Consumer preferences for domestically produced ingredients in Japan’s ready-to-eat meals and dining out: a best–worst scaling analysis

As ready-to-eat (RTE) meals and dining out become increasingly popular, limited empirical evidence exists on how domestically produced ingredients are positioned relative to other food values in these contexts. Using online survey data from Japanese consumers collected in 2024, this study applies best–worst scaling to samples of 786 respondents for RTE meals and 771 for dining out to estimate the relative importance of 11 food values. Aggregated scores summarize overall rankings, and latent class analysis characterizes heterogeneity in stated priorities. Across both contexts, taste, price, and safety consistently rank highest, while domestically produced ingredients rank fifth, indicating a secondary yet meaningful position relative to core experiential and economic attributes. Ranking patterns are highly similar across contexts, suggesting substantial stability in food value prioritization. Segmentation reveals recurring consumer profiles, including a large price-oriented segment and a substantial hedonic segment, alongside smaller health-/safety-concerned and societal impact-centered segments, which differ systematically in gender, age, income, and perceptions of domestically produced ingredients and – particularly in the dining-out context – in usage frequency. Overall, the findings provide benchmark evidence on the role of domestic origin within the hierarchy of food values, highlighting its secondary importance unless credibly linked to tangible benefits such as taste and safety.