Consumer buying behaviour and willingness to pay (WTP) for eggs produced under high Animal Welfare Standards

Consumer buying behaviour and willingness to pay (WTP) for eggs produced under high Animal Welfare Standards

As consumers are becoming more concerned about the impact of conventional farming on human health, safety, animal welfare, and environmental issues, there has been an increase in researching these aspects in line with food choices consumers make (Bonti & Yiridoe., 2006; Grunert., 2005). With animal welfare aspects, consumers are increasingly becoming more interested in animal welfare (Grunert, 2005). Gustafson (2017) states that many households now focus on healthier alternatives as they select their food. Some studies show that there has been an increase in diseases related to egg, for example allergies (Loh & Tang, 2018). Other studies reveal that eggs are considered to raise the cholesterol levels  ( The great awareness about animal welfare issues led to the European Union (EU) to revise hen welfare regulations, consequently, the phasing-out of battery cages in 2012.

Preferences play an integral part in customer choices. Egg consumers show different preferences for eggs depending on the type, cost, and information available to them (Nie et al., 2018). The willingness to buy differs for the eggs depending on their production mechanisms. Although the eggs produced under high animal welfare standards are more costly, most arguments point towards the animal welfare standards and ethical value as the key selling points as per Gremmen et al. (2018). The researcher argues that the high prices of the free-range eggs have not led to low sales. Parker (2014) states that various factors influence the customers’ willingness to buy even in the presence of cheaper alternatives. Güney & Giraldo, (2019). point to consumer awareness of the culling of male chicks as the biggest contributor. Online surveys done in the Netherlands indicated that out of 1022 participants, 55% were aware of male chicks culling practices.

The willingness of consumers to buy high-quality goods has been previously studied. The research applied an adaptive choice-based test, with the focus being to provide an estimate of consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for chicken meat and eggs (Lagerkvist et al., 2017 pp 46). According to the study, each respondent would undergo an interactive experience tailored specifically for them. As per the results, the sizes and quantity of eggs and chicken meat are different for the families (Lagerkvist et al., 2017 pp 46). The differences were directly related to the household sizes and area. While the number of eggs consumed in urbanised areas was low, rural areas showed an immense number of eggs consumed. In the USA, a survey conducted by Lusk (2018) revealed

Lots of literature has been reviewed in this section (2.7), which is really good to see. But I think there needs to be a better synthesis. At the moment it appears to be a relay of information about each research project.

These are not related to animal welfare, which are the topics discussed in the sentence immediately before and immediately after.