A comparison between Spain and Japan with respect to the color, expected taste scale, and sustainability of strawberries: A choice experiment

In this study, the consumer value of strawberries in Spain and Japan based on sensory output and sustainable input attributes was investigated using a choice experiment. The choice set consisted of five attributes-price, color, taste, cultivation method, and energy source for greenhouse cultivation. This study recruited 1,000 respondents each in Spain and Japan to complete an online survey. Japanese respondents preferred strawberries that were red, sweet, organic, cultivated with solar or woody biomass-generated power, and cheap. In addition to these attributes, Spanish respondents preferred less sour strawberries. Spanish respondents exhibited a greater willingness-to-pay (WTP) for both organic and renewable energy inputs than Japanese respondents. For both nationalities, the WTP for renewable energy was higher than that for the taste scale attribute but lower than the color attribute. Spain had a higher WTP for solar and woody biomass energies than Japan. There was no significant difference in the WTP for white and pink colored strawberries between the two. Spain had a higher WTP for organic cultivation than Japan. In both countries, consumers were more averse to the pink strawberry when the cultivation used solar energy rather than kerosene. In both countries, there was an additive effect for woody biomass and sweetness, but a moderate effect for sour taste. These results imply that renewable energy input has a significant effect on consumer choice for strawberries without tasting. Thus, these results should motivate strawberry farmers to cultivate strawberries using renewable energy in greenhouses to help reduce the effects of climate change; thereby, increasing the value of strawberries.