Consumers’ Preferences and Willingness-To-Pay for Misfit Vegetables

Food retailers had been used accustomed not to offer the so-called “Misfits”, that was fruits and vegetables whose appearance did not meet the best visual quality standards. This was due to the assumption that consumers only preferred fruits and vegetables with perfect appeal, which ultimately contributed towards the global, food waste bad tendencies. Therefore, it was important to understand consumers’ acceptance of the pricing possibilities for misfits. Furthermore, this aspect inspired the current study, which was aimed to investigate whether consumers could accept or reject misfit vegetables if there was any possibility of choosing such produce. A sample of 200 consumers was surveyed in Bologna, Italy, in June 2014 using a choice experiment approach and fresh carrots as the product of interest. Data were analysed using both Multinomial Logit (mnl) and Random Parameter Logit (rpl) models. The results suggested that appearance actually influenced consumer preferences for fresh carrots, on the basis of deformation as well as irregularity in terms of size, reducing the probability to purchase. However, consumers were showing more tolerance for irregular sized carrots compared to deformed ones. In addition, misfits were more accepted by consumers purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables at fresh food market compared to supermarket customers.