What role do attitudes, information and taste play in consumer preferences and willingness to pay for domestic alternatives to exotic superfoods?

Abstract

Superfoods are a recent health-oriented food trend, especially among younger consumers. The most well-known superfoods, such as quinoa or goji berries, are considered exotic foods, at least for the European market. This contradicts another food trend: the movement towards regional or local foods. As little is known about how consumers evaluate this trade-off when consuming superfoods, we investigate i) consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for domestic and exotic superfood ingredients; and ii) factors determining a higher WTP for domestic superfood alternatives. To this end, we conducted a three-step Vickrey auction of fruit smoothies with exotic and domestic superfood ingredients. A total of 116 individuals participated in the within-subjects experiment, which included an information treatment, tastings and a sensory evaluation. In general, participants perceived superfoods as a healthy but expensive food trend potentially harmful to the environment. Moreover, participants were eager to try the exotic smoothie, but agreed more strongly with statements endorsing the positive health benefits and good taste of the domestic smoothie. In general, we found a higher WTP for the domestic smoothie, which was reinforced by providing information about the origin of the fruits. After tasting, the WTP a premium for the domestic smoothie was driven by differences in sensory evaluations, but no longer by product perceptions and food neophobia. This indicates that food neophobia is related to taste uncertainty, which was resolved by the tasting. We discuss practical implications for fruit growers and processors marketing products containing novel and familiar superfood ingredients.