Consumer disposition toward fairness in agri-food chains (FAIRFOOD): Scale development and validation

Del Prete, Margherita, Golossenko, Artyom, Gorton, Matthew, Barbara, Tocco and Antonella, Samoggia 2024. Consumer disposition toward fairness in agri-food chains (FAIRFOOD): Scale development and validation. Journal of Business Ethics 10.1007/s10551-024-05756-2

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Abstract

Fairness in agri-food supply chains receives increasing consumer, industry, and political attention but is currently under-conceptualized and lacks appropriate frameworks for measurement. Therefore, building on a theoretically grounded conceptualization of consumer dispositions toward fairness in agri-food supply chains, we developed and validated a 14-item fairness measurement scale (FAIRFOOD). The scale comprises of four dimensions (economic, environmental, social, and informational) which are manifestations of the same construct (higher-order structure). We empirically validate the scale and its reliability using four studies and eight independent samples from Italy (n= 1,386) and the UK (n= 1,379). The findings reveal that FAIRFOOD is related, yet distinct from theoretically relevant constructs such as ethical consumption and pro-environment behavior. The FAIRFOOD scale is a strong predictor of outcomes such as willingness to purchase Fairtrade certified products, as well as boycott and negative Word of Mouth intentions if a brand treats other supply chain actors unfairly. Regarding business strategy, rather than focusing on one dimension of fairness independently, managers should adopt a holistic approach, devising initiatives that address all four dimensions in tandem.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Language other than English:	Italian
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	1573-0697
Funders:	The VALUMICS project “Understanding Food Value Chain and Network Dynamics”; European Union’s Horizon 2020., National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE); Research England.
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 July 2024
Date of Acceptance:	5 July 2024
Last Modified:	05 Aug 2024 09:26
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170583

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