Consumer preferences for ‘localness’ and organic food production

Purpose: A number of previous studies have analyzed the interface between consumer preferences for organic and local food. While organic food is based on well-defined production criteria, local food is less well defined and is often used to describe a variety of food characteristics. This study investigates Danish consumers’ preferences and trade-offs for organic production and multiple commonly mentioned, dimensions of local food: sales channel, size of company, and geographic location of animals used in the production focusing on differences between consumer segments. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a quantitative survey among 505 consumers and includes a choice experiment concerning preferences for beef salami. Data from the survey were analyzed in a principal component analysis and a latent class analysis. Findings: We identify five consumer segments whose preferences for and valuation of organic and local product attributes differed substantially. Most respondents considered breeding of cattle in their own area or domestically as the most important attributes whereas preferences for sales channel and size of the producer were more divided. Only two segments considered organic production as important. Originality/value: The study provides new insights about different consumer segments’ perceptions and preferences for various local dimensions and organic production of food. In particular, the focus on heterogeneity in preferences among the consumers provided new insights which are important in any attempt to increase value added in both organic and non-organic food production