In the scenario of food consumptions, we witness the consumer's growing consideration for the “convenience” attribute. Our study intends to understand the consumer behaviour towards ...convenience-processed foods by analysing in a single model the role of beliefs, personal traits, social influence and market availability. We applied a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to a representative sample of 426 Italian consumers. The results show a correlation between intention to consume convenience-processed foods and social influence, market availability and several personal traits, suggesting strategies for the development of the convenience food market.
The increasing numbers of wild animals in Europe is leading, on the one hand, to growing problems stemming from their interaction with human activities. On the other, many European countries have ...still not developed national supply chains to market wild game. Instead, these supply chains could represent a win–win strategy in providing a sustainable alternative to production via intensive livestock farming and developing rural territories. Our aim was to understand consumer behaviour towards wild game meat. We conducted a choice experiment on wild boar meat on a sample of Italian consumers (625). The application of a hybrid model combining a structural equation model and a latent class analysis allowed us to identify the antecedents of attitude towards wild game meat and to analyse consumer choices by utilising attitude as an explanatory variable. The results provide useful suggestions to implement rural development policies and offer food for thought in the area of consumer behaviour.
This special issue of Agricultural and Food Economics consists of four articles that were part of the scientific programme of the First SIDEA-SIEA Joint Conference, held in Bisceglie in September ...2017. The conference afforded agricultural economists the opportunity to reflect on cooperative strategies to promote competitiveness of the agri-food supply chain, with a focus on environmental quality and social sustainability. The selected articles address these themes from different perspectives: those of firms, of consumers, and of policy makers, stressing that sustainability calls for the active participation of all of the actors. The case studies presented propose an effective interpretation of the strategies for value creation with respect to the challenges of climate change, food waste management, the development of marginal rural areas, and that of the fish sector.
Consumers’ interest in product information, such as nutrition, environment, and social aspects, is increasing in the food market. Blockchain technology can enhance credibility of quality signals on ...labels through transparency and accountability in the supply chain. This study examines the impact of blockchain technology on reducing consumer uncertainty about credence attributes and facilitating informed choices. It is particularly relevant for food policies, as greater consumer awareness promotes proactive involvement in sustainability and public health. We conducted a choice experiment with 300 Italian consumers, focusing on craft beer and analysing how blockchain technology in strengthens organic and DOP certification. The results provide valuable insights for producers and policymakers to develop voluntary approaches that engage society in objectives that concern the collective well-being. They highlight the potential of blockchain technology in communicating credence attributes and empowering consumers. However, our study reveals that the impact of blockchain technology on choices is influenced by a different level of trust, likely due to the complexity of understanding its functioning.
In a world characterized by a significant evolution in wine consumption, Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) wines have constituted a valid strategy of marketing and competitiveness for producers. ...In 2014, the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico created the "Chianti Classico Gran Selezione" DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to strengthen and expand the quality range of its productions. This is a new typology of Chianti Classico placed at the top of the quality production pyramid. The aim of this study is to verify whether the introduction of a higher-tier certification within a PDO denomination can represent an effective strategy to leverage brand value and strengthen the relationship between quality production and territory. With this purpose in mind, we performed a choice experiment on Italian wine consumers. A Latent Class Model allowed us to identify three distinct classes of consumers that differ in their preferences for price and PDO. Moreover, we performed a Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection technique and a Principal Component Factor Analysis for describing these classes according to consumers' attitudes and personal characteristics. Our results show the existence of a segment that appreciates the introduction of the new label and therefore support the effectiveness of developing this strategy.
This study analyses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food consumption at the end of the first lockdown in the New York State (USA) and in Italy (spring 2020). The results of our study show ...that important changes occurred in food habits in these two countries, in which lockdown was very similar. Three models of response to the shock of the lockdown were noted in both countries. The first model (40%) includes individuals who largely increased their food consumption, the second model (26%) showed a more virtuous and responsible behaviour, while the third model (34%) displayed no change in food consumption. Diet quality in terms of healthiness and sustainability declined in the USA, while in Italy, approximately one-third of the sample showed an improvement in diet in these same areas. The use of sociodemographic, motivational, and behavioural variables to profile subjects who adhered to each food model has made it possible to obtain information that can be used to develop communication campaigns and policies for a healthier and more sustainable diet.
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The discrete choice experiment is a widely used methodology in consumer studies. However, applying this method to investigate the market of products sold in a wide price range could ...present issues as to the quality of the estimate of preferences. In fact, for this type of product, frequently consumers may have different behaviours when faced with different price levels. For example, some market segments may refrain from purchasing products below certain price thresholds, considering them of an unacceptable quality, while others choose only below certain prices. To work around this problem area, we propose a methodology in which each respondent declares his own price interval of reference and consequently participates in a choice experiment with a price vector coherent with his habits. In this manner, we are able to grasp and include in the estimations the heterogeneity of consumers with respect to price and thus obtain more accurate willingness to pay estimates.
•The method describes a procedure to bypass issues related to identifying the price vector in discrete choice experiments that involve products sold in a wide price range.•We propose a discrete choice experiment with different price vectors for consumer segments with different price preferences.
Consumer preferences about locally grown foods have been studied principally as they concern meals consumed in the home, while knowledge about consumptions outside the home is still fragmented. ...Studying the relationship between local foods and out of the home consumptions instead proves particularly interesting, considering the growth of eating out habits. In this scenario, our paper intends to verify whether using products of local origin in restaurants can represent an element capable of influencing consumer preferences positively. The analysis was developed by means of a choice experiment between alternatives that differ in certification of origin, process certification, price and the main characteristics of the restaurant. The survey was conducted on a representative sample of Italian (500) and German (500) consumers. Applying Latent Class Modelling has enabled us to segment the market and profile the segments. Profiling was performed considering the socio-demographic characteristics, the choice motivations not expressly inserted in the choice experiment and the Schwartz value system. The results show not only a marked heterogeneity of preferences but also a consistent consumer segment willing to pay a relevant premium price for meals made from a prevalence of products certified as being of local origin. This segment, labelled 'locavores', appears across both countries, despite differing gastronomic traditions. Locavores are mainly young people who prioritise self-enhancement, stimulation and conservation in the sense of respect for traditions and being members of their communities. The 'Discussions and conclusions' section handles the principal implications from the viewpoint of the decisions of restaurant owners, as well as from that of farmers.
The recent economic crisis has brought considerable changes also to food consumption: on one hand, many products have recorded consistent absolute declines in demand, while on the other hand, we have ...witnessed preferences shift towards low-cost foods or, in any event, foods of lower quality standards. In order to study these phenomena and, especially, the strategies firms adopt to confront them, the wine sector constitutes a particularly interesting focus due to its wide supply range and the elevated reactivity to price and income of demand. Our paper intends to take a close look at wine consumptions, focusing on the sales made on the Mass Retail Trading (MRT) channel from 2009 to 2013, and to conduct a thorough analysis of the performances of the single products, in view of pointing out the sector's overall trend, as well as the principal typologies of wine, in terms of their sales results in that period. Applying Latent Class Regression has permitted us to identify six explicative models of performances, demonstrating the effect on sales of the structural characteristics of productions and sales strategies.
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