Consumer Preferences for Ecolabeled Seafood: Results of a Connecticut Survey

Empirical studies of consumer preferences for seafood ecolabels are relatively few, and typically address choices among labeled and non-labeled products of the same seafood species. Given that consumers often express strong preferences for certain seafood species, however, a more relevant assessment of consumer preferences would allow for choices among different seafood products of similar processed form, where some products bear ecolabels. This paper describes a choice experiment addressing consumer preferences for ecolabeled seafood, in which the experimental design allows for choices among various fresh, non-processed seafood products. The context is designed to be similar to that which consumers face at fresh seafood counters. Results suggest that consumers are unwilling to choose a less-favored species (i.e., to sacrifice taste) based solely on the presence of an ecolabel.