Quality aspects of processed organic baby food - Results of a case study from an expert consultation in the baby food industry in 10 European countries.

The processor survey shows the general principles and understanding of quality for the processing of organic food from the processors’ point of view. In addition, possible problem areas regarding the question of product quality such as raw material, processing techniques, storage etc. are worked out. The results of the survey support the identification and definition of critical and essential control points as well as product quality parameters. This survey can therefore conclude three points of actions to improve the process quality. - Handling of raw material: transportation, storage, pre-processing - Nutritional, safety and sensory QCCP - Cooking: time and temperature - Nutritional and sensory QCCP - Preserving/ sterilizations - Nutritional and safety QCCP Besides these QCCPs, organic baby food should break away from the baby food market and constitute a nutritional rich, environmentally friendly and safe product of high quality

CAN A SMALL AGRICULTURAL PROCESSOR COMPETE GLOBALLY?

International Relations/Trade,

Report on Expert Interviews

This short report represents a summary of the analysis conducted so far on the GfK Panel Data. The focus was on the main three types of raw meat: chicken, pork, beef, as well as three categories of processed food products: liver paste, cold cuts and sausages. The aim was to look at the market indicators for each one of the six sub-categories, out of which market share and penetration were considered to be the most important. Besides these two indicators, I also included some extra calculations for each category, which can be analysed further and more in-depth if needed. One of the desired outcomes of the analyses was to identify companies and brands that were successful in each sub-category. Unfortunately, due to the generally low market shares of the organic products, the number of options was limited. Beef and pork were two categories where no brands were registered in the original product and sales Files. In the chicken category there was only one brand registered between 2006 and 2010, however, the market shares were extremely low for this category. There were only one or two households buying organic chicken products. The processed meat sub-categories both had a few companies registered. However, the diversity isn’t large. Still, it is good to notice that in the three sub-categories there were two companies that were most present: Farre Food and Hanegal. Market shares were generally low for all six sub-categories. Organic beef, pork and liver paste were the only categories to reach market shares of over 1%, while organic chicken had the lowest market shares of all. The trends were generally fluctuating over time. The highest market shares for liver paste, pork, chicken and beef were registered in 2007. All these four categories had much lower market shares in 2009, but it is interesting to notice that in the same year, organic cold cuts and sausages registered the highest market shares. Except for chicken, all market shares dropped in 2010 compared to 2009. Penetration levels had a clear descending trend for organic beef and liver paste, whereas for the other subcategories the levels fluctuated. Organic chicken and sausage generally had an ascending trend, while organic pork and cold cuts usually had descending trends in penetration levels. The highest penetration rates were registered in 2006 for liver paste, beef and cold cuts and in 2008 for sausages, chicken and pork. Out of all the six sub-categories that were analysed, organic beef has had the highest market shares and highest penetration rates, even though the figures were lower and lower every year. Regarding the average price paid/100 gr of meat products, we notice that in the organic category there is more fluctuation than in the conventional category, meaning that the price of organic products varies more between years. According to the analysis, the price difference between the organic and the conventional options in a sub-category is clearly notices in the processed meat category, but it is not as well defined for chicken, pork and beef. There are some limitations regarding the analysis of the panel data. On the one hand, these are due to the fact that there are some incompatibilities between the product file and the sales file regarding the identification of products as being organic or not. On the other hand, some of the products were registered as “unknown”, meaning that they are neither analysed as being organic, nor as being conventional, but as being a separate category. It is considered however that due to the fact that the results of the analysis are so small, the correction of these errors would not change the numbers significantly

Mental Accounting and Small Windfalls: Evidence from an Online Grocer

We study the effect of small windfalls on consumer spending decisions by comparing the purchases online grocery customers make when redeeming $10-off coupons with the purchases they make without coupons. Controlling for customer fixed effects and other variables, we find that grocery spending increases by$1.59 when a $10-off coupon is redeemed. The extra spending associated with coupon redemption is focused on groceries that a customer does not typically buy. These results are consistent with the theory of mental accounting but are not consistent with the standard permanent income or lifecycle theory of consumption. While the hypotheses we test are motivated by mental accounting, we also discuss some alternative psychological explanations for our findings.

