Chinese urban consumers' preferences for white shrimp: Interactions between organic labels and traceable information

Organic certification and traceable information systems are important ways to alleviate information asymmetry and to improve food safety levels. In this study, 996 consumers in China's Shandong Province were surveyed about their preference for white shrimp (slang for Litopenaeus vannamei) in a choice experiment that varied three product attributes: organic labels, traceable information and price. Using a generalised mixed logit model, the results revealed that, compared to conventional white shrimp, consumers preferred white shrimp with organic labels and/or traceable information. Provision of organic and traceable knowledge generally improves consumer willingness to pay (WTP) but weakens the complementary relationship between an organic label and traceable information. In fact, it can turn the complementary relationship between European Union (EU) organic labels and traceable information into the substitution relationship. In the Chinese market, introducing EU organic certification and providing knowledge introduction increase average total consumer WTP by 84.06% and 120.16%, on an average, respectively. These conclusions provide a reference for relevant organic certification policies and traceable food system management by the Chinese government, in addition to providing a reference for business decision-making by aquatic product suppliers and certification service providers.