1,720,993 research outputs found
Innovazioni e capitale sociale: il ruolo delle relazioni nelle imprese di trasformazione dei prodotti di agricoltura biologica
No full textDietary supplements among professional athletes: Food neophobia and marketing strategies to promote edible insects.
No full textBackground: Sports nutrition is a key component for optimizing training sessions; the use of a small number of dietary supplements may enhance athletic performance. However, elite athletes engaging in endurance their performance are often at risk of health nutrition problems or doping. Moreover, the market of dietary supplements provides a reference model for people to convey good or bad information. Recently, the novel food consumption based on insect-bars has developed in food market. Although studies on edible insects has showed positive benefits, from nutritional values to low environmental impact, disgust and neophobia can explain the aversion of Western countries to this novel food. To this aim, this study intended to explore athletes’ attitudes toward supplements and their nutrition knowledge. Food neophobia, the intention to taste cricket-bar and the possibility to modify the initial intention through a nudge experiment were, therefore, investigated. Parametric and non-parametric analyses were applied to the data. Methods: 61 athletes (Mage =27.8 ± 5.0, M =34) completed a battery including socio-demographic information, supplements and eating habits, food neophobia, nutrition knowledge, willingness to taste cricket bars and sports endorsement. Findings: Results showed that all athletes consumed supplements, mainly protein-amino acid and that the nutritionists were the most common source of information. White meat was the most animal product consumed by athletes. Their nutrition knowledge was poor. Participants obtained low level in food neophobia. Women and adults were less inclined to taste cricket bars. An increasing in tasting after the nudge was observed. Protein source and disgust respectively accounted for the willingness and rejection to taste. Few athletes were available to advertise cricket-bars. Discussion and conclusion: Data confirmed the frequent use of supplements among athletes, mainly to improve recovery through proteins. The emerging lack of athletes ‘nutritional knowledge implies particular attention to the role of nutrition professionals and specialists supports should play in reducing these risks. The nudge experiment suggested a positive attitude among female and older athletes to taste novel food by reinforcing the association between alternative protein source and cricket-bars with attractive and appealing package. It is likely to think that by increasing the number of tastings, the familiarization and awareness of the product can increase the number of athletes available to promote it
Il commercio equo e solidale nell’analisi economica: le motivazioni all’acquisto dei prodotti
No full textThe (Nano-)Discrimination of Consumers for Nano-Inside Technologies
No full textWe explore how consumers’ willingness to buy is driven by perceptions on potential risks and potential benefits for different types of nano-inside applications. Our empirical approach follows a two-stage estimation: the first stage focuses on consumers’ perceptions toward risks and benefits; the second stage quantifies how perceived benefits and risks influence the willingness to buy. We found that perceived benefits are major drivers of the willingness to buy, whereas the fear of potential risks has a limited impact: we found stronger results for younger and more educated respondents, who should be targeted by marketing and information campaigns. Notably, the beliefs are very similar across nano-inside applications. The studies on consumers perceptions toward benefits and risks of nano-applications in the food industry fall short of providing evidence on consumers’ attitudes toward nano-inside applications in several national contexts. Our analysis fills this gap and allows us to conclude on the Italian market
Capitale umano e produttività del lavoro agricolo nelle regioni dell’Unione Europea
Get PDFObiettivo del lavoro è verificare la localizzazione del capitale umano nell’agricoltura delle regioni dell’Unione Europea e la posizione delle regioni italiane a tal riguardo e analizzare la relazione tra il capitale umano e la produttività del lavoro agricolo.
Utilizzando i dati, prevalentemente di fonte EUROSTAT, riferiti alle regioni livello NUTS2 e relativi all’anno 2005, è stata effettuata una regressione per isolare l’effetto di questa variabile da altre suggerite in letteratura.
