Consumer perception of upcycled food labels

Purpose This study introduces a value-added framework for upcycled food and empirically investigates consumer perceptions of these labeled foods. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized a self-administered survey (n = 379) as a research instrument for data collection. Findings Consumers perceive “they have a positive impact on the environment”; “they are sourced and produced using verifiable supply chains” and “they are new food products” as salient attributes associated with upcycled-labeled foods. Consumer-perceived constraints to accepting upcycled-labeled food include perceived risk and unfamiliarity, and high price. Consumer-perceived benefits consist of high nutrition, hedonic innovation, environmental responsibility and social ethics. In addition, the associations between attributes, benefits and constraints regarding upcycled-labeled food suggest that, counter-intuitively, even provided with transparent source information, consumers still associate this food type with health risks, potentially due to unfamiliarity. Originality/value This study systematically investigates the salience effect of upcycled labels from two contrasting perspectives and empirically examines the associations between the food attributes and consumer-perceived benefits of and constraints to accepting such food type.