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Does quality really matter? Variables that drive postmodern consumer choices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the factors that affect consumer choices for both policymakers and food companies. Design/methodology/approach – Four hundred questionnaires were administered in the city of Florence (Tuscany, Italy). Data analysis was carried out according to a two-step procedure in a multivariate statistical framework: in the first stage, a multiple correspondence analysis was performed; in the second step, the single-link (nearest neighbour) cluster analysis allowed three homogeneous groups of consumers to be identified on the basis of their specific socio-demographic characteristics. Findings – Three consumer clusters were obtained: the first, “critical but non-philanthropic consumers”, who may have pathologies that require a particular diet; the second, “marginally critical consumers”, for whom freshness, the label and the assortment count for much; the third, “agnostic consumers”, who choose a product according to its origin and the price/quality relati...

Factors Affecting Food Label Complexity: Does the New EU Regulation Satisfy Consumer Issues? An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT There is still a substantial information asymmetry between producers and consumers. Despite the recent EU regulation on labeling to enhance consumer food safety and the existence of a number of certifications on sustainable food products, there remain blind spots in the widely debated consumer information issue. Our study, conducted on primary data processed with a probit model, was aimed at identifying the factors that may affect consumer response in relation to difficulties in interpreting the labels of processed food products. Starting from theoretical models, several factors held responsible for defining the consumer’s knowledge were used as explanatory variables. Our results show that despite changes in the new legislation, there remains the problem of the consumer’s lack of knowledge concerning environmental labeling and product certification.

The Olive Oil Sector: A Comparison between Consumers and “experts” Choices by the Sensory Analysis

Abstract The analysis is focused on olive oil, given its importance in the present competitive scenario and also for the renewed and growing interest that this product has in nutrition, health and wellbeing. It is in the interests of the different categories of olive oil producers to highlight the value of the specific attributes of their products, through the certification systems, geographical indications or organic farming. We have analysed consumer liking in order to understand what sensory attributes guide the choice, because this can help managers to develop marketing strategies focused on consumers’ demands. This study was conducted to identify and define sensory characteristics of five Italian olive oils and to link these differences to consumer and “experts” (the chefs) preferences through the application of preference mapping. This study confirms the hypothesis that experts give more importance to intrinsic attributes than “novices”, and also that the chefs are more aware than consumers on the EU certification systems and geographical indications or organic farming.

Consumer behaviour and corporate social responsibility: an empirical study of Expo 2015

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the attitudes of people towards issues of food safety, food security and sustainability. For this, an empirical study was conducted on visitors to the event Milan Expo 2015. Particular attention was paid to any greater propensity to purchase products from socially responsible agri-food companies and whether the event might have contributed to enrich the baggage of their knowledge on the issues of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to influence future buying behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Different groups of visiting consumers were identified through cluster analysis in order to segment and divide visitors into groups based on their approach to food safety, food security and sustainability, their willingness to pay for products from companies practising CSR, and the impact of the event on their future buying behaviour. Findings The results showed a positive attitude of respondents towards issues of food safety, food security and sustainability in general and to the purchase of sustainable food products. However, due to shortcomings in the communication strategy used by companies attending the event, the sample of visitors did not enrich their knowledge on sustainability and CSR. The impact of Expo 2015 on future buying behaviour was far from impressive. Originality/value The findings are particularly useful for the future development of the reputation and profitability of food companies, for the enrichment of knowledge concerning CSR-oriented food companies and to increase the price of products from socially responsible agri-food companies.

Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents’ Food Choices Can Act on Their Children’s BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study

BACKGROUND Given the epidemic proportions and economic costs associated with nutrition related diseases in Western countries, an empirical study was carried-out between September and December 2014 in Campania, the Italian region with the highest prevalence of obese children. METHODS The survey was conducted in a secondary school and involved 145 children, aged 11 to 14, and their parents, with the ultimate aim of studying the relationship between the behaviour of parents regarding the use of nutrition labels, the attention to product quality and the body weight of their children. RESULTS The results from our study showed that unhealthy diet concerned stems from the misguided food choices of their parents, who are responsible for their childrens dietary habits, lifestyle and body weight. CONCLUSION In order to incentivise adults and young people to change their food choices and eating behaviour in favour of healthy and sustainable lifestyles, some useful measures could involve the improvement of political marketing and advertising, labelling clarity and better information and awareness campaigns to do sport and eat healthily. Finally some recent patents related to healthy reformulated food products and communication strategies, with specific regard to healthy eating, have been reviewed.

