Perceived environmental impact of food: Upgrading of domestic products and downgrading of imported products

Abstract

The heuristic ‘our own country is best’ may shape consumers' perceptions of a product's environmental impact – yet it does not always hold true. To analyze the influence of country-of-origin (COO) information, this study examines how consumers in Germany evaluate the environmental impact of three food products (bell peppers, apples, and beef) based on their stated COO. We compare perceptions of products labeled as domestic, EU-imported, non-EU-imported, and without mentioning any COO information. Results reveal that domestic products are perceived as more environmentally friendly than EU imports while EU imports are perceived as more environmentally friendly than non-EU imports – especially in the case of fruits and vegetables. Compared to identical products without COO information, domestic products were not rated more environmentally friendly but were even downgraded. This suggests that the ‘our own country is best’ heuristic cannot fully explain consumer perceptions of environmental impact. Yet, imported products were consistently downgraded, even for imported bell peppers, which are often more environmentally friendly than domestic alternatives in Germany. Our findings imply that COO labeling should be differentiated and supported by consumer education to avoid unintended environmental consequences, especially when imported products outperform domestic alternatives.