An Eye-Tracking and Natural Language Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (NL-IRAP) Investigating Consumer Acceptance and Willingness to Purchase (WTP) Aquaponic Food Produce.

The reason for this research is to investigate consumer acceptability and willingness to purchase aquaponic food produce. Aquaponic farming has the potential to become a European sustainability solution aimed at: - reducing freshwater shortages; increasing food security; protection of fish species from extinction; and reducing soil degradation. An aquaponics system combines aquaculture with hydroponics (soil-less grown plants) to produce fish and vegetables in a closed system (Greenfeld et al., 2020; Simionov et al., 2019). The rich aquaculture water from the fishponds is processed and fed to hydroponically grown plants. The plants filter and clean the water which is then piped to the fish in the enclosed tanks (Simionov et al., 2017). This production method recycles water with less fresh water being required compared to traditional vegetable farming, thereby being environmentally friendly. This system can be brought to urban areas consequently reducing carbon footprint highlighting the ‘farm to fork’ and ‘Zero-km’ schemes (Aquaponics from Wastewater Reclamation (AWARE), 2024). The main aim of this research is to explore and investigate consumer acceptance and willingness to purchase aquaponic fish and vegetable produce, which are identified as sustainably farmed produce (Greenfeld et al., 2020; Simionov et al., 2019). Traditionally farmed fish can be defined as fish and shellfish bred, reared and harvested in controlled water environments at sea or on land. More than half of the seafood we now eat is farmed through a process known as aquaculture (Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), 2025). Additionally, traditionally farmed vegetables are grown extensively across the UK with field vegetables making up approximately 90% of total production (Rhymes et al., 2023). Whereas aquaponics is a co-operation between fish and plants. Aquaponic fish and vegetables can be produced together in rural and urban areas (Greenfeld et al., 2020; Simionov et al., 2019) reducing carbon footprint, soil degradation and using less space for growth of both products. A preliminary study (n=8) on food packaging attributes revealed that UK aquatic fish consumers were influenced by quality, health benefits, price, taste, nutrition values and naturalness of the product, in this order. The current study will expand on this by measuring participant attitudes to aquaponic fish and vegetables and traditionally farmed fish and vegetables. Three methods will be employed to target seven attributes believed to influence product acceptability: - Quality, Healthy, Price, Taste, Nutrition (Protein or Fibre), Sustainability and Naturalness. Eye-tracking technology will be used to measure participant’s gaze behaviour as they view aquaponic and traditionally farmed fish and vegetable packaging with areas of interest targeting each of the 7 attributes, participant’s explicit behaviour will also be recorded in a Discrete Choice Trial using the mouse to select a preference between the food package stimuli on display. The Natural Language Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (NL-IRAP) will be employed to measure the extent to which participants implicitly associate aquaponic and traditionally farmed fish and vegetables with each of the 7 attributes under investigation and a questionnaire will measure participant’s explicit agreement or disagreement with each of these attribute statements. The planned analysis will consider the relationship between eye-gaze behaviour and implicit and explicit attitudes, in order to advance our understanding of consumer acceptance and willingness to purchase aquaponic fish and vegetable produce.