Consumer Behaviour between Convenience and Environmental Sustainability:the Case of ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ Cheese

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential relationship between shelf life and environmental sustainability from a micro-economic perspective. In particular, we aimed at: (i) estimating the value that consumers attribute to shelf life and environmental sustainability through the use of a Choice Model (e.g. Conditional Logit) and (ii) identifying the efficient trade-off between shelf life and environmental sustainability. We applied our analysis to the case of the ‘Canestrato di Moliterno’ cheese. Our choice experiment was carried out through a survey submitted to 757 consumers across Southern Italy. Results provided indications on how much consumers are willing to pay for a longer shelf life compared to environmental sustainability of a product and on the trade-off value between these two attributes. Estimated results suggest that the presence of an environmental and PGI certification as product attributes is highly perceived by consumers. A high willingness to pay (WTP) would translate for a high premium price for both of these attributes. Although the WTP for an extended shelf life is lower than that of an environmental and PGI certification, its positive value shows that consumers would prefer traditional products with a longer ‘expiration date’. Under a firm’s perspective, the obtained results can encourage food companies oriented to invest in this product innovation. Finally, given the coexistence of a premium price for environmental sustainability and IGP certification, there exists the possibility to develop synergies between environmental and food product quality policies.