Roberta Spadoni

Food safety and organic fruit demand in Italy: a survey

Reports the first results of a study on how increased awareness of food safety can influence consumer behaviour regarding specific products. Looks into consumer attitudes towards organic apples by means of a survey conducted among customers of large retail outlets located in Emilia‐Romagna (Italy). Analyses consumer attitudes toward organic food, studying the price/quantity/quality relationship for this type of product. Consumers were directly interviewed at retail outlets, A questionnaire consisting of the following four sections was used: fruit consumption; pesticide abatement; organic fruit and organic apple demand; and demographic profile of respondent. Presents the results of the preliminary test phase of the survey. The pre‐test results are quite encouraging and enable us to start the final investigation round. The survey will continue in three rounds over a 12‐month period, trying in this way to override the relatively high seasonality of apple consumption.

Traceability as part of competitive strategy in the fruit supply chain

This paper discusses traceability as part of information management in fruit supply chains of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. A review of the rules in use for traceability distinguishes between a proper traceability and a traceability plus (T+), embedded of many value attributes. Elements of competitive strategy, considered in the analysis of fruit supply chins of Emilia-Romagna, try to demonstrate that not only strategic but also operative choices determine the way a single firm or filiere manages traceability and information issues. Applications of such elements to buyers and sellers selection as well as to competing retailers of fruit supply chain, verify the hypothesis.

Educational farms in the Emilia-Romagna region: their role in food habit education

Educational farms are farms which offer educational tours to visitors so that they can learn about specific information concerning agriculture, the environment and nutrition. These enterprises are involved in activities which complement their main work. This can bring benefits, including economic ones, to them as entrepreneurs, as well as having important social value. The objective of this paper is to present an authentic local example of this: the Italian Emilia-Romagna region, where Educational farms are particularly widespread and supported by the public administration. In particular, it highlights the role played by the educational farms regarding food habits and discusses the relationship between the enterprise’s educational function and business strategies. This analysis is an attempt to view the above from a marketing point of view, highlighting its features and reporting on potential factors regarding improvement and development strategies. After a brief description of the general situation, we present data available from regional sources as well as from surveys conducted by private entities and by DEIAgra. The educational farms’ role in regional education policies regarding food consumption will be highlighted. Finally, we offer some considerations concerning

Challenges in Marketing Quality Food Products

This special double issue of the Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing is based on a selection of papers that were originally presented during the 105th seminar of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) on International Marketing and International Trade of Quality Food Products. This seminar was held at the Faculty of Agriculture in Bologna on March 8–10, 2007. The 105th EAAE seminar was organized by the Department of Agricultural Economics and Engineering in concurrence with the third meeting of the BEAN-QUORUM project (Building a Euro-Asian Network for Quality, Organic, and Unique food Marketing–TH=Asia-Link=006) funded by the European Union’s Asia-Link Programme. The Asia-Link Programme is dedicated to the promotion of regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in EU Member States and South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. The BEAN-QUORUM consortium is composed of five Asian and European universities aiming at setting up long-term relationships and enlarging the initial network to other higher education institutions, companies, governmental bodies, or any other participants in the food industry who are interested in the topic of marketing for quality food. The EAAE seminar raised a good deal of interest. Approximately 100 scholars from 25 countries attended the many plenary and concurrent sessions where 60 contributed papers and posters were presented. The main motivation for this initiative was the increasing relevance for agricultural and food products of the keywords Marketing, International Trade, and Quality in the scientific debate among agricultural economists. These three keywords raise many controversial issues. The word Marketing may be interpreted in many ways by which the specific topic of the agricultural and food marketing may be considered. Quality is a controversial word too. It is apparent that an overall improvement of the quality of agrifood products is a strategic task for agriculture and rural economic development and has become a policy priority. Finally, International Trade, the related actions for its development and regulation, and the magnitude of the traded volumes of commodities within and between the main trade blocks are undoubtedly hot issues. In this context, Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing, 22:203–209, 2010 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0897-4438 print=1528-6983 online DOI: 10.1080/08974431003641141

Private food standard certification: analysis of the BRC standard in Italian agri-food

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to assess the applicability and impact of private food standards – specifically that of the BRC (British Retail Consortium) – in a European country context, and to classify food companies into groups on the basis of their different perceptions regarding the Global Standard for Food safety impacts. Design/methodology/approach – The research is developed in two stages: a qualitative investigation based on in-depth interviews with quality managers (QMs); a quantitative investigation with a structured questionnaire: with response from 192 food processors in Italy, selected through a probabilistic random sampling method. Data were elaborated with descriptive statistical techniques and subsequently with multivariate analysis (factor and cluster analysis). Findings – QMs agree with most of the assumptions with regard to the impact elements of the BRC food standard. Some characteristics, such as geographic location, size, and type of processing and adoption of ISO 9001, seem to ...

International marketing and trade of quality food products.

