THE ROLE OF PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN IN CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR IBERIAN DRY-CURED HAM IN SPAIN

This paper analyses the importance of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in shaping consumer preferences for Iberian dry-cured ham, one of the most typical and appreciated meat products in Spain. Conjoint Analysis was used to estimate the importance of selected attributes affecting consumer preferences for this product. Results showed that consumers granted the highest importance to price and type of ham, although PDO was of some value for all consumers. A segmentation with PDO-related variables produced three clusters (pro-PDO consumers, average consumers, and price-sensitive consumers). These clusters were later used to determine the premium that consumers were willing to pay for the PDO attribute, which was then compared to the extra costs of producing ham within a PDO scheme.