Perceived credibility of geographical indication, organic, and national quality labels in Hungary

Abstract Food labels provide abundant information, and consumers increasingly seek credible cues that signal quality. Many product attributes are credence attributes that consumers cannot verify through their search or experience. Consequently, the perceived credibility of labels that communicate such attributes is pivotal to consumer trust and purchase behavior. The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which consumers perceive geographical indications, national quality labels and organic labels as credible, and to learn what role consumers’ national emotions, patriotic and protectionist dimensions of consumer ethnocentrism play in shaping the perceived credibility of these labels. By using a nationally representative sample of 2,340 adults stratified by gender and region and multiple statistical techniques, it was found that the Hungarian Product national quality label receives the highest credibility ratings among the labels examined. Given the single cross-sectional, self-reported design, findings are interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. Based on the results, this credibility evaluation is positively associated with patriotic and protectionist orientations of Hungarian consumers. An opposite relationship was observed for the English-language protected designation of origin label.