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The effect of PGI and Organic labelling on consumers’ Willingness To Pay: Evidence from an experimental auction

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/ecag2026oa22668
Submitted
aprile 27, 2026
Published
2026-09-09

Abstract

As numerous studies have attempted to explain the variables influencing food-related purchasing decisions, in this article, we explored Italian consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for two different sustainability labels, the EU Organic Farming and the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), in southern Italy, while highlighting the food values that can guide consumers’ choices and affect their willingness to pay.
The current study extends the application of an established methodological framework, combining different food values with food labelling, aiming to explore and measure the WTP of consumers for the Pachino cherry tomato. Data collection was conducted using a non-hypothetical experimental auction technique following a two-treatment design. The results showed that different food values influence consumers’ purchasing decisions in general, and, more specifically, the factor groupings of origin and naturalness affect their willingness to pay.
Consumers in our case study offered almost the same first price for PGI tomatoes and organic tomatoes, which is higher than the price offered for conventional tomatoes. This shows that the willingness to pay is affected by choice criteria based on food values and is considered important by Italian consumers.

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