I risultati mostrano che in generale, la distanza tra il livello di istruzione in agricoltura, approssimato dalla percentuale di conduttori di aziende con diploma o laurea, e quello dell’intera economia, approssimato dalla percentuale di adulti con diploma o laurea, è minima per i paesi firmatari del Trattato di Roma e si amplia progressivamente, al ridursi dell’appartenenza della regione all’UE. Rispetto alle altre regioni europee, la dotazione di capitale umano in agricoltura è bassa nelle regioni dell’Italia meridionale e media in quelle dell’Italia centro-settentrionale. La relazione tra capitale umano e produttività del lavoro è importante con un’elasticità positiva e paragonabile a quella del capitale fisico e tale da annullare l’effetto negativo di una minore dotazione di capitale sociale
On the relevance of the region-of-origin in consumers studies
Get PDFThe existing literature on the consumers' attitude toward region-of-origin (RoO) provides numerous and varying evidence on the relative importance of this extrinsic attribute as compared to other product characteristics. The article aims at characterising the heterogeneity in the relative importance of RoO. We systematically review the literature on RoO and build an ad hoc indicator to measure the relative importance of RoO as compared to other attributes of agri-food products under investigation. We then explain, through a meta-analytical approach, how the relative importance of RoO varies according to factors related to publication process, methodological issues, and characteristics of articles. Findings reveal the limited influence of publication process and methodological issues on the relative importance of RoO. In contrast, we find a strong effect of characteristics of articles, with the relative importance of RoO being highly dependent on products and origins under investigation. The results also highlight that RoO is an effective differentiation instrument in the agri-food markets only if supported by geographical indication labels. Managerial implications are also provided
Consumers' visual attention for functional food products - an exploratory study from a sample of Italian consumers
No full textThe new challenge of sports nutrition: Accepting insect food as dietary supplements in professional athletes
Get PDFBackground: The dietary supplements market is growing, and their use is increasing among professional athletes. Recently, several new protein supplements have been placed in the marketplace, including energy bars enriched with insect flour. Edible insects, which are rich in protein content, have been promoted as the food of the future and athletes could be a reference sample for their continued emphasis on higher protein demand. The present study investigated the potential motivations to accept an energy protein bar with cricket flour, among a group of selected Italian professional athletes. A second aim was also to measure how an information treatment about the benefits of edible insects would have impact on acceptance. Methods: 61 Italian professional athletes (27 females) completed a structured questionnaire regarding supplements and eating habits, food neophobia, nutrition knowledge, willingness to taste edible insects and the associated factors. A question about sports endorsement was also posed at the end of the survey. Results: all subjects consumed supplements, generally recommended by medical personnel, even though their general knowledge of nutrition was poor (47.8%). Our main results shown that on a seven-point Likert scale, the protein content (5.74 ± 1.01) and the curiosity about texture (5.24 ± 0.98) were the main drivers to taste the cricket energy bar; whereas the feeling of disgust (5.58 ± 1.08) justified the rejection of tasting insects. In addition, the level of food neophobia increases with age (p < 0.05) and reduces willingness to endorse the cricket bar (p < 0.05). Male athletes (4.47 ± 1.69) were more likely to endorse the product than females (3.3 ± 1.49). An increase in willingness to taste was observed after the information treatment (z = 4.16, p < 0.001). Even though the population under investigation is unique, it is important to mention that this study involves a relatively small and convenience sample, and therefore generalizability of the results should be done with caution
Innovative quality-based strategies for the agri-food sector
No full textThe article investigates technical and economic factors affecting the decision of horticultural and agri-food producers to adopt quality-based branding strategies. The focus of the study are quality schemes approved by the European Union: protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographic indication (PGI). Focus groups discussions and thematic analysis are performed. The inclusion criteria for focus group discussions ensure to have participants representative of the study area and of the major agri-food supply chains. A preliminary literature review allows for a set of semi-structured and open-ended questions for focus group discussions, and for interpretation and validation of themes and factors from data analysis. From our analyses emerges that, although the balance between costs and benefits of quality schemes is positive, the overall impression is that much of the price premium for products under quality schemes is eroded by higher production and processing costs. In addition, the financial support provided by regional policies in favor of quality schemes does not encourage the adoption of quality-based strategies
How Do Italian Consumers Value Sustainable Certifications on Fish?—An Explorative Analysis
Get PDFSustainable certifications communicate the environmental benefits of food products to consumers, and allow producers to differentiate their products from conventional ones. This study expands existing knowledge on fish consumers by assessing the importance of sustainable certifications in fish selection. A best-worst analysis was applied to a convenient sample of Italian household members responsible for food shopping, segmented with a latent class clustering model based on their socio-demographic characteristics, fish purchase behaviors, as well as attitudinal features. The results show that sustainable certifications were of interest to consumers, as more than 1 out of 10 respondents valued sustainable certifications in purchasing fish. Respondents interested in sustainable certifications on fish were medium-aged consumers, with high working status, well educated, as well as living in a medium-size household without children. These consumers were more interested in organic foods and had an interest in food nutritional information; they likely have a healthy holistic lifestyle, and may purchase organic food, including fish, to improve their health by increasing their physical well-being
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