Consumer Preferences and Behavior in Fresh Produce Markets

Consumer preferences in fresh produce markets reflect a complex interplay between sensory quality, health motivations, socio-demographic factors and sustainability concerns. Freshness and taste consistently emerge as the primary drivers of purchase decisions, while attributes such as origin, seasonality, price and environmental credentials further shape consumer behaviour across diverse contexts. The adoption of methods such as best–worst scaling and conjoint analysis has revealed clear heterogeneity among consumers, enabling the identification of discrete segments defined by age, income, household composition and ethical orientation. Globally, there is growing interest in local and regionally grown produce, driven by perceptions of quality, support for local economies and lower environmental impact. Retail formats and information channels, including labelling and provenance schemes, influence trust and willingness to pay premiums for credence attributes such as organic and fair-trade certification. These insights have practical implications for supply-chain actors, policymakers and retailers seeking to align production, marketing and labelling strategies with evolving consumer demands, thereby enhancing the sustainability and economic resilience of fresh produce markets worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Consumer Preferences and Behavior in Fresh Produce Markets publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in consumer preferences and behavior in fresh produce markets across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Best–Worst Scaling: A preference elicitation technique in which respondents indicate the most and least important items from a set to derive quantitative measures of attribute importance.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Attributes: Intrinsic attributes refer to inherent product characteristics such as freshness, taste and appearance, whereas extrinsic attributes encompass external cues such as price, origin and brand.

Latent Class Analysis: A statistical method that identifies unobserved subgroups within a population based on patterns in survey responses, enabling consumer segmentation.

Credence Attributes: Product qualities, such as organic or ethical production methods, that cannot be directly verified by consumers through inspection or consumption.

References

1. European consumers' preferences for fresh fruit and vegetables – A cross-country analysis. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research (2023).
2. Insight into the buying behaviour of consumers for chilli in Indonesia: Households and food businesses in selected cities. Applied Food Research (2024).
3. Consumer Attitudes and Preference Exploration towards Fresh-Cut Salads Using Best–Worst Scaling and Latent Class Analysis. Foods (2019).
4. Australian Consumer Perceptions of Regionally Grown Fruits and Vegetables: Importance, Enablers, and Barriers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2019).