Consumer perception of wild and farmed cod and the effect of different information conditions

The influence of product information on the consumer perception of fillets of wild and farmed cod was examined in a real in-home environment, in order to establish the external validity of these influences. Main effects in this study were observed for information about product type and for price. In contrast to the uninformed condition, cod that was believed to be farmed was judged less favourable compared to cod that was believed to be captured in the wild. Higher priced cod was generally rated more favourable than the lower priced cod. Extra (positive) information about fish farming showed no additional effect on product judgment, nor did catching date, shelf life information of the quality control. Interaction effects of information with product perception prove to be robust. Even in a real life household situation there are significant interactions. Apparently, farming of fish is associated with less favourable characteristics and perceived as such, which has to be taken into account in the market focus.