Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Implementation of a safety culture in organisation - the HSC-Standard
Full text linkIn recent years, ISO, IFS, BRC and FSSC 22000 standards in the areas of quality, environment and occupational health and safety have been increasingly implemented in companies in various indus-tries. The main focus of these developed standards are the processes. But the past shows that the factor human is another very important factor, which should be much more in the middle in organiza-tion. The new developed guideline has the human factor in the foreground. In particular, the attitude and awareness of occupational safety and health protection in the behaviour of employees at all lev-els of the organisation are at the centre of consideration.Inspired by this approach, a group of experts from the fields of quality sciences, standardisation and certification as well as consulting for system-relevant companies in the agricultural and food industry came together to form a committee during the Corona crisis in spring 2020. The common goal is to develop a new standard. The first step is to establish criteria for a guideline.and establish an evaluation system for several pillars of a House of Total Safety Culture (HSC) tai-lored to the entire value chains of the agri-food sector. In addition, the essential building blocks of the guideline must be defined. The attitude of managers and employees, their behaviour and their competence form the roof of the standard. The integrated management system with a continuous improvement process forms the foundation of the House of Total Safety Culture across the company in value chains. Qualification and communication are the main pillars and thus further elements of the HSC. Particular attention is paid to the fields of action of occupational safety and health protection, food safety, animal and environmental protection as well as sustainability and digitisation. They form the four inner pillars of the House of Total Safety Culture. The design of the respective certification levels is considered as a “construction phase”. As part of the standardisation process, the coordina-tion of the respective requirements for safety culture has not yet been completed. This article first provides an overview of the state of knowledge in relation to the established standards and norms of the agri-food industry with special consideration of the Safety Culture Ladder model. The procedure for developing and establishing the new guideline is then explained. For this purpose, the composi-tion of the expert forum is presented before the concrete steps to establish the guideline are present-ed. The model of the House of Total Culture is presented below. Building on this, the procedure for assessing the degree of maturity and possible concepts of continuing training are explained before the conclusion of this article
Identification of consumers’ purchasing criteria and perception of animal welfare and country of origin – a cross-national study
Full text linkSocial acceptance of livestock farming has been declining in recent years. Especially the husbandry conditions of pigs are controversially discussed in society, industry and politics. We conducted an exploratory cross-national study (Poland, Italy, Japan and South Korea) to provide insights into consumer attitudes, preferences and possible willingness to pay for pork, considering the influence and importance of pork purchasing criteria, the country of origin and animal welfare. Five online focus groups took place in each study country and were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Consumer knowledge of animal welfare differed in European and Asian countries, although it was limited overall. Regarding pork purchasing habits, all participants emphasized that freshness, appearance, quality, country of origin and price were important. Nevertheless, almost all participants linked higher animal welfare standards with higher meat quality and therefore saw a personal benefit. In all countries, there is a need to increase awareness on the subject of animal welfare by developing specific infomational campaigns
FORUM: COVID-19 Shock to Food Supply Chain: The Necessity of Moving toward Modern Paradigms
Full text linkBesides damage to the environment, current industrial agriculture has decreased ecosystem capacity and provided the context for spreading various diseases in human communities. The covid-19 crisis and traffic restrictions not only had a hygienic, economical, and social impact but also caused disruptions in the food supply chain and the fragility of food systems in some regions asynchronously. Theoretically and practically, agriculture and food supply chain paradigm-shifting using the Internet of things (IoT) and Agroecology paradigm application, by providing food security, shortening the food supply chain, and improving food security, is considered a proper response to COVID-19 shock
"Is organic really organic? " – Why consumers do (not) trust organic food and what they expect from the organic sector. - Results of focus groups -
Full text linkThis paper addresses consumer trust in organic food in order to find out which aspects increase and decrease trust and which trust expectations consumers have. The aim is to strengthen consumer trust on the basis of the findings and to develop trust-building measures. To this end, ten focus groups with German consumers were conducted online in February 2021 and evaluated using content analysis. The results show that there is a predominant lack of trust in organic food. This is based in particular on the fact that organic production is often doubted and there are from the consumer’s point of view too many organic labels. This can be attributed not only to a lack of knowledge on the part of consumers, but also to a lack of transparency within the organic sector and in relation to organic food. Results from the consumer's point of view show that the possibility of control, information and transparency are relevant for trust in organic food and the development of knowledge about organic food can positively influence this trust
Agricultural commodities price dependence on Brazilian financial market
Full text linkThis study aims to identify whether there is dependence between agricultural commodities traded on the Brazilian market. We used the bivariate copula method over a ten-year period to assess the extreme effects on the returns of the following commodities: soybean, wheat, Arabica coffee, and Robusta coffee. The relationship directly affects the dependence between Arabica and Robusta coffees commodities. While the relationship between wheat, Arabica and Robusta coffees, and soybean is positively dependent. Economic growth, market dynamics, and the prices of an agricultural commodity tend to increase the price of other commodities
