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Consumers’ attitudes towards healthy eating: a qualitative comparison between older and younger Chinese consumers
No full textUnhealthy diets are associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases and present a significant public health challenge. When developing effective interventions and policies, consideration must be given to the unique social culture in which food choice is embedded. Health vulnerabilities to poor nutrition exist throughout life but may be influenced by socio-cultural factors such as age. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of older or younger Chinese consumers towards healthy eating and explore the factors influencing their food choices
Consumers across five European countries prioritise animal welfare above environmental sustainability when buying meat and dairy products
No full textFood production systems, especially meat and dairy supply chains, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. An
important question emerges as to whether consumers care about environmental sustainability when buying food products, as this can determine their consumption practices. Further, if sustainability labels are available, identifying information that is relevant to consumers is important. This research therefore aimed to identify the attributes that are most important for consumers when buying meat or dairy products and the perceived helpfulness of sustainability labels for meat and dairy products and important label properties. An online survey was conducted in five European countries (i.e. Czechia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK). Consumers valued similar attributes when buying meat and dairy products across all countries. Freshness, quality/taste and animal welfare emerged as the most important attributes, while environmental attributes such as food miles, carbon footprint, and organic production were the least important. Sustainability labels for meat and dairy products were perceived as helpful. Regression analysis identified similar patterns within all five countries regarding the predictors of the perceived helpfulness of sustainability labels. Attitudes towards sustainable food consumption, environmental attitudes, and food production and policies emerged as significant positive predictors in most models. Most importantly, information regarding animal welfare, food safety, and health and nutrition was perceived as being more important than environmental sustainability. This suggests that food choice decisions are unlikely to be made based on the environmental sustainability of a food product’s production alone
Comparative life-cycle sustainability assessment of centralized and decentralized remediation strategies at the city level
No full textRemediation of contaminated soil at industrial sites has become a challenge and an opportunity for sustainable urban land use, considering the substantial secondary impacts resulting from remediation activities. The design of soil remediation strategies for multi-site remediation from a regional perspective is of great significance for cities with a large number of brownfields. Centralized and decentralized facilities have been studied in different environmental fields, yet limited research has focused on centralized soil remediation, specifically the treatment of contaminated soil from different sites through the construction of shared soil treatment facilities. This study proposes a framework for comparing centralized and decentralized strategies for contaminated soil remediation based on the integration of life-cycle sustainability assessment and multi-objective optimization. With Zhuzhou, an industrial city in China, serving as an example, results show that after optimization, the centralized scenario can reduce total environmental impacts by 25%–41%. In addition, the centralized scenario can reduce economic costs by 27%–39%, saving up to 176 million USD. The advantages of the centralized soil remediation strategy include: (1) increased use of soil washing, (2) reduced use of off-site disposal, and (3) reduced construction and efficient utilization of soil treatment facilities. In conclusion, the centralized strategy is relatively suitable for cities or areas with a large number of medium or small-sized contaminated sites. The built framework can quantitatively evaluate multiple sites soil remediation at both the city and individual site level, allowing for a straightforward and objective comparison with the optimal remediation design
The Influence of the Fear of Failure on the Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Chinese and United Kingdom Agricultural Students
Get PDFThis paper determines whether fear of failure influences the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial opportunity and entrepreneurial action for students who study agriculture at universities in the UK and China. It uses the international Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data as the baseline which provides the ability to compare
national and international data for entrepreneurial attitudes. The study looks at 679 students from both Chinese and UK Agricultural Universities. The total early-stage entrepreneurship activity rate for these students is higher than the national averages demonstrating that agricultural students are more entrepreneurial. For Chinese students’ opportunity identification has a significant positive affect on their entrepreneurial behaviour. However, this was not seen in the case of the UK students. In both cohorts, the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial opportunity and entrepreneurial action was negatively mediated by fear of failure. The study contributes to the literature: firstly it challenges the core assumption that fear of failure is a premier obstruction to entrepreneurial action; secondly it provides a contextualised international study on the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial
opportunity, fear of failure and entrepreneurial action. Thirdly, it calls for further contextualised education to experiential education to help develop the practice, behaviour and skills required to be entrepreneur
Economics of reducing response time to foreign-animal disease in the United States with point-of-care diagnostic tests
