February 2023
Applied Economics/2023-03pr
Which Factors Influence Consumer Organic Specialty Bakery Product Taste Ratings? Tatiana Drugova, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Economics Kynda Curtis, Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Applied Economics
Introduction In general, consumers feel that organic products taste different than conventional products (e.g., Napolitano et al., 2013; Ellison et al., 2016). Consumers even rate the taste of organic labeled products differently than the exact same but unlabeled organic products (Lee at al., 2013; Bernard & Liu, 2017). The organic label may impact taste perceptions and product attractiveness differently depending on whether the product is consumed for utilitarian or hedonistic purposes (Ellison et al., 2016; Nadricka et al., 2020). Consumers often purchase specialty bakery and pastry products (croissants, large cookies, specialty breads, scones, etc.) for a treat or special occasion, and thus are hedonistic. If consumers perceive organic foods to be healthy, which is often the case (Nadricka et al., 2020; Hughner et al., 2007; Lea & Worsley, 2005), they may value conventional products over organic when seeking out tasty treats due to beliefs that healthy and tasty are negatively correlated (Raghunathan et al., 2006). Hence, consumer organic product taste perceptions may reduce their interest in organic specialty bakery/pastry products. Clearly, the organic label biases taste evaluations, and thus, it would be helpful to understand what factors influence organic product taste evaluations to
determine what might be done to improve the reputation of organic hedonistic products. In this fact sheet, we compare consumer taste ratings for organic and conventional specialty bakery products and analyze what factors explain the differences. These products are typically consumed for pleasure and are more expensive than mainstream baked goods. However, consumers have high quality expectations, including taste, which may be an issue if not satisfactory. Understanding factors that impact consumer taste rating for organic specialty bakery products can help identify what might be done to improve taste perceptions/expectations and the success of organic specialty bakery/pastry products. The factors examined include: • Respondent consumption frequency of organic and conventional specialty bakery products. • Importance of organic label and taste when purchasing specialty bakery products. • Attitudes toward organics. • Knowledge of organic labeling standards. We conducted the analysis for three different products—bread loaf, croissant, and large cookie. 1