Labelling fish products to fulfil Norwegian consumers’ needs for information

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Norwegian consumers consider information during making the decision to buy and consume fish products.

Design/methodology/approach

Validated questionnaires, adapted based on a pre-study, were completed by Norwegian volunteers. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone and were at least 50 per cent responsible for the food in the household. The survey included questions about: first, use of and trust in information sources; second, use of and interest in information cues; third, objective and subjective knowledge; and fourth, fish consumption and buying behaviour.

Findings

The results of this study (n=713) led to three consumer segments: “Label trusters” (40 per cent), “Info skippers” (19 per cent) and “Info seekers” (41 per cent) with significant (p<0.001) differences in use of and trust in information sources and reactions to information cues. Particular needs of these clusters regarding product labelling were identified.

Social implications

Increased product visibility and simplified product packaging with selective and targeted information for each consumer group will lead to a better differentiation of fish products in a competitive market and hence to an increased consumption of health-promoting fish by the Norwegian population.

Originality/value

This manuscript is one of the few that shows how particular types of labelling could be summarised, minimised or moved in order to reach potential consumers with a better presented product that carries information in more strategic placement than what one can find on current seafood packaging.

Citation

Altintzoglou, T. and Helen Nøstvold, B. (2014), "Labelling fish products to fulfil Norwegian consumers’ needs for information", British Food Journal, Vol. 116 No. 12, pp. 1909-1920. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2013-0144