Daniel Vecchiato

Consumer preferences regarding the introduction of new organic products. The case of the Mediterranean sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in Italy.

The introduction of new products on the market poses several challenges; in particular, whether the characteristics of the proposed product will be judged positively by potential consumers. This paper analyses the preferences of consumers regarding the introduction on the Italian market of a new product: organic Mediterranean sea bass. The aim of this study is to assess the importance given by consumers to four main characteristics of sea bass (country of origin, size, production method - organic or conventional - and price) so as to be able to formulate marketing strategies. We applied a choice experiment (CE) in order to define not only the ordinal ranking of preferences but also the willingness to pay (WTP) for the key characteristics of the newly-introduced product. We found that consumers show a higher WTP for the sea bass country of origin than for the breeding method used. Our results suggest that while organic aquaculture might be a new and important strategy for diversification, if suitable communication, either from a public policy or commercial perspective, and labelling/certification are not taken into consideration, the added value of the production method might not be perceived by the final consumers.

Riverscape and Groundwater Preservation: A Choice Experiment

This study presents a quantitative approach to support policy decision making for the preservation of riverscapes, taking into account the EC Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and the EC Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) concerning the protection of waters against nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. A choice experiment was applied to evaluate the benefits, as perceived by inhabitants, of the implementation of policies aiming to reduce the concentration of nitrates in groundwater, preserve the riverscape by maintaining a minimum water flow and increasing hedges and woods along the Serio River in central northern Italy. Findings suggested that people were particularly concerned about groundwater quality, probably because it is strongly linked to human health. Nevertheless, it was interesting to observe that people expressed a high willingness to pay for actions that affect the riverscape as a whole (such as the minimum water flow maintenance plus reforestation). This is probably due to the close connection between the riverscape and the functions of the river area for recreation, health purposes, and biodiversity preservation.

Food waste, consumer attitudes and behaviour. A study in the North-Eastern part of Italy

Reducing the amount of wasted food is a key element in developing a sustainable food system. Large quantities of produced food are discarded and, to a large extent, the waste is avoidable. The wastage of food occurs at all stages of the food life cycle, starting from harvesting, through manufacturing and distributing and finally consumption, but the largest contribution to food waste occur at home. In the past, several studies investigated the amount of food waste in Italy. Nevertheless there is a substantial lack in the knowledge of the reasons linked to waste food at households. The aim of this paper is to focus on the consumption food waste for exploring the reasons of food waste on family level, which is a significant fraction of total, in order to overcome food wasting behaviour and point out options to design prevention measures.

Consumer preferences for red deer meat: a discrete choice analysis considering attitudes towards wild game meat and hunting

This study aims to analyse consumer preferences for red deer meat (RDM) (Cervus elaphus) by conducting a case study in northern Italy. This analysis considers how the attitudes of consumers towards wild game meat and hunting might influence such preferences. This goal is achieved by combining the results of a k-means clustering analysis of the attitudes collected by means of two valuation scales with a discrete choice experiment (CE). According to our results, a positive attitude towards wild game meat has an effect on the willingness to pay (WTP) for RDM that is more than 3 times greater than being in favour of hunting. An analysis of the heterogeneity of consumer preferences allowed us to identify the presence of an important niche market for RDM served as carpaccio. Examining only the mean estimates for carpaccio without considering heterogeneity would lead to neglecting 18% of the sample with a positive willingness to pay for this attribute level.

The Value of Traditonal Rural Landscape and Nature Protected Areas in Tourism Demand: A Study on Agritourists’ Preferences

This study focuses on how traditional rural landscape and proximity to a Natura 2000 Site of Community Importance (SCI) might influence consumers’ choice of an agritourism farm for a weekend stay. Data were collected in Umbria region’s (Italy) agritourism farms in 2014 by interviewing 160 tourists. Results from a discrete choice experiment reveal that the most important feature affecting the interviewees’ propensity to pay a premium price to stay in an agritourism farm is the well-preserved traditional landscape (willingness to pay 32.32€/night for two people), followed by the availability of a swimming pool (willingness to pay 20.95€/ night for two people), the proximity to a historical village (willingness to pay 18.37€/night for two people) and, the location in a Natura 2000 SCI (willingness to pay 13.57€/night for two people). Furthermore, the results underline how the preservation of the traditional landscape and protection of the surrounding environment play a strategic role in developing agritourism and provide economic benefits to local communities.

Choice experiments and environmental taxation: An application to the Italian hydropower sector

This paper represents the first attempt to simulate the introduction of an incentive-based environmental tax to the hydropower sector. As hydropower can negatively affect fluvial ecosystems, the paper shows how to design and determine per unit tax values for a taxation system that would then be able to provide producers with incentives to opt for more environmentally friendly solutions. The simulation is carried out in the Province of Sondrio (home to 20% of the Italian hydropower production). First, the paper determines the monetary value of the fluvial ecosystem by means of a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE); then, it compares the models estimated in WTP and preference spaces in order to opt for the most effective punctual values to be used as inputs in a newly designed incentive-based environmental tax; finally, it simulates the effects of the introduction of such a tax to a real case. According to our results, the magnitude of the environmental tax is such that it would certainly stimulate environmentally friendly production, without hindering operators’ profitability.

Consumers' willingness to pay for safer fish: preliminary results from a survey about mercury contaminated fish in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region

This study investigates the impact on consumers’ fish choice of a labelling system providing information about mercury-free fish. Taking a sample of costumers from Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Italy), we applied a choice experiment to estimate consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for mercury-free labelling and to test whether this WTP differs from WTP for local origin fish. The chosen fish was Seabass given that it is well known and frequently consumed in Italy as it is a local product of the Northern Adriatic from both fishing and farming. Our results highlight how respondents are more likely to consume and willing to pay for local (farmed or fished) fish than to pay a premium price for fish with a “mercury-free” label.

Statistical Modeling for the Evaluation of Consumers’ Preferences

In 2009 a survey was performed in Veneto, a region in the north-east of Italy, to study the demand for wine and specifically for Passito, a typical Italian wine. The main goal of the study consisted in analyzing how the preferences and consumption habits of Passito vary depending on consumers’ characteristics. Specifically two kinds of statistical methods were applied: Covariate Uniform Binomial (CUB) model, a statistical approach for ordinal data to study the feeling toward Passito and the uncertainty of the respondents; classical logistic regression analysis, to describe how the attitude toward passito can be modeled as function of consumers’ covariates. Gender and residence were the most important covariates, useful in defining segments of consumers with significant differences in terms of Passitos preferences and consumption behavior. The logistic regression analysis allowed to complete the statistical analysis based on CUB models validating the results of the CUB model and estimating a model useful to predict the attitude toward the considered product for specific sub-groups of consumers.

Sustainable Agriculture and No-Food Production: An Empirical Investigation on Organic Cosmetics

Organic cosmetics represent an interesting case study of the links between sustainability and the agricultural system beyond food production. Organic agriculture is rapidly growing not only as a segment of the food industry but also as a producer of ecosystem services, and row materials for, among the others, the cosmetic industry. This growth is mainly due to the development of an important trend of environmental consciousness among costumers. This study presents an application of choice experiments to analyze the preferences of costumers between organic and conventional cosmetic products. Our results pointed out that environmental consciousness, especially among young people, was one of the main drivers in determining their purchase behavior toward organic cosmetics. Moreover, the results shown respondents were willing to pay a premium price also for cosmetic products that respect animal welfare.