Consumer preferences for food labelling attributes: Comparing direct ranking and best–worst scaling for measurement of attribute importance, preference intensity and attribute dominance

• Consumer attribute importance rankings for labelling of beef were studied.
• Best–worst scaling (BWS) was compared with direct ranking (DR).
• A choice probability R–index measure made the methodological comparison consistent.
• Violations of dominance were found for methods used to elicit attribute importance.

The use of food labelling to convey information about product and process quality and for product differentiation purposes has multiplied. In order to judge the relevance attributed by consumers to such information, valid measurement methods are needed. Such methods are also needed to reveal the probabilistic nature of preference data, so that heterogeneity can be explicitly accounted for. A survey among Swedish residents (n = 506) compared attribute importance rankings for labelling of beef from two formats of best–worst scaling (BWS) with those from standard direct ranking (DR). A choice probability R–index measure was modelled to make the methodological comparison consistent. While earlier studies on labelling of beef were confirmed, BWS and DR did not concur when directly compared, even when using the R–index. BWS improved individual choice predictions compared with DR, and generated a more consistent dominance ordering of attribute importance. These findings suggest that methods used to elicit importance weights or preference ranking may violate transitivity and dominance requirements.