Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Formal Food-related Networks in Ireland: A Case Study Analysis
Get PDF Strategic networking is of crucial importance for innovation in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as it enables these companies access external resources and overcome internal constraints. However, SMEs often lack the skills and competencies to engage in and benefit from networks. Consequently SMEs often fail in establishing strategic and efficient networks. To date, there is limited guidance available on the optimal design of such networks. Furthermore, limited guidance is available on the number of networks, and level of engagement therein, that companies should be involved with. Using case studies across a range of formal networks within the food sector in Ireland, insights into the success factors and barriers to network learning are presented, which provide a foundation for such guidelines. Three case studies were selected for analysis in Ireland. Up to ten in-depth interviews were scheduled with the network managers and key informants from the triple helix (i.e. policy, research and industry sectors) within each formal network. Initially, interviewees were identified as a result of a review of secondary sources and personal knowledge of the authors. The snowball sampling technique was then employed to identify additional interviewees within each network. The findings from this study revealed that some formal networks had a strong institutional influence, including significant financial inputs, whilst others had bottom-up origins. Many networks had strong levels of interaction prior to formalisation, which provided solid trust-based foundations. Innovation and/or learning were not the expressed objectives of all networks at the outset. However, interviewees across all three networks felt that positive impacts had been achieved in these areas. Whilst being involved in a broad network can provide access to a wider range of ideas, these case studies suggest that being involved in a smaller, dense network, with high levels of IP protection, may be supportive of high levels of innovation
Sustainability in the Food Sector: A Consumer Behaviour Perspective
Get PDF Consumers have, through their food choices, a major role in bringing about more sustainable food production. However, this presupposes that differences in sustainability are communicated to consumers. Even if food products are eco-labelled and consumers are motivated to support sustainability, a number of potential barriers may prevent consumers from using the information to make sustainable choices. Six such barriers are discussed in this paper
Validation of a Psychometric Scale to Measure Consumers’ Fears of Modern Food Technologies
Get PDF The main consumer trends in food sector are two: on the one hand there is a growing demand for modernity (functional foods, convenience foods, healthy foods such as low calories and low-sodium foods), on the other hand there is a increasing demands for naturalness (organic foods, natural foods, local products and typical products). Moreover, in recent years consumers’ fears of novel food technologies are well documented and several psychometric scales were tested for the analysis of consumer’s attitude towards new technology. Therefore the ability to identify population segments that have greater or lesser neophobia/neophilia, thus enabling identification of early adopters of innovative products, would be more and more useful.A survey which bore such considerations in mind was conducted on a representative sample of 355 people interviewed shortly after their shopping trip to super- and hyper-markets in Campania region. A questionnaire was submitted to sample in spring 2010. The questionnaire collected information about the perception of new food technologies, the perception of naturalness and their roles in determining consumer preferences for different food products. To collect information about consumers perceptions we adopted the FTNS scale (Food Technology Neophobia Scale) which represents a useful tool for assessing receptivity to foods produced by novel technologies.A specific section of the questionnaire covered a case study and gathered information about the willingness to buy food products that consumers can associate to a greater or lesser use of modern technologies and belonging to a specific set of six food categories: functional foods, low calories foods, convenience foods (ready to eat) typical foods, organic foods, short chain products.First findings confirm that FTNS scale is a good instrument for predicting individuals’ willingness to try foods produced using modern technologiesMoreover first results are consistent across the different types of products and technologies tested and thus provide consistent evidence of predictive validity
Role of Sensory Attributes in the Food Marketing: An Exploratory Analysis in the Italian Organic Food Producers
Get PDF This paper explores in-depth sensory experiences, expectations and perceptions of organic producers regarding the role played by sensory properties in organic market, using a qualitative marketing research technique. Ten in-depth interviews supported by semi-structured questionnaire were performed in Italy during 2009. Findings shows that organic producers stated that sensory tests are mainly carried out empirically, they are not systematic and often performed by non trained assessors, even if they are completely aware of the importance of sensory information. Interviewees think that sensory attributes may play a primary or at least complementary role in consumer choice in order to adding-value and drivers for purchase motivations, but at the same time highlighted also the negative influence of variability in sensory features and the key role played by sensory education and training. Finally, organic producers expressed the need and the intention to plan scientific sensory tests with trained personnel in order to improve sensory properties of organic food although smallest companies declared difficulties since the high costs of sensory analysis
The Adoption of Quality Standards in Food SMEs: A Network Approach
