1,721,269 research outputs found
Fostering the debate among scholars to support the advancement of knowledge in the food-related consumer research: A commentary
No full textNudging low-medium income mothers towards healthy child options in an online restaurant scenario
No full textHelping mothers make the healthiest choices for their children when eating out can contribute to preventing the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, particularly in economically disadvantaged classes. Herein, we tested whether two different nudges (a default option and a social norm prompt) could guide low- and middle-income mothers towards healthier children's menu choices in a fictive restaurant setting and investigated the drivers of healthy child menu selection. A cross-sectional online survey was performed among 809 Italian mothers with children aged between 3 and 12 years, and a between-subjects design (control, nudge 1, and nudge 2) was applied. The findings revealed that both nudges had no significant effect on the number of healthy menu selections compared with the healthy choices made in the control condition. Furthermore, considering the entire sample, the results show that certain characteristics of a mother (e.g., authoritative parenting style) and child (younger age) duo increase the likelihood of the former selecting a healthy children's menu. Similarly, a positive correlation between the likelihood of choosing a healthy children's menu and the mother's involvement in the child's nutrition (meal preparation and weekly diet) was observed
The effect of nudges on healthy food choices of individuals with a low socio-economic position: A systematic literature review
No full textBackground: Individuals with low socioeconomic position (SEP) often make poor food choices, preferring high-density fast foods that provide sufficient energy at a minimal cost over healthy foods, as fruits and vegetables. Increasing evidence reveals that the traditional view of food choice as a perfectly rational and deliberate process does not reflect reality, in which habits and heuristics strongly impact decisions. Scope and approach: Applying PRISMA guidelines, the current systematic review provides an updated evaluation of the effectiveness of nudges (changes in the choice architecture) in promoting healthy/decrease unhealthy food purchases, choices, and intake among socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Key findings and conclusion: Forty-one articles, including forty-three empirical studies (as two articles included two empirical studies each) were analyzed. Extending previous results based on studies performed only in real-life food purchasing scenarios this review reveals high effectiveness of nudges among low SEP individuals. Indeed, only 12% of hypothetical and 28% of real-setting studies showed no efficacy. Nevertheless, due to the extreme variability in measurements, these outcomes urge scholars to establish specific and consistent outcome criteria to robustly determine the effectiveness of nudge interventions
Increasing healthy food choices through nudges: A systematic review
No full textFood marketing strategies constantly use trendy messages, novel displays, colourful floor decals, compelling store arrangements and other environmental triggers to exploit consumers; nudges hold the promise to adopt the same interventions to increase healthier choices. The purpose of this systematic review is to frame the state of the art and research gaps on nudging interventions aimed at increasing healthy food choice. Thirty-six articles reporting reviews or empirical studies performed between 2016 and 2018 were analysed. Over 80% of the reviewed empirical research reported positive outcomes. The work provides insights to further analyse the most promising approaches and critically discusses the core shortcomings of available studies. Finally, future research avenues are highlighted as the need for more replications and scalability of interventions
CANTIERI IN OSPEDALE. LA RIQUALIFICAZIONE OSPEDALIERA NEI SUOI ASPETTI IGIENICO-SANITARI E TECNICI
No full textNew Trends in Consumer Needs: Functional Foods in the European Market
No full textOver the last decade foods have not been intended only to satisfy hunger and provide necessary
nutrients but also to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve the physical and mental well-being of
consumers. Hence healthier food products have entered the global markets with force in the past few years and
rapidly gained market shares. The food industry has reacted to this trend by developing a growing variety of new
products with health-related claims and images. However, due to limited consumer knowledge and awareness of
the health effects of newly developed functional ingredients, there are strong needs for communication activities.
The role of information is crucial since consumers cannot perceive the benefit directly from the product, unlike
taste and other sensory characteristics. The type of information and trust in it regarding the effect of a particular
product on health represent additional factors behind the success of functional foods. Based on these
considerations this chapter offers an overview of the functional food (FF) market in Europe and ascertains the
opportunities for further expansion of this segment. Consumer behaviour towards FFs was analyzed through a
quantitative survey conducted on 400 Italian food shoppers. Our findings reveal that respondents are confused
due to the ambiguity of what FF products are, and that consumers perceive products that are intrinsically healthy
such as yogurt, cereals and juice, as preferable and credible carriers of FFs. Moreover, use of principal
components analysis highlighted the key role played by the perception of healthiness in determining shoppers’
attitudes towards FF
Consumer Knowledge of Animal Welfare Standards
No full textEuropean Union (EU) directives identify specific quality and quantity characteristics of the spaces
where animals are kept and detailed breeder behaviour aimed at minimizing animal suffering. The development
of European legislation over the years has been characterized by broadening of the scope of action and by an
increase in the number of species covered by definitive rules. However, while EU legislation has progressively
focused on granting animals better possibilities to express their behavioural repertoire, recent analysis shows that
consumer knowledge of animal welfare compulsory standards is still quite limited. This is particularly true for the
farming conditions of layer hens even though animal welfare in poultry production systems in the EU has
received great legislative attention. Drawing on the results of a direct survey on 300 Italian food shoppers, our
research analyzes consumer knowledge of the welfare standards of laying hens. Our findings show that, although
the majority of the sample (79%) expressed concern on hen husbandry systems, 67% of respondents were
unaware of the current mandatory labelling system for eggs. Through cluster analysis three segments were found:
the inactive consumer cluster (39%) that groups respondents claiming not to take animal welfare into account in
their food purchasing decisions, the so-called conflicted consumer cluster (48%) including individuals that are
reluctant to accept responsibility for animal welfare through their demand for animal-friendly food products, and
the ethically competent consumer cluster (13%) consisting of respondents very concerned about animal welfare.
Our findings highlight important market opportunities and policy implications
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