The Influence of Country-of-Origin Labeling for Lentils on Consumer Preference : A Study with Reference to Sri Lanka

Lentils have been a part of the human diet for ages, especially in the developing countries, as a source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Understanding and identifying consumers who care about the country-of-origin of these lentils are important in strategic lentil marketing. Thus, the present study aims to identify consumers who think that country-of-origin is an important attribute while purchasing red lentils by conducting an intercept survey of 300 consumers in grocery stores, supermarkets and other family-run stores in Sri Lanka between July-August 2010. This survey collected detailed information relating to demographic, socioeconomic, grocery purchasing pattern and behavior. The results obtained using logit model indicate that those who frequently consume lentils every day, who use non-packed red lentils, who use packed red lentils with store’s own label, who think brand is an important attribute, who work in the government sector, and who earn between 45,001 and 65,000 Sri Lankan rupees per month are more likely to consider the country-of-origin as an important factor while purchasing red lentils