Microalgae-based Food: Consumer Perception and Willingness to Pay in Austria—a Discrete Choice Based Experiment
Full text linkAlgae-based foods have been gaining increasing popularity in recent years and hold tremendous potential, provided that there is greater awareness and knowledge about microalgae-based foods within both the general population and the food industry. These products not only offer health benefits for the human body but are also cost-effective and environmentally sustainable to produce. Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE), we assessed consumer perception and willingness to pay (WTP) of Austrian consumers for innovative food items made from microalgae, using algae crackers as an illustrative example. To approximate the weighting of the product attributes of origin, price, flavor, production method and packaging, we employed Choice Based Conjoint Analysis (CBCA) through an online survey (n = 301 participants). Subsequently, we approximated WTP for each product attribute based on the outcomes of the CBCA. The study reveals that, on the whole, microalgae-based food products are favorably perceived by consumers. The findings generally align with prior research in the literature, albeit with some noteworthy distinctions. For instance, there is a higher WTP for organic microalgae-based food compared to similar studies where regional production was evaluated to be of higher importance. Consequently, innovative microalgae foods seem to have significant potential in consumer food markets. Food producers should consider the expectations and perceptions of consumers in order to be able to successfully introduce novel microalgae food products in this, currently, niche market
Improving Food Supply through Modernisation of the Agri-Food Complex in Kazakhstan - a Country Study
Full text linkThe Republic of Kazakhstan aims at improving food security by increasing self sufficiency in food. However, present developments in population growths, climate change and related issues pose a challenge the country has to deal with. This requires new and different initiatives for improving agricultural production and the competitiveness of its enterprises which would facilitate investments and attract external investment interests. The paper outlines the challenges and provides suggestions on how policy could contribute to arriving at self sufficiency in food, assuring long-term food security
Nalebuff, Barry (2022). Split The Pie. A Radical New Way to Negotiate
Full text linkThe book is part of a bundle of tools for teaching the "split the pie" framework to students of negotiation. Nalebuff considers his "split the pie" framework for negotiations as one that is consistent, fair to both sides of a negotiation, and that reflects the equal power of negotiation partners. The other tools, which are assembled on a companion website (https://www.splitthepiebook.com/), include an online course, quizzes, videos, a negotiation bot, and slides for teachers
What Is The Animal Processing Industry Doing Wrong? Critical Perspectives from Farmers and Consumers
Full text linkThe role of the animal processing industry in the food value chain is critical at a time when, on the one hand, the survival of many farms is uncertain and, on the other, consumer expectations are high. Research has shown that both farmers and consumers have concerns with the food processing̕ s role in the food system. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the criticisms of these two members of the food value chain to the processing industry through direct one-to-one discussions more profoundly. In October 2020, 24 online one-to-one discussions were conducted with one farmer and one consumer each in six German regions. In Flensburg and Kempten, the focus was on criticism of the dairy processing industry, in Borken and Guestrow on the pork processing industry, and in Vechta and Magdeburg on the poultry processing industry. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. The results showed that both farmers and consumers criticized the following areas: the treatment of products during processing, the processing industry's adaptation to market demand, and pricing. In addition to these aspects criticized from both sides, farmers additionally criticized vertical integration in the case of the processing industry and its marketing strategy. Additional consumer criticisms related to the working conditions of workers in the processing industry. Although most of the areas criticized were the subject of criticism in the discussions of all three groups of farmers (dairy, pig, and poultry farmers) and consumers, the treatment of products during processing was criticized only in the discussions between dairy farmers and consumers, and the marketing strategy was criticized only by dairy farmers. The lessons learned from this study are useful for the processing industry, other actors in the value chain, such as food retailers, to align their activities with the expectations of producers and consumers. Implications can also be derived for policy makers in order to strengthen trust in the food system. From a methodological point of view, one-to-one discussions can generate in-depth insides into controversial topics
The Impact on Logistics when Using Hydroponics Technology in a Value Network
Full text linkLogistics of using hydroponics to support urban agriculture in a value network context is conceptualised through an empirically grounded model. This is developed employing a single case study that reveals hydroponics use in a value network, a local and transparent form of inter-organizational cooperation. Hydroponics use for urban farming in its networked context reveals this form of food supply as a local ecosystem, alternative to modernistic large scale geographically distant to consumption-type farming. The empirically grounded conceptual model reveals how this recent technology is only one of many factors that in combination provide understanding on how sustainable production of safe and quality foods may be achieved with focus on its impact on logistical operations. Hydroponics use as revealed in the case shortens logistics flows and greatly simplifies logistics operations since it is a local type of goods distribution. This model provides basis for further research on use of small-scale indoor urban farming technology from a logistics perspective highlighting features of using this technology economically to supply urban food consumption through loosely coupled food production