Turkey’s export of organically produced agricultural products has been rapidly growing particularly in response to increasing demand in the European Union countries. Common view and findings of the research on organic trade in Turkey confirms that European market is expanding. A lacking component of the prevailing studies is that none of them focused on modeling the export market for organic products which would enable to make forecasts as well as to make analysis for policy implications. Another missing component of the stream of studies on trade of Turkish organic commodities is lack of understanding of the present situation of the competitiveness of Turkish exports in the European Union market. The study therefore focuses on estimating an econometric export demand function for organic products and exploring the competitiveness and export performance of Turkish exports as well as understanding the components of export performance. An effort to estimate a model and revealing sources of export performance and competitiveness is what makes the present study a unique one. The project has three major objectives and thus seeks to produce three outputs: The first objective is to estimate an export demand model for Turkish organic products in the European Union market. It is therefore possible to estimate price and income elasticities of demand as well as to make projections. The second objective is to explore Turkey’s export competitiveness in organic products in the European Union market. It order to fulfill this objective, we will estimate indices to measure Turkey’s competitiveness. The third objective is to investigate export competitiveness and determine the components of export performance. Through constant market share analysis, we seek to determine the key factors underlying the growth or Turkey’s organic exports. The study reveals that export demand for the Turkish organic products are growing and sensitive to price and income changes in target countries. Turkey has a clear comparative advantage against the rival EU countries in selected products. Competitiveness is particularly due to relative prices, thus does not indicate a sustainable competitiveness due to lack of added value in the export items.

Nuove dinamiche nel commercio dei prodotti agroalimentari: resistenze all’adozione dell’e-commerce nelle relazioni B2B

Since some decades, agrifood products exchanges can be carried on using Information and Communication Technology (ict) tools. Anyway, their adoption in the agrifood sector appears to be hindered, both because of consolidated dynamics in developing B2B transactions, and of the peculiarities of the agrifood products themselves. The lack of direct relationships between partners heighten problems connected with food safety assessments, and with the definition of standardized production practices able to match business partners’ needs. Standardization is the key point in the relationship between e-commerce and agrifood sector. As for some products it is possible to define standardized requirements, it is hard to find a collocation for the wide range of agrifood differentiated and quality products in ecommerce B2B relationships. Moreover, existing e-marketplaces are not always able to convey properly the degree of differentiation and the peculiarities of agrifood products. The study aims at analyzing the barriers connected with the adoption of ecommerce in B2B relationships in agrifood sector, defining the factors which affect the interaction between the two areas. The attitude towards e-commerce showed by potential ict tools users, chosen between Italian agrifood operators, has been analyzed; moreover, an overview on the evolution of agrifood e-marketplaces in the last 5 years has been carried on. The results describe the main problems concerning the adoption of e-commerce in agrifood sector, deeply connected with the agrifood products specifics. In spite of positive outcomes about efficiency and transactions for standardized products, the interaction between ict tools and agrifood sector’s needs becomes problematic in case of high quality levels and differentiation, which can’t be properly conveyed by e-marketplaces. Results also highlight the role of trust and reputation in e-environments.

Impatti dell’adozione del BRC Global Standard for Food Safety nelle imprese agroalimentari italiane

