Natural labels are increasingly present in the market and appreciated by consumers, despite formal regulation still missing. Knowing the psychosocial factors that may predict natural food choice may ...be useful to understand what drives consumers to choose this category of food. We analyzed the antecedents of consumers’ intention to purchase natural food, testing a theoretical model that integrates the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, and consumers’ trust in natural food. A sample of Italian participants (N = 1018) filled an online questionnaire assessing intention to buy natural food, TPB and VBN variables, and trust in the natural food supply chain. The model applied yielded results which confirmed the predictiveness of the tested integrated model. Attitude and perceived behavioral control were the strongest antecedents of intention, followed by trust and personal norm. Consumers’ intention to buy natural food was also associated with their evaluation of the consequences and possibilities related to the purchase behavior, as well as with their moral evaluation attributable to pro-environmental determinants.
New trends in food consumption are shaping consumers' preferences and buying behavior. Non-traditional food retailing and short supply chains (SSCs) are offering bundles of attributes that fit the ...needs of larger consumers' segments. Several studies have analyzed factors affecting the choice of traditional and non-traditional food retailing. Very few, however, are those studies that analyze the predictive role of human values and attitudes on the choice of traditional and non-traditional food retailing and supply chains. Usually, due to the low percentage of consumers involved in SSC, analyses of consumer behavior have been conducted using convenience samples. This study, based on online questionnaires submitted to a representative sample composed by 1009 German consumers, tests the hypothesis that the frequency of purchases at farmers' markets is related to human values: attitude toward the industrialized food market and attitude toward the environment. The econometric approach here implemented computes the model on average and in the tails of the dependent variable, frequency of purchases at farmers' market, thus investigating the model in a representative sample even where the percentage of non-traditional food retailing consumers is low, as occurs in the tails for low/high frequency of purchases. The questionnaire included the Schwartz value survey, attitudes toward environment and attitude toward industrialized food market, and self-reported estimates of the frequency of buying at farmers' market. Results suggest that the frequency of buying at farmers' market is hierarchically related to attitudes and values. The frequency of purchases at farmers' market is negatively related to industrialized food attitude and positively related to pro-environment attitude. Attitudes are in turn affected by values: self-transcendence has a positive impact on pro-environment attitude and the reverse is true for conservation. Furthermore, these relationships are not constant in the sample: they change according to the selected frequency of purchases.
The current study combined hedonic liking with non-hypothetical experimental auctions to measure consumer preferences for bitter tasting food and identify individual socio-demographic and ...psychographic characteristics that influence bitter aversion. Furthermore, the research analyzed whether consumer preferences for bitter food were influenced by sensory and health-related information. Findings reveal that respondents (
= 205) are not averse to bitter taste; while, socio-demographic traits influence bitter acceptance, as higher education level and gender (female) positively affect preferences, together with specific individual characteristics as high compensatory health beliefs. Moreover, results prove that participants positively respond to health-related information, whereas information on bitterness-taste generates lower preferences.
The present study focused on an environmental scandal that occurred in Italy, the
toxic waste scandal, which caused consumer concerns related to the safety of food produced in the affected region, as ...well as massive market reduction in products associated with the polluted area. Based on a representative sample of Italian households (
= 1134), this study applied an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model to analyze consumer purchases of regional food products after this environmental hazard. In addition to attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, the model included risk perception, trust, and actual purchases. Using a structural equation model, our results provided support to the hypothesis that consumer perceptions of risk negatively impacted their purchase behaviors and suggested that increasing Italians' trust in government information could reduce their perceived risk and, consequently, increase their intention to purchase regional food.
