This study introduces and defines a novel color family-au naturel colors-and proposes that featuring these hues on product packaging enhances consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for healthy food products, but not for unhealthy food products. This effect occurs irrespective of the fit between the colors of the product and of the packaging, and of the color lightness or saturation. Perceptions of product authenticity mediate the relationship between au naturel colors packaging and consumer WTP for the product.The results of seven studies provide support for the proposed conceptual framework, contributing to the literature on consumer responses to colors and packaging features, and allowing to draw implications for the marketing of healthy food products.

Research framework:The effects of agricultural market globalization have increased the perception of inauthentic products; therefore, consumers increasingly search for real and genuine products. Product authenticity, generally defined with terms such as real, original, unique, genuine, and traditional, is becoming a frequent evaluation criterion that guides consumer decision-making. In this perspective, the traceability of the product could play a relevant role by allowing consumers to know more about the product (i.e., the whole process), which leads to greater trust in it.Purpose of the paper: This study explores the importance of product traceability in the relationship between product authenticity and consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for agri-food products, specifically for organic olive oil. Traceability is seen as a crucial factor in the agri-food sector, by preventing deliberate or accidental mislabeling (i.e., adulterations, fraud, scandals).Methodology: Quantitative data were collected from a convenience sample of consumers through an online survey built on the Qualtrics software platform. The survey was performed in Spain, considered the first and most important producer of organic olive oil in the world.Findings: The findings provide preliminary evidence that the importance of product traceability plays a mediating role in the relationship between product authenticity and consumer willingness to pay for organic olive oil.Research limits: This study adopts an exploratory approach and was developed only in the Spanish context. It would be useful to perform the analysis in other relevant olive oil producing countries, such as Italy or Greece. Additionally, the study focused on a specific type of comestible product (i.e., organic olive oil), then to corroborate the validity and generalizability of the findings further research will focus on different edible products.Practical implications: Findings contribute to the literature on the authenticity construct and allow implications for the marketing of agri-food products to be drawn.Originality of the paper: Through empirical evidence, this study sheds some light on the under-investigated nature of the importance of product traceability in the relationship between product authenticity and consumer willingness to pay.

PurposeThe study jointly investigates sustainability and authenticity concepts in the food context during the COVID-19 outbreak with a fourfold objective: (1) understanding whether sustainability and authenticity are equivalent concepts in consumers' perceptions; (2) advancing knowledge on the role played by them about food frauds' perception; (3) investigating whether these concepts are considered as “risk relievers” by consumers, (4) comparing the concepts to understand which one has a greater weight on the consumer's perception.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a Combination of a Uniform and a shifted Binomial distribution (CUB models) on data gathered in Spain between June and August 2020 through an online questionnaire.FindingsThe findings reveal that: (1) consumers perceive sustainability and authenticity as different concepts in the food context and (2) as two important indicators of fraud protection of a product for consumers; (3) besides, authenticity is seen as a “risk reliever” in buying a food product, as well as sustainability, (4) although results underline high uncertainty in the latter case.Originality/valueBy considering that the COVID-19 outbreak seriously threatens food safety, security and nutrition, this research elucidates the relevant role of food sustainability and authenticity concepts as “risk relievers” in terms of food frauds and negative issues related to COVID-19.

Many studies in the related literature have proven that the perception of flavor and healthiness can be affected by both the product’s intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Package designs, brands, colors, labels and other visual elements exert and influence consumers’ expectations and guide them toward food decisions. With the increasing initiatives promoted within Europe in support of the adoption of blockchain technology in supply chains and agri-food contexts, in the coming years, packages will be used with additional product information certified with the technology itself. Cueing packages with blockchain-certified information could affect consumers in their overall flavor and health perceptions, similarly to that previously demonstrated with other extrinsic cues. In the present study, we analyzed a sample of 310 primary grocery shoppers from Germany, Italy and the UK, demonstrating the effectiveness of technology-certified information on the package of animal milk in influencing consumers’ flavor and health perceptions and exploring the differences and similarities across the three countries and milk categories.

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