1,720,979 research outputs found
Dalle strategie europee l'importanza di coniugare le politiche europee e le potenzialità dei territori; l'indispensabile cerniera tra bottom-up e top-down
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Food Outshopping in Remote Rural Areas of Italy: Lessons from a Natural Experiment
No full textThe increasing number of supermarkets and hypermarkets poses a risk to the survival of small local shops in rural areas. As a result, people living in remote areas might need to travel several kilometers to obtain food, and this can create objective difficulties for those who do not drive or cannot afford the cost of owning a car. This study uses a natural experiment to
analyze outshopping practices in Italian remote areas using the database of the multipurpose survey on Italian families carried out by Italian National Institute of Statistics. For this study, we used the COVID-19 lockdown as a state of nature when long-range shopping trips were less frequent, and we compared it with the pre-COVID-19 habits, in order to identify changes in consumption and shopping behavior. Our study is the first to explore outshopping behaviors in remote areas of Italy, offering original insights into food access and healthy eating where research is currently lacking. We performed a difference-in-difference analysis,
comparing remote areas with other areas in Italy, to highlight the effect of outshopping in
remote areas. Our results show how a considerable share of consumer food expenditure is paid to firms outside the local area, supporting the hypothesis of financial resources shift from the local business to large retailers. Moreover, we found limited food access and diet issues in Italian internal areas when outshopping practices are constrained
Educated millennials and credence attributes of food products with genetically modified organisms: Knowledge, trust and social media
Full text linkIn this paper, we investigated educated millennials’ evaluation of credence attributes in food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO products). Our goal is to assess whether beliefs about GMO products are determined by scientific knowledge alone or if they are affected by other factors such as trust in information providers and use of social media. The focus on millennials is motivated by the increasing relevance of this social group in the public debate and by their extensive use of social media. We surveyed a sample of 215 Italian college students, confronting them with questions about safety, environmental impact and ethical issues in GMO product consumption. Using an ordered probit regression model, we found that educated millennials build their beliefs using a mix of scientific knowledge and trust in information providers. The role of the two drivers depended on the issue considered. Scientific knowledge drove beliefs in health claims, while trust in information providers was a driving factor in almost all claims. After controlling for trust effects, we did not find evidence of impact of confidence in the reliability of traditional and social media on beliefs. This result contradicts previous literature
Approaches for reducing wastes in the agricultural sector. An analysis of Millennials’ willingness to buy food with upcycled ingredients
Full text linkUpcycled ingredients are one of the most significant current trends in the food industry aimed to tackle the challenge of solid food loss reduction. This study investigates the potential market among Millennial consumers for products enriched with upcycled ingredients in Italy. We surveyed a sample of 317 Italian Millennial consumers, using a web-based survey. 62% of respondents declared to be informed about the existence of food made from upcycled ingredients and 53% declared to be willing to buy this novel food. Also, 69% of respondents think that food enriched with upcycled ingredients can bring environmental benefits, while only 40% believe that it can bring health benefits. Using a logit model to analyse consumer preferences, we found that food neophobia and food technology neophobia negatively impact on the likelihood of being willing to buy food produced with upcycled ingredients. Also, consumers who give high importance to food certification are less likely to be willing to buy upcycled foods. Contrariwise, reading labels and believing that upcycled foods are healthier or more environmentally friendly positively impacts on the willingness of Millennial consumers to buy these foods. Results for the sample analysed eventually suggest that giving right information to consumers about the environmental and health characteristics of the products, through clear labelling, could increase their market uptake thus helping to reduce food loss and contributing to reaching circular economy objectives in the agricultural sector
Italian Consumers and Cultured Meat: Risk, Preferences, and Politics
No full textCultured meat is produced in vitro, and it is presented as a method able to reduce the controversial effect of farmed meat, on the environment and animal welfare. To speed up the shift to sustainable food systems with such innovation, it is necessary to analyze consumer preferences and attitudes towards this novel food. Attention should be paid specifically to the relevant role of consumers’ political affiliation, risk attitudes, and perceptions of cultured meat, as compared to farmed meat, on consumers’ acceptance of this novel food. This study investigates these aspects using a representative sample of the Italian population in terms of gender, age, and region, and a balance across education levels. Data collection was conducted via a digital platform in December 2023. The sample included 800 participants. The data were analyzed using an ordered logistic regression model, with marginal effects reported for clarity. Results show that as the level of acceptance increases, consumers’ preferences depend heavily on their’ perceptions of cultured meat as compared to farmed meat. Our research offers valuable insights into consumers’ views related to cultured meat. Additionally, it provides practical guidance to promote cultured meat using an evidence-based strategy
La disponibilità a pagare dei consumatori per le caratteristiche 'concimazione azotata sostenibile' e 'digeribilità degli amidi' della pasta
No full textConsumers’ willingness to consume sustainable and local wine in Italy
No full textWine production is a relevant sector of the Italian economy and recently consumer demand has drastically changed due to their orientation towards new attributes of quality wines. Sustainability aspects are credence attributes that have an effect on consumers’ perceived quality. Moreover, local production of wine is seen as a sign of quality. However, much is still to be studied about drivers that can push consumers towards new quality attributes of wine such as sustainability and local production. Profiling consumers could be a first step to better understand consumers’ decisions on local and sustainable wine. Thus, the paper has the purpose of understanding the Italian consumers’ willingness to consume sustainable and local wine. Data has been collected from a sample of Italian consumers (N=1,099) using a web-based survey. A binary logistic regression model, selected on the basis of the model AIC was used. The findings showed the large majority of the interviewed are willing to consume local and sustainable wine
European Consumers Attitudes toward Ethnic Foods: Case of Date Fruits
No full textThis study focuses on the perception of ethnic foods by European consumers. The aim of this work is to enrich the literature on the analysis of consumer perception of ethnic foods by focusing on the socio-demographic characteristics of consumers, the possible role played by product attributes, psychographic characteristics, and willingness to pay for these products, specifically date fruits. We surveyed a representative sample of 1123 Italian and French consumers. Using an ordered logit model, we found that, as for any other product, geographical indication, region of production, organic character, and fair trade are attributes that individuals consider in their purchase decisions for ethnic foods. Similarly, country of origin is a source of quality for ethnic foods such as dates. The results reveal that women, more educated individuals, and Generation Z (younger individuals) have a higher willingness to pay for organic, fair trade, and GI-labeled ethnic foods. Finally, this willingness to pay is driven more by product knowledge than by cognitive closeness to the ethnic food
The contractual relationships in the Italian durum wheat chain: Empirical survey evidence
Full text linkThe paper investigates the vertical relations along the Italian durum wheat chain and the factors affecting farmers’ behavior in adopting contractual agreements. Sale/crop-growing contracts in the durum wheat sector are analyzed through a direct survey to a sample of 261 durum wheat farmers. The questionnaire collected data on downstream relations and contract terms between farmers and processing and/or marketing firms along the durum wheat chain. A logit model is used to identify factors affecting the likelihood of contract farming between farms and processors. One of the main issues emerging is the low frequency of written contractual forms between durum wheat farmers and downstream operators. In most cases the farmers do not want constraints and reveal a lack of trust in contracts. They prefer to sell their product to a local downstream operator with whom they have a long-standing and solid relationship of trust. Moreo-ver, results of a logistic model show that certain farm features, such as turnover and degree of specializa-tion in durum wheat production, play an important role in driving the decision to adopt written contracts
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