The environmental soundness and consumer understanding of eco-labelled food products in South Africa

A Research Report submitted to the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Science (course work / research report). 28 October 2015Eco-labels are voluntary policy tools for promoting environmental justice. Eco-labels have the potential to achieve environmental justice when they are environmentally reliable, and when they help consumers to be aware of, understand and feel motivated to purchase eco-labels. This study analysed the current situation of eco-labels in South Africa. There are a number of generic eco-labelling terms that have come into use on eco-labelled products. The history of the environmental problems that led to the use of these generic terms, along with the accreditation of such eco-labels was considered. The six most commonly found terms considered are “Dolphin Safe”, “Badger Friendly Honey”, “Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)-free”, “Natural”, “Free-range” and “Organic”. The environmental reliability of the most common eco-labels found in local supermarkets was analysed. Overall, eco-labels scored well on environmental soundness and transparency but lacked in communication with consumers. The majority of the eco-labels were third-party certified and accredited by ISEAL (International Social and Environmental Accreditation and labelling) and IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). There are a variety of eco-labelled products for consumers to choose from in major supermarkets but the ratio of eco-labelled to regular food products is low, and the availability of eco-labelled products is not consistent. A questionnaire was used to assess the awareness, understanding and perception of consumers regarding eco-labels. The results were compared to a similar study on Swedish consumers to determine whether South African consumer perception regarding eco-labels differed greatly from first-world perceptions, as South African consumers have not had as much exposure to eco-labelled products. Consumer awareness and understanding varied significantly between local and international eco-labels. Generally, the number of consumers that have fully adopted eco-labels is low. However, South African consumers were found to have a pro-environmental attitude; many respondents felt that they would be willing to purchase eco-labelled products if they knew more about the eco-label. Improved stakeholder engagement among eco-labelling initiatives, supermarkets and consumers is required to foster better consumer knowledge of eco-labels and promote environmental justice locally