People who cook at home are more willing to pay a “higher price” for food with “lower environmental impacts”, according to a new study published today (Thursday, February 2) by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
The institute’s latest research study focused on three specific food types: Beef, chicken, and vegetables.
As part of the study the ESRI research team examined Irish consumers’ approach to the “environmental attributes” of food products and how much they valued the “potential risk” to water quality, carbon and waterfoot prints.
Researchers primarily used data from from an online survey of 1,249 people and excluded anyone who did not prepare meals at home regularly.
They found that in general, beef and chicken labelled as more environmentally friendly products were preferred by consumers, although this was less important when it came to vegetables.
ESRI researchers classified consumers into “three broad cohorts” based on their preferences.
Food and the environment
They found that in relation to beef, two of the three cohorts (totalling 67% of consumers out of the 1,249 people who took part in the survey) were “willing to pay premiums for products with lower environmental impacts” such as low carbon or water footprints, or low risk to water quality.
“For the chicken product, all three consumer cohorts are willing to pay a premium for a chicken product produced in a more environmentally sustainable manner.
“For example, among consumers who expressed willingness to pay a higher price premium, these range from 25% to an excess of 100% for beef or chicken produced with a moderate versus high risk of water pollution,” researchers stated.
However, the ESRI study, Examining Food Preferences in the Face of Environmental Pressures, also found that for some consumers, the price of the food product was the “primary factor driving purchasing decisions”.
The study highlighted:
“There was no clear-cut distinction between the different cohorts of vegetable consumers in terms of their values and preferences.
“Perhaps this may be because the majority of these respondents feel they already engage in sustainable consumption behaviour when consuming vegetables.”
The ESRI research team concluded that certain consumers have “preferences” in relation to the “environmental attributes” of food products but that the challenge for food policy is to “translate this into purchasing behaviour”.
“The extent to which this can be done may significantly impact farming and the agri-food industry, moving environmentally sustainable food products from niche to mainstream,” the study highlighted.