In Italy there has been considerable political debate around the new energy policy, which is specifically designed to contribute to climate change mitigation. While there is renewed interest in ...nuclear energy generation, there has been heated debate concerning wind farms that have rapidly expanded and are dramatically changing the landscape in many rural areas. Finally, interest has also increased in biomass as an energy source. However, in this case, a significant part of the population is worried about landscape change and primary crop reduction. In this study we report the results from a nation-wide survey (=504 households) in Italy undertaken during summer 2009. A Latent Class Choice Experiment was used to quantify household preferences over different energy sources. Our results show that Italian households can be split into three segments with homogeneous preferences. The first segment (35% of the population) shows strong preference for wind and solar energy and dislikes both biomass and nuclear. The second (33% of the population) shows moderate preference for solar and wind energy and, as with the first segment, dislikes both nuclear and biomass. The third (32% of the population) shows a strong preference for green energy (solar, wind and biomass) and is very much against nuclear energy. The three segments were also characterized in terms of household socio-economic characteristics.
► We quantify Italian household preferences over different energy sources. ► Results come from a nation-wide survey undertaken during summer 2009. ► Energy sources tested: fossil fuel, nuclear, wind, solar and agricultural biomass. ► A latent class choice experiment was used. ► Italians can be split into three segments with different energy source preferences.
The presence of some healthy phytochemicals in food can be paired with high bitterness, and consumers have a widespread avoidance toward bitter-tasting food. This causes a gap between preferences and ...healthy needs of consumers. Therefore, this review collected insights from literature belonging to different discipline domains in order to have a broad view of the current state-of-the-art about biochemical aspects and consumers' perceptions and preferences toward foods with an enhanced bitter taste. In detail, we focused on two core products of the Mediterranean diet: Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and Brassicaceae, both characterized by specific phytochemicals having strong healthy properties and bitter-pungent taste. Results suggested that, although bitter taste is a general driver of dislike, some exceptions can be represented by: niches of consumers (e.g., innovators and organic buyers), foods consumed with specific purposes (e.g., coffee, chocolate, and alcoholic beverages). The level of bitterness perceived by the consumers can be modulated through exposure, information on benefits, and elements within the environment (e.g., music). Thus, these insights can be used to develop specific campaigns aimed at promoting bitter (healthy) food, considering also the key role that could be played by food pairings.
The European organic food market is characterized by very different consumer segments. There are significant differences concerning motivations for organic food consumption, preferences for various ...attributes, and frequency of purchase among consumers. Although the organic food sector has been studied for about 20 years, little is known about consumer behavior at different levels of consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the determinants of organic food consumption in various market segments characterized by different purchasing frequencies. The determinants of purchase frequency in Italy and Germany are analyzed not only at the mean regression, by OLS, but also at the median and at the mode. Differing estimates at these measures of central tendency generally occur with asymmetric distributions, and this occurs in the following analysis as well. Moreover, since in Germany the dependent variable presents more than one peak/mode, interpretation of the mode regression becomes problematic and a different tool is implemented, namely the finite mixture model. The latter clusters the observations in homogeneous groups while computing the regression coefficients within each group. Buyers are split into two groups, frequent and rare consumers of organic food, and two different sets of estimated coefficients explain frequency of purchases within each group.
Consumers’ involvement in the development of new goods and services is growing, and thus understanding food motives is crucial for various fisheries stakeholders to manage fish value chains. In ...addition, traceability is becoming more prominent in guiding consumers’ behaviour. Yet, the latter can be considered a source of confusion, as the multiplicity of certifications and labelling systems can be overwhelming. A national web-based survey was conducted on a representative sample of Italian and Spanish consumers. From the literature, a set of 13 attributes was chosen to identify the most important factors guiding consumers’ choice, and various groups in each population were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis. Our findings provide valuable insights for fish value chain stakeholders, enabling them to optimize fisheries supply chains, educate consumers about diverse fish species, and promote more sustainable decision-making.
Display omitted
•Respondents valuing the organic clue are also interested in EVOO with health claims.•Consumers with a higher general interest in health value health claims on EVOO.•EVOO with health ...claims is of interest to those willing to use food as medicine.•Exposure to diseases led to a consumer appreciation of health claims on EVOO.•The market of EVOO with health claims is a potential niche market.
PDF
