Labels on Apples: Winners and Losers

Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 2019

Quality is considered as the main attribute for differentiating food products and/or food services. The objective of this study was to examine how different actors in the apple fruit chain perceive quality. This research included perception of quality evaluated by 38 orchards, cold storages, and retailers and 287 consumers, using two methods. Direction from the orchard to the consumer covered 'customer-supplier' method analyzing their viewpoints in different stages of the fruit chain. Backwards, from the consumers to the orchards, method employed was quality function deployment. Orchard-cold storage comparison highlighted that orchards recognize apple cultivar and yield as the most important quality attributes while cold storages focus on handling of fruit and share of first-class apples. Quality aspects important in the cold storages-retailers evaluation emphasize type of cold storage and presence of fruit defects compared to apple cultivar and ratio between quality and price. Retailer-consumer comparison showed that retailers focus on packaging and ratio between quality and price while consumers beside fruit price focus on assortment and product placement at point of sale. Quality function deployment displayed transformation of quality attributes from juiciness (consumer), advising at point of sale (retailer), apple cultivar (cold storage), to production systems at apple orchards. The results suggest that there are different views on quality by all actors in the apple fruit chain from internal quality parameter such as juiciness to production systems employed at orchards.

Acta horticulturae, 2002

Up to now fruit tree models have been primarily concerned with various aspects of plant development and yield. Problems of fruit quality have only rarely been approached. In the present study we address the fruit quality problem, as revealed with fresh orange fruit. Definition of fruit quality is complicated. Quality of oranges (as with most commodities) reflects numerous internal and external attributes. Integration of these attributes within a quality model requires that a) each attribute can be expressed in a quantitative manner, and b) that the relative contribution of each attribute to overall quality can be assessed. Different perceptions of desirable fruit quality parameters by growers, retailers and consumers, as revealed in the weighting of internal and external quality attributes creates major difficulties in addressing fruit quality issues. Further complications arise when different segments of the consumer population are taken into account. This study demonstrates a marketing approach to these problems using an extensive consumer survey of the perceptions of orange fruit quality conducted in the UK and Israel in 1999. Identification of consumer quality preferences is important for both short and long term management and planning of fruit tree crops.

The report outlines the basic findings from my dissertation on "club apples" or "managed apple varieties." These are apple varieties that are owned through a patent and managed cooperatively by a group of growers. The projects report briefly discusses three findings: 1) Grades in the apple industry privilege large red apples. As a result, for bi-coloured and medium-sized apples that become popular, trees are selected that produce apples leaning towards those idealised characteristics. Over time, the resulting aesthetic homogeneity drives competition up and the price of apples down. Club apples can be seen as a new way that varieties are being mobilised as a response to these devaluing processes. 2) Dwarfing technologies in the apple industry may increase diversity within an orchard and between orchards, and this (somewhat) challenges conventional notions of intensification in agriculture and its possible effects. 3) Supermarkets are orienting themselves to various styles of consumers. The growth of experience-shopping shapes how apples are narrowly sorted into aesthetic categories for different retail outlets, influencing what is visible and made meaningful for consumers.

European Journal of Marketing, 2003

The adoption of different quality assurance schemes, such as the Protected Denomination of Origin/Geographical Indication (PDO/PGI) by the European Union, has been a response to the growing demand for certified quality food products among consumers. Tries to offer some more insights into the effectiveness of the PDO scheme and its acceptance by the consumer. The use of conjoint analysis in exploring Greek consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for PDO apples from the area of Zagora, Central Greece, has been selected as one of the most appropriate approaches to that target. Opens with a brief theoretical background presentation on the concepts of food quality and labelling. Proceeds with a detailed description of the research methodology, focusing on the WTP measurement method through the use of conjoint analysis, the identification of segments based on the importance consumers attach to the PDO label and the development of their profiles. Finally, concludes with some thoughts regarding...

Agribusiness, 2013

Since the 1980s, the composition of the fresh apple market has shifted from three fourths Red Delicious to about one third in 2012. Gala apples are one of the cultivars that have gained ground in popularity. In this article, the authors compare how internal fruit qualities affect consumers' willingness to pay for apples and whether these effects differ across these two cultivars. Consumers are willing to pay more for firmness for both cultivars, with a larger effect for Red Delicious. Using consumer assessments of sweetness acceptability, consumers are willing to pay a positive amount for both cultivars, but the effect of sweetness is higher for Gala apples. The only significant ethnicity variable is being Hispanic, which is associated with lower willingness to pay for Gala and higher willingness to pay for Red Delicious. One possible explanation is that the Hispanic consumers may have stronger food traditions associated with 1 2 McCLUSKEY ET AL.

Reports, 1993

Among the most perishable of agricultural commodities, fresh produce is subject to significant variability in quality. Fruits, vegetables and pulses account for approximately 26% of the value of all crops produced in the United States but only 2.6% of cropland. Quality grading is carried out by USDA through the Cooperative Federal-State Inspection System. Quality attributes emphasize external appearance factors including size, shape, color, and defects. Issues of emerging importance include: (1) concern for intrinsic qualities such as nutritive content, (2) improved communication of product-specific quality factors, (3) use of pesticides to achieve cosmetic grade standards, and (4) regulation of quality attributes in international trade.

Scientia Horticulturae, 2019

Apple peel color is one of the most important factors determining apple market acceptance. In general, red cultivars are the most preferred, and within a cultivar, better colored fruits are in higher demand (Saure, 1990). However, consumer preferences vary from country to country and region to region (Cliff et al., 2002). New Zealand consumers prefer striped apples; consumers from Nova Scotia, Canada favor blushed apples, while consumers in British Columbia, Canada were more accepting of a range of apple types. Panelists in Lleida, Spain, on the contrary, did not show a preference for peel appearance when presented with eight 'Gala' strains with varying pigmentation

Journal of Food …, 2005

This study examines how marketing strategies of produce managers affect consumer expenditures for fresh fruit. A non-linear Almost Ideal Demand System was used to model the share equations for Gala apples, Fuji apples, Red Delicious apples, other sweet apples, tart apples, pears, bananas, and oranges. Seventy-nine weeks of data on weekly store sales were collected from two grocery stores in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. The objective of this paper is to discuss those variables that were examined but found to be insignifi cant in the demand model. Those variables include displays, traffi c fl ow, in-store specials, Food Alliance labeling and signage, lagged prices and advertisements, damage-quality measure, incorrect use of inserts and advertisements, nutritional/health information, and the availability of a smaller product. Reasons for the exclusion of these variables and the lessons learned are discussed.

Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 2018

In Australia, many people fail to meet the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables for good health, frequently citing price, limited availability, and poor quality as barriers to eating more of these core foods. The purpose of the present study was to compare key attributes of fruit and vegetables between farmers' markets and three other retail streams. The four attributes compared were price; availability of types of fruit and vegetables; number of cultivars for each type of fruit and vegetable; and quality based on visual appearance. Prices and quality of individual items at farmers' markets compared satisfactorily with other retail streams, as did cultivar variety for some fruit, but not availability of types of fruit and vegetables. Further research is needed to determine whether contextual features of farmers' markets and alternative assessments of quality, such as taste and freshness, affect consumers' fruit, and vegetable consumption.

2005