Get PDFBackground As low probability events, United States producers, value chain actors, and veterinary services (VS) have limited experience with identifying foreign animal disease (FAD), which can allow FADs to spread undetected. Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic testing may help reduce the time from detecting an initial suspect case to implementing actionable interventions compared to the current approach of only using laboratory diagnostic testing for disease diagnosis and confirmation. To evaluate the value of the reduced response time, we compare the associated costs between the two diagnostic approaches while accounting for the uncertainty surrounding the size of a FAD event. Methods We apply a state-contingent approach (SCA) to model the uncertainty surrounding a FAD through alternative events, where the event defines the scale of outbreak size and its duration. We apply this approach within a cost-benefit framework (CBA) to determine the economic value from the two testing investment strategies to help explain the policymaker’s response (and costs) to alternative FAD events while also considering the cost impacts on the producers from each event. Results Compared to the current laboratory strategy, a POC strategy that reduces response time by 0.5-days (swine, cattle scenarios) and 1.5-days (poultry scenario) may provide cost-saving to both producers and public response efforts. The benefit-cost analysis further suggests that despite the higher fixed costs to adopt the POC strategy, the swine and cattle sectors may benefit while the benefits may not be as pronounced in the poultry sector. Discussion POC testing that can reduce the time between detection and response during a FAD event may be a sound strategy for public expenditure and provide cost-savings for producers, especially when minimal fixed costs are incurred. However, to fully determine the value of POC testing, the consequences (costs) associated with potential actions if something goes wrong, (e.g. false positive results), should be considered in future studies
Analysis of the Narrative Grammars of Cultured Meat in UK Food and Farming Media
Get PDFCultured meat (CM), meat produced through animal-derived cell cultures, has garnered considerable media attention. At the moment, there is a set of ‘loud’ voices and particular ‘grammars’ that primarily dictate the current media framings of CM. To date, very little research has attempted to understand what the food and farming sector think of CM and, moreover, its potential impacts on farmers, their livelihoods and the farming sector more broadly. This study looks to bring to the fore these more marginalised and understudied food and farming voices, in the form of their legacy media and social media narratives, to explore and analyse the construction and circulation of the grammars of CM in digital, online spaces. To this end, through an iterative sampling procedure, we collected and qualitatively and quantitatively analysed the framing grammars of 147 pieces of online discursive and visual media discussing CM from 2017 to 2023. Analysing the discursive grammars of CM suggested three prominent grammars of CM: 1) CM is a ‘solutionist’ technofix for the UK and explicitly Britain post-Brexit, 2) CM is a ‘virtuous’ technology given its environmental and food security possibilities, and 3) CM is ‘in tension’ with the farming sector as well as consumers’ health and taste buds. Farmers in particular perceive CM as an existential threat to their livelihoods and livestock farming, with some of these grammars verging on the conspiratorial. Yet, some farmers did not see CM as a realistic or potential threat. A final grammar surrounded the affordability of CM
Comparing Australian public and farmer views on agricultural land use and management practices for sustainability
Get PDFUsing a survey of the public (n = 2032) and broadacre farmers (n = 351) in South Australia and Victoria, Australia, this research compares public and farmers' concerns regarding the acceptability and sustainability of agricultural operations. A principal component analysis was conducted on survey responses to 15 statements capturing environmental, social and governance issues related to agriculture practices and perceptions. This analysis revealed three dimensions: (1) issues related to animal welfare, greenhouse gas emissions and food safety; (2) issues related to farm input use; and (3) the use of socially valuable assets for private profits. Compared to farmers, the public were more concerned about the undersupply of public goods (e.g., farm animal welfare), and issues related to farm input use such as the use of synthetic fertilisers and chemicals. The public and farmers reported a similar level of concern regarding the use of socially valuable assets for private profit (e.g., irrigation water extraction). Regression analyses revealed associations between concerns and socio-demographic characteristics; environmental attitudes; sources of information; and farm characteristics. This study can act as a catalyst for developing practical strategies to analyse and overcome the issues, rather than symptoms, of concern affecting the agricultural industry and its sustainability
Macadamia Nuts as a Supplement to Cereal-Based Diets in Malawi
Get PDFMacadamia is a high value tree crop with rising global demand. As a leading producer, Malawi has seen rapid expansion of macadamia orchards, indicating the crop’s growing economic and nutritional importance. Macadamia nuts serve as a means of income generation and provision of high-quality nutrition among producers and consumers. As a consequence of these benefits, macadamia nut production
is rising within the country. Rising domestic and international demand suggests macadamia production will help in economic growth in production areas. Integrating macadamia nuts into local diets could also provide nutritional benefits, allowing Malawi to simultaneously improve well-being and prosperity. To fully utilize this
potential, Malawi needs strategic expansion plans for the crop. A comprehensive assessment of current and future suitable production areas is necessary. By matching production capacity to area’s ecological conditions, yields can be optimized within sustainable limits. With mindful, coordinated support for the nascent macadamia industry, Malawi can leverage this crop for healthier, more resilient communities
Crop species diversity: A key strategy for sustainable food system transformation and climate resilience
Get PDFThe global food system's reliance on a few species threatens food and nutritional security. Species diversification, including indigenous species, is a viable option to address this issue. Diversity enhances food systems' resilience against climatic and economic shocks. It offers resources for improved breeds and allows farmers to mitigate risks. However, successful diversification demands collaboration among farmers, researchers, academics, professionals, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. This review analyzes the role of crop species diversity in food system transformation, focusing on monoculture vulnerabilities, diversification benefits, indigenous species' role in nutrition and food security, and the importance of integrated policies and multi-stakeholder collaborations. We advocate for interdisciplinary research, participatory approaches, and supportive policies to foster diverse, resilient food systems that ensure food security, biodiversity conservation, and enhanced social well-being amidst global challenges. While acknowledging the importance of diversity in animal species for food security, the focus of this review is on crop species diversity and its potential to transform food systems