Effects of the qualification of animal welfare claims in market communication on consumer purchase intentions with and without time constraints: A dual processing perspective

Claims about animal welfare and other sustainability characteristics are often used in market communication to promote food products. When such claims are suspected to be deceptive, accusations of greenwashing may appear. One method to counteract greenwashing is to substantiate the claims with additional information, i.e., with qualifications. However, the effectiveness of such qualifications has been critically debated. Based on two experimental surveys carried out in Denmark on animal welfare claims for pork and chicken and their qualifications, we show that such qualifications can both reduce and enhance consumers’ evaluation of the degree of animal welfare of the product advertised. In addition, we show that the effect of such qualifications on consumers’ purchase intentions depends on whether they process the information under a time constraint – as would be typical in everyday purchasing – or not. Contrary to common assumptions, we provide evidence that a time constraint can lead to consumer information processing becoming more focussed on the qualified claim, and that this claim then has more impact on purchase intention. We interpret these effects based on dual processing theory. The results have implications for the regulation of animal welfare claims and their qualifications.