Maria Cecilia Mancini

Consumer Communication and Organisational Strategies for Animal Welfare by the Food and Retail Industries in Italy

SummaryConsumer Communication and Organisational Strategies for Animal Welfare by the Food and Retail Industries in Italy The treatment of animals used in production processes involves ethical principles as well as food safety and has become increasingly a focus of debate. Based on survey evidence, this article examines consumer communication and organisational strategies regarding animal welfare (AW) by food processors and retailers in Italy. It identifies three levels of commitment to animal welfare: full sensitivity with regard to ethical issues and products; animal welfare seen solely as an aspect of product quality; and indifference where animal welfare is considered purely a legal obligation. This classification could be a starting point for institutional intervention. ‘Active’ behaviour shows that AW can be used as a means of organisational renewal of supply chain mechanisms and thus could be supported by public institutions. At the same time, an effective implementation of EU AW policy requires public intervention to ensure that consumers receive the information they need to shop with awareness of AW issues. It is only through greater awareness of AW friendly techniques and their implications that willingness to pay among Italian consumers will increase. This in turn will provide the incentives for producers, processors and retailers to show more interest in AW-friendly techniques.

Organisation as a key factor in Localised Agri-Food Systems (LAFS)

Most studies of Localised Agri-Food Systems (LAFS) focus on the localised concentration of members and firms, and pay less attention to organisational factors, particularly those of an exogenous nature. This paper focuses on the role of organisation in a LAFS, assessing the efficacy of EU organisational measures aimed at strengthening the concentration of supply from the recent CAP reform 2014-2020. The paper has three sections. Part One describes the evolution of the concept of LAFS. Part Two examines the leading role played by institutions in organising relationships between firms in a LAFS. The example provided is that of the measures affecting the organisation of supply introduced by the recent CAP reform, 2014-2020. It makes particular reference to the Distretto del pomodoro da industria – Nord Italia (‘Industrial Tomato District – Northern Italy’). Part Three describes how organisational factors can lead to the creation of a LAFS, while the criterion of proximity is necessary but not sufficient.

How Do Firms Use Consumer Science to Target Consumer Communication? The Case of Animal Welfare

Abstract An increasing awareness of some market segments toward animal welfare has led some agri-food companies of the pork supply chain to consider alternatives to the technique of castration, which is used to prevent boar taint. One alternative is represented by immunocastration, or vaccination against the male hormone GnRH. Some research is available on consumer perception of immunocastration but it rarely involves Italian consumers and does not analyze consumer perception of immunocastration when it is applied to pork meat for traditional products. The research question of this chapter is: what would Italian consumers reaction be if immunocastration was used for pork meat for traditional products? Findings reveal that Italian consumers are reluctant to accept innovation when it is applied to traditional food products. Nevertheless, innovation that improve animal welfare is accepted by consumers of traditional products provided that institutions guarantee their involvement in quality, safety and ethical attributes assurance.

The Parma Ham’s district between origin and sustainability

The Consortium of Parma Ham plays an important role of governance within a productive and territorial context that assumes the character of an agro-industrial district. The activities carried out by the actors involved in the district have a significant economic impact not only on the actors directly involved in the supply chain, but also on the environmental and social context of the territory. The objective of this paper is to analyze the Parma Ham district and its relationships with the productive, environmental and social context, to identify a path of sustainable development for the district and rural areas in which it is located. The investigation shows that the district has developed important employment local systems that absorb occupation from marginal areas of the territory, causing depopulation of those areas, disintegration of rural communities and the risk of losses in environmental safeguards. To integrate the economic interests of the district and the socio-environmental priorities of the territory, the French experience on the territorial projects provides suitable tools that can be extended to the issue under analysis.