This study aims at examining the consumers’ preferences and drivers affecting the choice of quality-labelled food products, i.e., protected designation of origin (PDO) labelled cheese. We applied the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to analyse the purchase of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO and Comté PDO hard cheeses in Italy and France, respectively. A cross-sectional sample of 808 consumers (400 French and 408 Italian) completed a questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated perceived behavioural control (PBC) and attitude to be significant predictors of intention to purchase PDO-labelled cheese in France and Italy. Subjective and moral norms affected intention in France. Intention significantly influenced the hard cheese purchase behaviour. The results confirm that the TPB model predicted the self-reported measure of behaviour more than the observed one, measured with a discrete choice experiment, in both countries. The TPB interrelationships varied between countries, suggesting that food systems operators and public authorities should carefully target their intervention to stimulate the demand of PDO-labelled products.

This chapter draws mainly from existing studies in Europe to present what is known about how geographical indication (GI) products and labels are...

Purpose: This paper investigates how giving additional information to consumers changes their appreciation of wine, and how this effect changes with their knowledge of wine and their characteristics.Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 415 French consumers was carried-out in 2014, focusing on the sensory evaluation of 37 red Bourgogne wines. Two sensorial evaluations (visual, and smell & taste) are investigated, first without any information about the wine and then with the presentation of the wine bottle with its labels.Findings: The majority of participants are significantly influenced by the information displayed. The influence of information depends on their initial knowledge and individual characteristics (gender, age, and home area). This influence is robust, whatever be the means of evaluation.Research limitations/implications: The study was carried out with red Bourgogne wines and focused on the village and regional appellations, with a low and medium price range. The results need a broader investigation to be generalizable.Practical implications: Information does not have the same influence depending on individual characteristics and on knowledge of wine. Promoting different wines to different consumers who do not have the same knowledge and do not use the same distribution channels is challenging as consumers do not all have the same expectations of red Bourgogne wines. The results provide directions for better targeting consumers through the information on the bottle labels.Originality/value: By cross-tabulating sensory tastings and knowledge tests, this research contributes to measuring the holistic effect of information on the hedonic appreciation of wine across a significant range of consumers issued from two big cities.

The French animal food product market is nowadays very segmented, particularly with the proliferation of quality marks relating to: (1) official labels identifying a superior quality (Label Rouge), environmental quality (organic farming) or quality linked to origin (PDO and PGI); (2) product descriptions highlighting a specific feature such as ‘on-farm processed’ or ‘mountain produce’; (3) certification of products aimed at applying normative standards. For official labels, professionals voluntarily undertake to set up and monitor a quality-focused approach individually (organic farming) or collectively (PDO, PGI, Label Rouge). Independent and competent bodies carry out regular checks, and the public authorities supervise the system. Fresh beef and lamb under quality schemes represent about 6 % and 15 % of French meat production. Geographical indications identify a product as originating from a region, when a given and unique trait is attributable to this region. Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) was firstly developed mainly for dairy products. The integration of local breeds into PDO includes all PDO ewe cheeses, the majority of PDO meat, about half of PDO cow cheeses and a third of PDO goat cheeses. The breed may contribute to the product’s specificity or may be mainly a means of differentiation and a marketing claim. The evolution of demand results from changes in: (1) demographic composition and way of life of consumers; (2) characteristics of agriculture and food products; and (3) preferences of consumers for specific attributes (e.g. taste, health and locality). For beef, French consumers seem to favour a beef eating-quality guarantee. The market outcome of certification programmes depends upon consumer awareness, understanding and confidence in high quality labels.

Les consommateurs réguliers de fromage AOC sont-ils des connaisseurs de fromages ? Un échantillon de consommateurs a été recruté dans deux régions où la densité AOC de la production fromagère est respectivement forte et faible. Les consommateurs ont consigné leurs achats de fromage pendant trois mois sur un registre. Ils ont ensuite été testés sur trois types de connaissances fromagères : techniques, sémantiques ou spatiales. Les résultats, issus d’une segmentation en nuées dynamiques, montrent qu’il existe deux formes indépendantes de proximité parmi les consommateurs de fromage AOC, l’une géographique et l’autre cognitive.