Do the Pigs Really Get Out? Blockchain Verification Can Strengthen the Use of Sustainability Attributes in Consumer Food Choice

Blockchain verification promises to enhance consumer confidence in the information provided on products and therefore could support the use of sustainability-related credence attributes in consumer decision-making. However, blockchain technology is complex and difficult to explain to consumers. We study the impact of blockchain verification on consumer use of sustainability characteristics when choosing meat products, taking into account the role of consumer understanding of blockchain, with an online discrete choice experiment with 500 consumers each in six European countries. We find that blockchain verification increases utilities for the sustainability attribute that consumers were most interested in, whereas no effect was found for less important attributes. We also found that blockchain verification decreases the importance of price. Both effects are moderated by consumer understanding of blockchain. The results indicate the importance of consumer education when it comes to the use of blockchain as a technology to further consumer trust in information about sustainability attributes when choosing food.