1. Can consumer food choices contribute to reduce environmental impact? The case of cisgenic apples.
- Author
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De Marchi, Elisa, Cavaliere, Alessia, Bacenetti, Jacopo, Milani, Francesca, Pigliafreddo, Silvia, and Banterle, Alessandro
- Abstract
In the last decade, cisgenic breeding emerged as a valuable alternative to transgenic genetic modification. Cisgenesis allows to obtain disease-resistant crops, thus reducing the need of chemical pesticides in the fields. This would imply a reduction of the environmental impact deriving from agricultural production. To concretely exploit the potential deriving from such biotechnology application, consumers' willingness to buy and consume such food is an essential matter. In this study we explore consumer choice behavior for cisgenic vs conventional apple alternatives through a hypothetical Choice Experiment, meanwhile examining attribute non-attendance behaviors. The Latent Class Model estimates reveal considerable differences across population segments in terms of choice behavior and preferences. In fact, while some consumers choose based on this attribute, a sizable segment of the population ignores it, suggesting that there may be room on the market for these products with potential implications in terms of environmental and food policy formulation. Unlabelled Image • Cisgenesis may contribute to reduce environmental impact of agricultural production. • Apple is used to test consumers' acceptance of cisgenic food. • Heterogeneity in preferences and Attribute Non-Attendance characterize the choice. • The production technology attribute is non-attended by a sizable part of the sample. • The technology used in the production process results to be the major driver of the choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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