Orientation of Agri-Food Companies to CSR And Consumer Perception: A Survey on Two Italian Companies

BACKGROUND Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the most important tool for implementing Sustainability Guidelines for Business (US20030018487A1), delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all the stakeholders and is currently the focus of international studies and debates (US7260559B1), especially in the agri-food sector as demonstrated by recent patents (CA2862273A1). In most agri-food businesses operating in Italy, there is little effectiveness in the communication strategies of this instrument to the stakeholders since they are often not advanced. METHODS Identifying the first two food companies in the European ranking of the 6th CSR Online Awards, through an empirical survey on consumers, their level of perception of the CSR strategies communication of these companies will be analyzed. RESULTS In both case studies analyzed, there is the presence of a Sustainability Orientation and the evolution of CSR tools within such companies and their promotion and communication to all the stakeholders. Despite this, the level of perception of respondents on the CSR strategies communication of these companies and the promotion of CSR instruments is not optimal. CONCLUSION The interviewed consumers have not enriched their knowledge on CSR due to the lack of an adequate communication strategy for both case studies. Consequently, to raise awareness on the subject, there is still a great deal of cooperation needed between public institutions, local communities, businesses and citizens.

How can food companies attract the consumer concerned about food safety? A logit model analysis in Spain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore food safety attitudes among a sample of Spanish consumers and determine which variables, among those studied, most affect the probability of the consumer being attentive to food safety. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted using a logit model. From the questionnaire 20 binary category variables were identified. Having selected the variable “Are you worried about safety food” as a dependent variable, the authors used binary logistic regression (Aldrich and Nelson, 1984; Borooah, 2002) to ascertain in what way the remaining 19 variables affect the likelihood of the consumer being particularly attentive to the healthiness and safety of food purchased. Findings The probability of the consumer being particularly attentive to food healthiness and safety, for the sample in question, is higher in consumers who stated that they were familiar with organic products, those who are attentive to fat contents in foods and those who value the presence of quality certification positively. Research limitations/implications Future research into Spanish consumers with the same methodology should target a larger sample in several Spanish cities. Originality/value This paper investigates not only Spanish consumer attitudes to food safety, but also how other variables can influence the probability of the consumer being concerned about food safety. This approach may be very useful for food companies to determine what strategies to adopt to attract the category of consumers who lend special importance to the food safety variable in their purchases.

Agriculture and environmental sustainability in the EU: an analysis of the state of the art through the creation of performance index.

The growing interest for the environmental sustainability of the agricultural activities has highlighted the importance to have survey instruments which consent to characterize the different and complex agro-environmental systems with analysis able to allow temporal and spatial comparisons and also to transfer information to the policy makers. The scope of the work is to analyze the impact of farming activities on some of the specific issues that significantly impact on the global sustainability to make a comparative analysis among the European Union countries. To this end, aggregate index have been developed, obtained by principal components analysis of specific indicators (agricultural and environmental). This technique allowed to extract the factorial structure of synthesis in which different countries are positioned.

Gli investimenti diretti esteri nell’Unione europea allargata: evoluzione nel settore agroalimentare

Foreign direct investments (FDI) are very important means of economic integration. In the last two decades FDI have been the most dynamic component of integration between the European Union and Central and Eastern European countries. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the distributions and of the geographical pattern of FDI between the European Union and the Central and Eastern European countries, after processing data provided by Eurostat and Unctad. Moreover, once showed the FDI trends, particular attention will be focused on their importance in the food sector.

Sostenibilità ambientale ed economica nella produzione di tonno rosso mediterraneo: la ricerca di una nuova soluzione di equilibrio

The economic sustainability of bluefin production is strictly correlated to the increasing protection of environmental sustainability of the sector, regulated at international level through the quota instrument. The studies conducted recently, have opened discussions on the division of the total allowable catch (TAC) considering the opportunity of establishing a new allocation of the (TAC) in favour of the other hemisphere, determining the reduction of bluefin production in the Mediterranean sea. This paper begin with a theoretical discussion of the quota as an instrument of the policy maker and then focuses on the microeconomic effects that a possible change in its allocation could have on the profit of bluefin producers. The theoretical analysis shows that the actual equilibrium between economical and environmental sustainability could be subjected to progressive changes, which, if not corrected with adequate strategies, will always be to the disadvantage of the first. Dealing with this reduction, in order to remain on the market, would be possible only if they are able to maintain the profitability of this production through the use of appropriate strategies aimed to increase the value of the Mediterranean bluefin. These strategies would favour the establishment of a new equilibrium between the economical and the environmental sustainability. In the actual scenario the latter arises strongly and it is important to evaluate the opportunity of finding new tools in order to be competitive on the market. Therefore, in this paper, after showing the peculiarities of the Mediterranean bluefine, we have analysed the more appropriated strategies to increase the added value of this typology of territorial bluefin production in the area where it is concentrated and where, since the ancient time, there is a consolidated tradition in the production and consumption of this product.