Consumers’ acceptability and sensory evaluation of a traditional local fresh potato variety

Aim of study: This research explores consumers’ acceptance and sensory evaluation, and measures the willingness to pay (WTP) for the most important attributes of a locally grown fresh potato variety. Area of study: Aragon, Spain. Material and methods: Data were collected from two experiments. Experiment 1 (shopping stage) explored the product positioning and reveals consumers’ acceptance using three measurements: visual appearance rating, purchase intent, and WTP. Experiment 2 (consumption stage) corresponds to a sensory ranking task (e.g., taste, smell, texture) conducted at home once the local potato was fried. Main results: Consumers positively valued the visual appearance and were willing to purchase the local potato. The higher the ratings of visual appearance, the higher the consumers’ intention to purchase the product. Women and participants who purchased food from supermarkets were more likely to buy the local potato. Conversely, consumers over 55 years old and those who belong to a lower level of household monthly income were willing to pay less for the local potato. After tasting, the participants’ rating of the product remained unchanged; however, there was a negative rating of the odor once the local potato was fried. Research highlights: Potato producers and vendors should consider that consumers associate the local origin label with observable (e.g., appearance of color, shape) and unobservable (e.g., taste, smell, texture) attributes. Therefore, in addition to promoting the local origin and the benefits of purchasing and consuming local food, further consideration should be given to featuring physical quality aspects such as the sensory properties of the food that are important to consumers.