The Value of Organic plus. Analysing Consumers’ Preference for Additional Ethical Attributes of Organic food Products

Abstract Organic Plus attributes strengthen the sustainability of the organic products and differentiate them from the ‘conventionalized’ organic ones. Products with Organic Plus attributes seem appreciated by organic consumers. However, research on consumers’ preference for Organic Plus is still scarce, leaving gaps in the understanding of the consumers’ characteristics of organic products with Plus attributes. In order to enrich the knowledge of consumers’ preference for organic products with Plus attributes, the present study aims to achieve three Objectives: (1) identifying which Plus attributes, among fair prices to local farmers, integration of people with disabilities and eco-friendliness, are most sought after among Italian consumers of organic products (2) measuring, through the willingness to pay elicitation techniques, the level of preference for the various plus attributes; (3) determine which psychological, socio-demographic and contextual factors influence the purchasing choice of organic consumers for the three Plus attributes. Better knowledge of consumers’ preference for organic Plus attributes, as well as the psychological and socio-demographic characteristic can provide useful indications to better-tailored marketing strategies on specific consumers’ profiles.