in explaining the willingness to pay, while the behavioral variables have more heterogeneous results, even if lifestyle and the request for information through the label are also important variables. The pandemic tended to narrow the gaps in preferences between members of a couple. In conclusion, the local and organic dimensions are embodied in the short chain, in which knowledge and trust in the producer are crucial elements in the consumer’s choices.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su151310247