Consumers’ behaviour towards the No Cap label: an explorative analysis of the Italian tomato market

Purpose The European agri-food supply chain increasingly faces unethical labour practices, a notably pronounced challenge in the Italian tomato sector. In response to this issue and to enhance workers’ well-being, third-party certifications like the No Cap label have been introduced to the market. Understanding consumers’ behaviour toward No Cap labelled products can support acceptance and contribute to reducing unethical labour practices. Design/methodology/approach The current study explores the role of antecedents of consumers’ willingness to buy (WTB) tomato products with the No Cap label, including consumer level of consciousness about social sustainability, trust in the label (i.e., the No Cap label), consumer innovativeness, and environmental concern. The research employs a convenience sample of approximately 600 Italian tomato product consumers and a structural equation model for analysing the data. Findings The empirical findings showed that consciousness about social sustainability, trust in the No Cap label, consumer innovativeness, and environmental concern were correlated positively to a different extent with WTB tomato products with the No Cap label. Trust in the label showed the strongest association with consumers’ purchase intentions. Originality/value This research enhances the existing knowledge on consumer acceptance of social sustainability-labelled foodstuffs sourced from developed countries. It provides insights into the factors driving consumers’ WTB these products, an area that has received limited attention in academic research to date.