Willingness to Pay for Multiple Seafood Labels in a Niche Market

Regulatory requirements and shifts in consumer preferences have resulted in seafood products bearing multiple information labels. Developing successful seafood marketing strategies requires an understanding of how multilabeled products influence consumer choices. We analyze preferences for four classes of seafood information labels including safety, quality, local, and ecolabels using data from a choice experiment for two seafood species. Data was collected at a grocery chain focused on niche markets in Portland, Oregon. Each label is found to have a significant influence on consumer choice, with local labels and ecolabels yielding the largest estimates of consumer mean willingness to pay. Ecolabels yield a wider range of individual willingness to pay estimates compared to the other labels, and preferences for the local label are not affected by the appearance of additional information labels on the same product. Results suggest opportunities for advancing niche market strategies, including the development of local seafood labeling programs.