Consumption behavior and willingness-to-pay for sustainable agri-food products tracked with Blockchain technology

The growing footprint of the food sector on the Italian economy has led to an increase in food fraud by some producers. As a result, the consumer has developed a suspicious attitude towards some food companies, so that he increasingly projects his interests towards companies that offer safe, authentic, and sustainable agri-food products. In this context, there has been the implementation of innovative technologies within agri-food value chains, such as the Blockchain (BC) in recent years. This promises to be a great innovation model in terms of traceability as it makes the flow of information that characterizes the supply chain safe and transparent, preventing the problem of fraud. As such, two questions merit attention: are Italian consumers aware of the benefits of this innovative technology? Are they inclined to buy agri-food products tracked with the Blockchain?