Consumer Preferences for Origin and Organic Attributes of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Choice Experiment in the Italian Market

The paper investigates Italian consumers’ behavior towards characteristics of extra virginolive oil, in particular organic production methods and geographical origin. On the basis of theexisting literature, the concepts of sustainability of food systems, diets, and the olive oil supply chainare analyzed. A choice experiment (CE), using a face-to-face questionnaire with over 1000 participants,was conducted to quantify the willingness to pay (WTP) for these two attributes. Findings showpositive preference for origin attributes, while the organic attribute is not highly valued. The articlealso offers some perspectives on future research to improve the competitiveness and sustainability ofthe Italian olive oil supply chain.