Can multicriteria assessment tools help build trust into organic products?

Abstract

ABSTRACT. In a continuously expanding, globalizing, and industrializing organic market, organic consumers confront increasing complexity in organic product representation, labeling, and information that challenges how they build trust in organic products. We present a conceptual framework to analyze how consumers might build and practice trust in the organic agrifood chain. We asked specifically about the role of multicriteria assessment tools (MCATs) for trust building. We identified three consumer trust types: uninformed trust in labels (type 1); informed trust in extensive information, control, and certification (type 2); and informed and engaged trust in forms of close farmer-consumer relationships (type 3). Three concepts of "reflexivity"-unreflective, reflective, selfreflective-are used to explain how these three consumer trust types are operating. We see MCATs as tools accepted and applied mainly by the informed and reflective type. We further examined how reflexivity about two aspects-ethics and systems thinking-in the context of the organic agrifood chain can affect how people trust. Hedonistic, materialistic-oriented consumers might not care about MCATs to deepen their trust in organic, while anthropocentric-oriented consumers were identified as those applying MCATs; ecocentric and holistic-oriented consumers perceive MCATs more as a confinement that limits their self-reflexive and holistic understanding of organic. Awareness of, and interest in, systems thinking by unreflective and uninformed consumer trust types is rather limited; any MCAT is therefore without relevance. The reflective and informed consumer trust type uses a bundle of systems thinking methodologies, and in this context, MCATs would serve as an orientation. The self-reflective, informed, and engaged consumer trust type applies systems theory to learn how to become independent and to better learn how to protect against power interventions; e.g., from industries into the local agrofood chain system. MCATs might play a role, however, would be seen critically because of the high degree of selfdetermination of this type. The unreflective consumer type will not ask for any governance process or related MCAT because they are not sensitized for any bottom-up processes in the agrofood chain. The reflective consumer, however, appreciates more transparency and participation, and would welcome in this context any MCAT that supports more voice for the consumer. The self-reflective consumer who asks for independence and full voice in creating the relation to farmers would at least develop their own MCAT in collaboration with the processors and farmers. Single, double, and triple loop learning are seen as the learning processes that take place when a consumer engages reflexively in the organic agrifood chain. The uninformed consumer type is a single loop learner not heavily interested in MCATs, while the informed is a double loop learner, where MCAT might be a useful tool, and the triple loop learner is seen as the consumer type being engaged in the...

Opportunities and challenges for multicriteria assessment of food system sustainability

“…Rittenhofer and Povlsen's analysis therefore emphasizes the importance of Freyer et al (2014)'s conceptual framework to analyze how consumers might build and practice trust in the organic agri-food chain, with particular regard to the role of multicriteria assessment tools for trust building. They identify three consumer trust types: (i) uninformed and unreflective trust in labels; (ii) informed and reflective trust based on extensive information, control, and certification; and (iii) informed, engaged, and self-reflective trust based on close farmer-consumer relationships.…”

“…For instance, Schader et al (2014) shows the trade-off between different aspects of knowledge, such as scope vs. precision, in assessment tools, and Marchand et al (2014) investigate the different forms of assessment tools and types of knowledge needed for scientific monitoring vs. farm development. Different target groups differ in what form of knowledge they expect and use, and the informed consumer identified by Freyer et al (2014) is the most likely to be influenced by multicriteria assessments. Measuring weights given to different disciplines (Peano et al 2014) quantifies differences in emphasis of different types of knowledge and provides a method to reframe the same sustainability data in different ways for different audiences, but it does not reconcile the underlying perspectives and debates about which should take overall precedence in how food and fibre are produced.…”

The transformation of trust in China’s alternative food networks: disruption, reconstruction, and development

“…Others focus on trust in institutions (Chen 2008, de Jonge et al 2008. Freyer et al (2014) identified three types of consumer trust in organic products: uninformed organic consumers, informed organic consumers, and informed and engaged consumers. This classification establishes linkages between trust and consumers' motivation, habits, and perceptions; however, it is inadequate for understanding the transformation of different types of trust in a broader context where trust relationships are more complex and trust is placed in divergent trustees.…”

“…This classification establishes linkages between trust and consumers' motivation, habits, and perceptions; however, it is inadequate for understanding the transformation of different types of trust in a broader context where trust relationships are more complex and trust is placed in divergent trustees. Based on the identity of trustees and previous work by Edelenbos and Eshuis (2012) and Freyer et al (2014), we propose a categorization of trust as shown in Table 1. Table 1.…”

“…Agrifood scholars have argued that consumers purchasing food at these alternative venues are reconnecting and building a new trust relationship with individual vendors and food production groups (Jarosz 2000, Whatmore et al 2003, Kirwan 2004, Holloway et al 2006, Wiskerke 2009, Freyer et al 2014. The shift of some Chinese consumers from conventional food retail venues to AFNs thus not only serves as a lens through which food safety issues can be observed, but also offers a unique case to examine the transformation of trust in the specific social and institutional settings of China.…”