Last week I participated at the 10th AIEAA Conference titled "Agriculture, Food and Global Value Chains: Issues, Methods and Challenges".
My research group from the University of Parma, along with colleagues from CNR and the University of Florence, presented a contribution about "How Information Influences Consumers’ Purchasing Intention for Farmed and Wild Fish". Considered that aquaculture has increased significantly in recent decades and, if managed sustainably, it could contribute to food security and safety. However, European consumers strongly prefer wild fish over farmed fish for several reasons. Hence, it becomes crucial to provide accurate information on aquaculture products. Our study aimed to examine the influence of consumers’ perceptions and knowledge on intention to purchase farmed and wild fish. A sample of 804 Italian consumers participated in a survey which included an information treatment. Participants perceived that wild fish tastes better and is more nutritious than farmed fish, while they perceived that farmed fish is cheaper, safer and more ethical than wild fish. Logit regression results show that several factors affect consumers’ intention to purchase such as fish preference, attitude, and subjective knowledge. In addition, participants in the treatment group have higher intentions to purchase farmed fish than those in the control group. Therefore, information strategy is crucial to promote the consumption of farmed fish.