The adoption of private food standards (e.g. British Retail Consortium - brc Global Standard for Food Safety, globalgap, ifs) recommended by European retailers is gaining importance and getting coverage all over the world. These standards are used to qualify food suppliers, such as food processors or primary producers and may improve the business-to-business relationships between food processors and retailers (Fulponi, 2006; Karipidis et al., 2008). The literature review describes qualitative and quantitative studies which suggest some research hypotheses (Arfini and Mancini, 2004; Gawron and Theuvsen, 2009). Nevertheless, literature is lacking more valuable surveys which could analyse the effect of private food standards on food operators. The aim of this research is to evaluate the implications of adopting private food standards in the food supply chain; in particular it focuses on the impact on Italian food processors of brc Global Standards. The specific objectives are: to detect the factors (e.g. economics, management, cultural issues) involved in the analysis concerning the impact of the standard and to evaluate the impact of each factor, on the basis of Quality Managers’ perceptions; Firstly, we carried out a qualitative research based on seven in-depth interviews, addressed to Quality Managers (qms) from Italian brc-certified food-processing companies. The purpose was to extract the key variables to be used in the second stage of the research. Secondly, based on variables which emerged from the literature review and qualitative research, a survey questionnaire was created. This questionnaire was sent out to 386 food processors (selected through probabilistic and random sampling methods) and a sample of 192 replied. Data was elaborated with descriptive statistical techniques (univariate and bivariate analysis). Descriptive analysis of the survey shows that QMs agree with the majority of the assumptions regarding the impact features of the brc food standard. The most important assumptions agreed on are: haccp efficiency, traceability efficiency, control procedures, employee training, more effective management of noncompliant process and product, and better implementation and understanding of other certified Quality Management Systems (qms). Some features of the interviewed companies, such as geographic location, size, type of processing and situation regarding iso 9001 certification, seem to affect different perceptions between food companies. In conclusion, the brc Food standard, initially adopted for purely trade purposes, has actually brought some benefits. This information could help those involved in the certification process to design appropriate marketing strategies. Further analysis of this data could consider the segmentation of the Italian market according to attitudes towards food safety certification. The adoption of private food standards (e.g. British Retail Consortium - brc Global Standard for Food Safety, globalgap, ifs) recommended by European retailers is gaining importance and getting coverage all over the world. These standards are used to qualify food suppliers, such as food processors or primary producers and may improve the business to business relationships between food processors and retailers (Fulponi, 2006; Karipidis et al., 2008). The literature review describes some qualitative and quantitative studies which suggest some research hypotheses (Arfini and Mancini, 2004; Gawron and Theuvsen, 2009). Nevertheless, literature is lacking in more valuable surveys which analyse the effect of private food standards on food operators. The aim of this research is to evaluate the implications of adopting private food standards in the food supply chain; in particular it focuses on the impact on Italian food processors of brc Global Standards. The specific objectives are: to detect the factors (e.g. economics, management, cultural issues) involved in the analysis concerning the impact of the standard and to evaluate the impact of each factor, on the basis of Quality Managers’ perception; Firstly, we carried out a qualitative research based on seven in-depth interviews, adressed to Quality Managers (qms) from Italian brc certified food processing companies. The purpose was to extract the key variables to be used in the second stage of the research. Secondly, based on variables which emerged from the literature review and qualitative research, a survey questionnaire was created. The questionnaire has been sent out to 386 food processors (selected through probabilistic and random sampling methods) and a sample of 192 replied. Data was elaborated with descriptive statistical techniques (univariate and bivariate analysis). The descriptive analysis of the survey shows that QMs agree with the majority of the assumptions regarding the impact elements of the brc food standard. The most important assumptions agreed on are: haccp efficiency, traceability efficiency, control procedures, employee training, more effective management of process and product not compliances, and better implementation and understanding of other certified Quality Management Systems (qmss). Some features of the interviewed companies, such as geographic location, size, type of processing and situation regarding iso 9001 certification, seem to affect different perceptions between food companies. In conclusion, the brc Food standard, initially adopted for purely trade purposes, has effectively brought some benefits. This information could help those involved in the certification process to design appropriate marketing strategies. Further analysis of this data may regard the segmentation of the Italian market according to their attitudes towards food safety certification.

Evaluation of the potential interest of Italian retail distribution chains for Kamut-based products

Kamut® is a special durum wheat variety with distinctive marketing characteristics that include nutritional/health aspects, ethical/environmental issues, and organic production method considerations. Italy is one of the most important markets in the EU for Kamut-based products. Kamut® is imported and sold primarily in specialized food stores. The main objective of this article is to evaluate the potential interest of Italian large-scale retail chains in marketing this type of product and how large-scale retailers could extend their market potential. An explorative analysis approach was applied via in-depth, semistructured qualitative interviews with Italian large-scale retail buyers and marketing managers. Both a heuristic and a quantitative content analysis of the interviews, and conceptual mapping were performed on the transcripts. The results allow highlighting motivating and limiting elements associated with trade implications.

Is innovation needed in the Old World wine market? The perception of Italian stakeholders

The wine market in Italy has been through several changes in the last decade. Actors in the supply chain need to find new strategies or tools in order to remain competitive in what has become a fiercely competitive sector. Innovation is one of the tools which have been successfully used in the New World wine market, hence innovation might also be a useful resource for actors in the Old World wine market, such as in Italy. The purpose of this paper is to explore stakeholders’ perception of such innovation, including how its usefulness in the Italian wine production and distribution chain is perceived.,Semi-structured interviews were carried out in Emilia-Romagna with a wide range of actors in the Italian wine chain and consumer focus groups and the resulting data were analyzed using the content-summarizing approach.,These stakeholders agreed that innovation is needed for production and processing as well as in quality control, but only on condition that it should maintain the quality and value of traditional wines. Innovative wine products tend to be unacceptable to consumers. Most stakeholders associate innovation with communication as producers and distributors seek innovative ways to convey information regarding the value of wines to final consumers.,The findings are qualitative and based on a small group of Italian wine industry players and consumers who operate mainly in a domestic context.,The paper provides industrialists with information useful in the search to find the right strategies to make them more competitive in the Italian wine market. It is crucial to find and adopt innovative approaches toward communication throughout the chain. Information appealing to tradition and sentiment could be highly effective ways to reach the consumer.,This is the first in-depth study of the perceptions of all stakeholders (from producers to consumers) regarding innovation in the Italian wine chain; of particular importance as the industry is currently in transition toward globalization.