What is fair is good: Evidence of consumers’ taste for fairness

• The research examines the effect of ethically labeled foods and drinks on taste.
• Participants reported better taste of ethically labeled goods.
• The effect was robust to contrary beliefs.
• The effect was mediated by positive affect.

Many consumers consider a variety of ethical issues in product choice and preference. The aim of the present research is to explore the effect of ethically labeled foods and drinks (e.g., Fair Trade) on consumers’ reported taste experience. In three studies, we asked participants to taste coffee (Study 1) or chocolate (Studies 2 and 3), and participants in all studies reported that the products tasted significantly better when they were labeled Fair Trade. Moreover, prior to rating the products, the majority of participants in Studies 2 and 3 indicated that they did not believe products with ethical labels to taste differently. Yet, even the participants who explicitly made this claim reported that the chocolate tasted better when it was labeled Fair Trade. Additionally, Study 3 suggests affect as a critical variable mediating this effect. Thus, consumers rate Fair Trade products more positively, because they experience positive affect through consumption of ethical goods. We discuss this result with respect to consumers and producers, and we argue that the observed effect can increase value for both.