Get PDF The contemporary agrifood sectors have witnessed a rapid increase in the use of intangibles, i.e. inputs built upon information, knowledge and communication assets. Consequently firms, in their move towards competitiveness, try to innovate in line with these trends. Innovations in agrifood sectors were traditionally focused around new products and new technologies, and often seen as incremental. Innovations based upon intangibles need a broader view of what is innovation, especially in the context of food SMEs. Indeed food SMEs, which roles in the structuration and dynamism of the food economy in Europe is crucial, have at the same time difficulties and limitations in their innovativeness capacity for intangibles. The main objective of the communication is to better understand the conditions and processes of such innovations from a micro analytical point of view, centered on small and medium enterprises. The research is focused on one type of organizational innovation, the adoption of food quality standards. The communication is structured as follows. In a first part (1) we characterize such innovations in food sectors around two core features: the identification of what is at stake, in terms of resources, competences and structures, when a company adopts such an innovation; and the identification of consequences such an adoption will have in terms of behavior of this company towards its environment. In a second part (2) we suggest addressing this question of innovation adoption through a methodology called social network analysis (hereafter SNA), or structural analysis of networks. This methodology is well appropriated to cope with the complexity and the micro/meso interactions that are essential features for the understanding of quality standard adoption. Then a syncretic analytical framework (3) is proposed, applied to a specific case study of a French food SME adopting an ISO 22000 standard (4). Discussion and concluding comments follow (5)
Local and Sustainable Food Supply: The Role of European Retail Consumer Co-operatives
Get PDF This paper investigates the rationale for local and sustainable food systems and retailer co-operatives as their entry points within local conditions. Emphasis is on localised food networks and connection between socially as well as environmentally sustainable production, distribution and consumption. Investigated is the premise that co-operative organisational structures, for reasons of their long-term socially responsible origins are at the forefront of development of local and sustainable food systems and are thereby in a position to offer a specific contribution to market development. Two key research questions are proposed: Firstly, is there a pre-determination of co-operatives to issues of sustainable and local food sourcing given the historical and practical context of their ethical/socially responsible and stakeholder-based business model? Secondly, do co-ops express support for re-localising food systems and what contribution do they make concerning sustainable food and their relationships with local food suppliers? The method of investigation is through a two country retailer co-operative sector analysis and comparison (Finland and Italy). The enquiry is qualitative and exploratory in nature in the form of an embedded, multiple case design. The paper makes practical and theoretical contribution to knowledge concerning interpretation of ‘localness’ in food, the role of co-operatives and the co-operative ethos in sustainable food systems and the development of the local food economy. Results of the study show a positive relationship between co-operative ethos and (social) sustainability in local food, but the de-centralised nature of retailer co-operation also provides a barrier to replication of good practice
Analysis of Consumer Attitudes and Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Functional Foods
Get PDFThe objective of this study is to analyze consumer behaviour in relation to functional foods by a direct survey. To this end, the proposal is an analysis of the reasons for choosing to consume this type of food or not, accompanied by a supplementary investigation, mostly to assess the relationship between consumption patterns and willingness to pay (WTP) for the most common categories of functional foods, such as milk fortified with CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Our research shows that a proportion of the population is unaware of the existence of functional foods and their properties. Moreover, it shows that when the concept of functional foods is explained to consumers, this creates a greater willingness to pay for such food, which is strongly linked to type of product carrier but not greatly to income. So the knowledge and transparency of information appear to be decisive variables in the process of choice, with significant implications in terms of policies for classification, labelling of food and public health
Certified Quality Systems and Good Practices in the Olive Farming Sector of Andalusia, Spain: Special Focus on Protected Designations of Origin
Get PDF Producing products of recognised and differentiated quality entails a competitive advantage for agro-food agents since consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality food and control in the production process as a whole in a transparent and verifiable manner. Certification of products and processes through the implementation of Certified Quality Systems (CQS) are voluntary and guarantees standards of quality beyond conventional and mandatory levels. CQS include European, national and regional regulations (such as Protected Designation of Origin – PDO, organic and integrated agriculture), ISO norms (such as 9000, 14001, 19011, and 22000), private protocols (GLOBALGAP, International Food Standard - IFS, Nature’s Choice, etc.), and specific regulations for particular products, among others...
Supply Chain Competences: The Case of the Traditional Food Sector in the EU
Get PDF Since over the last twenty years the reduction of trade barriers, the increasing liberalisation, the advancement in ICT have determined a growth in the horizontal and vertical competition among firms in the chain. Therefore, today more than ever they are pressured to develop appropriate strategies in order to become more competitive (Montgomery and Porter, 1993; Grant, 1996; Porter, 1996). However, firms nowadays no longer compete as independent entities, but as chains (Fearne, 1998; Van der Vorst et al., 1998; Sahay, 2003; Green and Inman, 2005; Green et al., 2006; Hult et al., 2007; Ketchen and Hult, 2007; Sezen, 2008) and consequently, the dynamic and mutually dependent character of relations in these chains cause a challenge for these firms towards the development of strategies that ensure competitiveness...
Strategies for the Agro-food Sector
Get PDF The agro-food sector is receiving a great deal of attention for topics of general interest as the food quality, security and safety, alternative uses of crops in food/feed/fuel, growing concern for GHG (Green House Gas) emission, LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), energy consumption. In the EU policies directed to implement sustainable local agro-food systems, the AFSC (agro-food supply chain) is emerging as the central issue in planning integrated farm-food activities performed in a space-time dimension. In this paper it is presented a methodology of regional planning the AFSC supported by empirical evidences about the region FVG (Friuli Venezia Giulia). The reference product is the Mais a crop largely cultivated in the region. A composite information system is used to simulate the evolution of complex scenarios and predict the consequences of food policies and suggest measures to be introduced in the RDP (Regional Development Plan).The integration of technical and economic disciplines allowed to approach the strategy of regional planning in a broader rural development framework to simulate the achievement of macro-micro targets