Division of Bio-economics, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Nutrition and Health Unit, Health Information Service, Directorate of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.
AZTI, Food Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Astondo Bidea, Edificio 609, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain.
Appetite. 2024 Jun 1;197:107291. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107291. Epub 2024 Mar 13.
While contributing to the conservation of natural fish stocks, the aquaculture sector imposes environmental repercussions. The growing popularity of colour-graded eco-labels in promoting pro-environmental practices in food production underscores the need for scientific insights into consumer responses to such labels, particularly with the imminent prospect of a harmonized European labelling framework. The existing literature, although limited and divergent, advocates for real-life testing with fresh, perishable food products, emphasizing the inadequacy of standalone labels and the necessity for complementary measures. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying how consumers process multi-coloured Front-of-Pack (FOP) labels remain ambiguous, with uncertainties regarding induced consumption shifts stemming from both deliberate information processing and less deliberate associations. This article presents findings from a randomized control trial conducted in a simulated fishmonger store in Derio, Bizkaia, Spain, involving 200 consumers. Participants selected various sea bass products out of multiple options. This task was subject to a 2 (Enviroscore: with vs without) x 2 (Supporting info on Enviroscore: with vs without) between-subject design, resulting in four treatment groups. A 16% increase in the likelihood of selecting lower-impact products was observed. Notably, this effect was evident only in the absence of supporting information on Enviroscore, and the observed impact could not be attributed to any indirect attention effect. In conclusion, Enviroscore exhibits potential in steering consumer choices toward more environmentally friendly aquaculture fish options, even in physical retail settings. However, these effects may be rooted in unconscious responses rather than deliberate environmental considerations, raising questions about the suitability of envisaged policy orientations encompassing disaggregated environmental, nutritional, animal welfare, and social welfare scores. Generalization of these findings warrants validation through further research encompassing a more comprehensive range of products.
在为保护天然鱼类资源做出贡献的同时，水产养殖部门也带来了环境影响。彩色生态标签在促进食品生产环保实践方面越来越受欢迎，这突显了科学界需要深入了解消费者对这些标签的反应，特别是在即将出台统一的欧洲标签框架的情况下。现有文献虽然有限且存在分歧，但主张对新鲜易腐食品进行实际测试，强调单独标签的不足和需要采取补充措施。此外，消费者如何处理多色的“前置”（Front-of-Pack，FOP）标签的机制仍不清楚，对于由于有意识的信息处理和无意识的联想而引起的消费转移的不确定性。本文介绍了在西班牙比斯开省的德里奥（Derio）一家模拟鱼店进行的一项随机对照试验的结果，涉及 200 名消费者。参与者从多种选择中挑选各种鲈鱼产品。这项任务受到 2（Enviroscore：有与无）x 2（Enviroscore 支持信息：有与无）的被试间设计的影响，产生了四个处理组。观察到选择低影响产品的可能性增加了 16%。值得注意的是，这种效应仅在没有关于 Enviroscore 的支持信息的情况下明显，并且观察到的影响不能归因于任何间接注意效应。总之，即使在物理零售环境中，Enviroscore 也有可能引导消费者选择更环保的水产养殖鱼类产品。然而，这些影响可能源于无意识的反应，而不是有意识的环境考虑，这引发了对拟议政策方向的适宜性的质疑，这些政策方向包括对环境、营养、动物福利和社会福利进行细分的分数。需要通过进一步研究来验证这些发现，这些研究应涵盖更广泛的产品范围。
