Samenvatting

This research report discusses the benefits of locally sourced food, and the efforts of Amsterdam and Hotelschool The Hague (HTH) to increase the amount of locally sourced food. Secondary research was conducted to analyse consumers perception of locally sourced food at HTH and found an "intention-action gap" among consumers when it comes to sustainable purchasing, partially attributed to a lack of knowledge or information. The research also suggests that carbon labeling may have a small but beneficial impact on consumers' purchasing decisions. The main research question asked was "What are the effects of carbon footprint labeling and the provision of reference values on consumer purchasing behavior towards local food products at HTH?" The quantitative findings suggest that labeling local foods with a simple local label might be the most effective way of increasing sales. A focus group was also conducted, with findings showing that participants preferred the carbon label with reference values over the local label, but this may be attributed to social desirability bias or the label design. A marketing campaign promoting locally sourced food at HTH was created based on the research findings, including a calendar, a simple local label, and infographics. Future research is proposed to test the combination of societal and environmental factors in a label, and to investigate the perceived health benefits of locally sourced food.