Wrapped in the Flag: Food Choice and Country of Origin Labelling

Abstract

Summary The growth in country of origin (COO) food labelling is part of the ongoing proliferation of information provided to consumers. However, the implementation of COO labelling means that consumers can sometimes end up more confused than informed. This concern raises questions regarding how COO information should be provided, along with what information needs to be given to consumers. We begin by discussing what COO actually indicates. This is followed by a review of the evidence on consumer use of COO information. Then turning to current policy issues, we draw attention to how COO information can be used to promote consumer ethnocentrism as well as inadvertently causing trade tensions both between trading countries and within the EU single market. We then consider how developments in information technology like blockchains or smart labels might change how COO information is collated and used. In particular, we observe that any increase in the use of this technology will depend on whether or not consumers trust these new digital sources of information. Potentially, the convenience with which COO information could be verified by consumers using information technology is a logical development given consumer demands for convenience in general.

Label information and consumer behaviour: evidence on drinking milk sector

“…Label information can also influence consumers' preferences, behaviours, and willingness to pay towards food products, especially if this information is provided through a certification (Slade et al 2019;Rihn et al 2019;Choi et al 2018;Scozzafava et al 2020). In particular, the origin of the product, which is usually considered an indicator of quality (Dekhili and d'Hauteville 2009;Di Vita et al 2013), is important for consumers (Perito et al 2019;Fraser and Balcombe 2018;Yin et al 2018;Grebitus et al 2018). Nowadays, the information and the format of the label are very important, by becoming a tool which can affect the consumers' food choices (Rihn et al 2019;Thiene et al 2018).…”

“…This information is usually important for the consumer (Perito et al 2019;Fraser and Balcombe 2018) because usually synonymous of "quality". Freshness, food safety, and packaging are choices' attributes that have shown a significant impact on this type of information, particularly the first two.…”

Do Consumers Really Care? An Economic Analysis of Consumer Attitudes Towards Food Produced Using Prohibited Production Methods

“…Third, it is unclear if the UK will retain the same CoO regulations once the UK leaves the EU (Fraser and Balcombe 2018;Millstone et al, 2019). Consumer welfare is enhanced if consumers can make more informed food choices.…”

Are Consumers Willing to Pay a Premium for Pure Rice Noodles? A Study of Discrete Choice Experiments in Taiwan

“…The origin reported on the label, such as country of origin labeling, the name of the region, and local labeling, has been intensively studied in foods [7,9,[47][48][49]. In Taiwan, FDA regulations allow businesses to include a designation of origin (DOO) on the package of rice noodle products.…”