The impact of national quality labels and protected designations of origin on Hungarian cheese consumers’ preferences

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the function of EU and national quality labels in simulating a real cheese buying situation, focusing on the impact of consumer ethnocentrism and perceived credibility. Design/methodology/approach A full profile conjoint analysis and regression analysis with moderated mediation analysis were applied to a sample of 2,340 Hungarian adults, representative of gender and region. Findings The study simulated the buying of two varieties of cheese and showed consumer preference for the national quality label compared to the protected designation of origin label. Hungarian consumers perceive national quality label as authentic because of their patriotism and thus consider it more useful on cheese packaging. Practical implications In the EU’s Central and Eastern European region, consumer preference for EU quality labels is low, and in these countries national quality labels that communicate local origin offer a real alternative to geographical indications. The recommendations of this research are generalizable and applicable to mainly Central and Eastern European countries, where the use of national quality labels can give producers a competitive advantage. Using a national quality label is recommended for more costly cheeses, when the impact of consumer ethnocentrism is not moderated by price. Originality/value This research adds to the existing literature as, as far as the authors are aware; no previous research has used a similar approach to understand consumer preference for quality labels.