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Affordable Sustainability? Can Marketing Messages Improve Market Access for Regional Producers and Better Serve Rural Consumers?

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  • Kiesel, Kristin
  • Lee, Hyunjung

Abstract

This study examines how consumers across income groups respond to sustainability-related food labels and claims in local food purchasing decisions. Using a field experiment conducted in Solano County, California, the analysis combines stated preference measures, including perceived quality and willingness to pay (WTP), with revealed preference measures based on actual purchase decisions. Participants evaluated strawberry baskets before and after exposure to different combinations of sustainability-related labels and claims, including the USDA Organic seal and the Sustainable Solano logo. The results suggest that sustainability-related labels generally increase both perceived quality and WTP relative to unlabeled products, although the effectiveness of different labeling strategies varies. The USDA Organic seal generates the strongest improvements in perceived quality, while combining local sustainability claims with the USDA Organic seal produces largest increase in WTP, suggesting that monetary valuations reflect not only perceived product quality but also broader consumer values, such as support for local farmers and regional food systems. The findings also reveal substantial heterogeneity across income groups, with lower-income consumers exhibiting stronger responses to label information than higherincome consumers. At the same time, the results highlight an important distinction between stated and revealed preferences. Although labels improve product evaluations and valuations, their effects on actual purchase decisions remain relatively limited, suggesting that consumer purchasing behavior may be more resistant to change than stated evaluations alone would imply.

Suggested Citation

  • Kiesel, Kristin & Lee, Hyunjung, 2026. "Affordable Sustainability? Can Marketing Messages Improve Market Access for Regional Producers and Better Serve Rural Consumers?," 2026 Annual Meeting, July 26 - 28, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri 404533, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea26:404533
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.404533
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thong Meas & Wuyang Hu & Marvin T. Batte & Timothy A. Woods & Stan Ernst, 2015. "Substitutes or Complements? Consumer Preference for Local and Organic Food Attributes," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 97(4), pages 1044-1071.
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    3. Yuko Onozaka & Dawn Thilmany Mcfadden, 2011. "Does Local Labeling Complement or Compete with Other Sustainable Labels? A Conjoint Analysis of Direct and Joint Values for Fresh Produce Claim," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 93(3), pages 689-702.
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