An Exploratory Study into the Role and Interplay of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Cues in Australian Consumers’ Evaluations of Fish

Abstract

This study investigates the role and interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic cues when evaluating fish quality and in shaping consumers' attitudes toward fish and fish consumption. A sensory analysis of nine different fish including five variants of Barramundi was conducted to determine how consumers evaluated the fish on intrinsic cues. Focus groups were then conducted to explore the impact of extrinsic cues on attitudes and purchase intentions. While quantitative sensory analysis revealed distinct differences between barramundi variants on intrinsic cues, the qualitative focus groups revealed that, as a brand, barramundi is perceived much more favourably and consistently, with consumers using extrinsic cues, particularly country of origin as surrogate indicators of quality. Key implications include the need for aquaculture producers to ensure intrinsic product quality and consistency, as while Australian consumers use the extrinsic cue of "Australian grown" as a surrogate indicator of quality, as their familiarity and confidence with seafood grows, this overreliance on extrinsic cues may diminish. Keywords:extrinsic cues aquaculture fish consumption intrinsic cues seafood sensory analysis country of origin

Consumer purchasing behaviour towards fish and seafood products. Patterns and insights from a sample of international studies

“…Several studies highlight that country of origin is one of the most important fish attributes of consumers' choice Brécard, Hlaimi, Lucas, Perraudeau, & Salladarré, 2009;Brunsø et al, 2009;Claret et al, 2012;Cosmina et al, 2012;Jaffry, Pickering, Ghulam, Whitmarsh, & Wattage, 2004;Lawley et al, 2012;Loose, Peschel, & Grebitus, 2012;Mauracher, Tempesta, & Vecchiato, 2013;Stefani et al, 2012). Moreover, these studies show convergent patterns towards a clear preference for domestic fish products which are perceived as being superior to imported fish in terms of quality, safety and freshness.…”

“…Consumers do not seem to be very interested in the choice between wild and farmed fish and actually consider production methods less relevant than other attributes of fish in the purchasing decision process (Claret et al, 2012;Jaffry et al, 2004;Lawley et al, 2012;Vanhonacker et al, 2011). Several studies carried out in different countries (Arvanitoyannis et al, 2004;Brunsø et al, 2009;Cardoso, Lourenço, Costa, Gonçalves, & Nunes, 2013;Claret et al, 2012;Hall & Amberg, 2013;Jaffry et al, 2004;Kole, Altintzoglou, Schelvis-Smit, & Luten, 2009;Lawley et al, 2012;Sveinsdóttir et al, 2009;Verbeke, Sioen, Brunso, De Henauw, & Van Camp, 2007a) show that wild fish is perceived as being superior to farmed fish by the majority of consumers in terms of taste, safety, healthiness and nutritional value.…”

“…Several studies carried out in different countries (Arvanitoyannis et al, 2004;Brunsø et al, 2009;Cardoso, Lourenço, Costa, Gonçalves, & Nunes, 2013;Claret et al, 2012;Hall & Amberg, 2013;Jaffry et al, 2004;Kole, Altintzoglou, Schelvis-Smit, & Luten, 2009;Lawley et al, 2012;Sveinsdóttir et al, 2009;Verbeke, Sioen, Brunso, De Henauw, & Van Camp, 2007a) show that wild fish is perceived as being superior to farmed fish by the majority of consumers in terms of taste, safety, healthiness and nutritional value. This perception seems to be accentuated in older consumers with more traditional eating habits (Arvanitoyannis et al, 2004;Brunsø et al, 2009;Sveinsdóttir et al, 2009;Verbeke et al, 2007a) and in people living in coastal areas where stronger wild fish consumption habits and better availability of caught fish in terms of variety and freshness are typical (Cardoso et al, 2013).…”

“…benefits and risks to human health and environment) Arvanitoyannis et al, 2004;Kole et al, 2009;Lawley et al,…”

“…From the cognitive point of view, domestic fish products are often considered superior in terms of freshness owing to the fact that as fish is a highly perishable product a reduced distance between the places of production and consumption requires fewer preservation treatments Claret et al, 2012;Lawley et al, 2012;Mauracher et al, 2013). In addition, consumers can be concerned about the safety of imported fish products, especially when they originate from countries where food regulations are perceived as insufficient Hansen & Sallis, 2011;Lawley et al, 2012). Therefore, consumers' perception can also be influenced by the specific country of origin image.…”