Four cases on market orientation of value chains in agribusiness and fisheries

This working paper presents results from the project ‘Supra-company level determinants of degree of market orientation of value chains in agriculture and fisheries’, which is carried out in cooperation between MAPP – Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector, Aarhus School of Business, Denmark, the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science, University of Tromsø, Norway, and the Department of Marketing, University of Stirling, Scotland. It has benefited from grants from the Danish Social Science Research Council and from the Norwegian Research Council. The present working paper is the ‘long’ version of the empirical work in the first major phase of the project, where we study four examples of food value chains to get insight into their degree of market orientation and possible determinants. The insights gained here have been used in subsequent empirical work that is currently underwayMarket orientation;

The role of packaging in minimising food waste in the supply chain of the future

This report focuses on packaging opportunities that may help to reduce or recover food waste, proposes opportunities for industry to address food waste through innovative and sustainable primary, secondary and tertiary packaging. Food security is an emerging challenge for policy makers and companies in the food supply chain. The global population is expected to grow to 9 billion and demand for food by 77% by 2050. Over the same period food production will be under threat from climate change, competing land uses, erosion and diminishing supplies of clean water. One of the solutions to this dilemma is increased efficiency and waste reduction in the food supply chain. This report focuses on packaging opportunities that may help to reduce or recover food waste. Packaging has a vital role to play in containing and protecting food as it moves through the supply chain to the consumer. It already reduces food waste in transport and storage, and innovations in packaging materials, design and labelling provide new opportunities to improve efficiencies. Product protection needs to be the primary goal for packaging sustainability, and sometimes this requires trade-offs between packaging and food waste. The report draws on an international literature review and interviews with representatives from 15 organisations in the Australian food and packaging supply chain. It considers food waste along the entire food supply chain, but with a particular emphasis on food waste that occurs prior to consumption, i.e. during agriculture production, post-harvest handling and storage of raw materials, and in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector consisting of food manufacturing, wholesale trade, food retail and distribution and food services. Food rescue through charities is also a focus of the report. Over 4.2 million tonnes of food waste is disposed to landfill in Australia each year. Around 1.5 million tonnes of this is from the commercial and industrial sector (the focus of this report), costing around $10.5 billion in waste disposal charges and lost product. The largest single contributor in the commercial and industrial sector is food service activities (e.g., cafes, restaurants, fast food outlets), which generate 661,000 tonnes of food waste per year, followed by food manufacturing (312,000 tonnes) and food retail (179,000 tonnes). Most waste in food manufacturing is unavoidable, and almost 90% is already recovered as animal feed, compost or energy

THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY: TRENDS AND CHANGING STRUCTURE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

By 2010, foodservice establishments are projected to capture 53 percent of consumers' food expenditures, whereas in 1980, foodservice captured less than 40 percent. The foodservice industry accounts for approximately 4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and about 11 million jobs. It has been rapidly changing due to economic factors, technological advances, and labor matters.1 This overview covers many of the issues and trends affecting the different segments of the foodservice supply chain including the foodservice operators, distributors and food manufacturers. Changing customer demographics are a driving force in the evolution of the foodservice industry. As the baby boomers reach middle age, they do not seem to have time to cook and their children and grandchildren do not seem to have the interest, or talent. The U.S. population in 2000 had over double ($6,500) the per capita discretionary income that it had in 1975 ($3,109) 2 and, with a high value for recreation and pleasure they are pulled out of the kitchen and into the restaurants. An ever-shrinking world also brings variety to menus as cultures and cuisines converge, introducing new flavors and textures. A tight labor market has affected the foodservice industry from top to bottom leading to a derived demand for convenience products from manufacturers. At all links in the chain, companies are experiencing mergers and acquisitions. Operators, manufacturers, and distributors are all fighting for a share of the profits as competition continues to intensify. This review of the foodservice industry incorporates interviews with industry professionals, current information from leading foodservice associations, and predictions from the top industry research firms and consultants.Agribusiness, Industrial Organization,

Market Potential of Freshwater Fish Farmers in Limpopo Province

O. mossambicus is one of the most cultured food fish worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, it is essential for meeting the need for food security, as it can be a cheap source of protein. Previous studies focused to some extent on the profitability of tilapia farmers. This study aims to make a scientific contribution by analyzing the market environment, and specifically the potential customers, of the O. mossambicus farmers who belong to small and medium enterprises in agriculture, by using a feasibility analysis framework. A mixed-methods approach was used to achieve the research objectives. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), to compile descriptive and inferential statistics. The reliability and validity of the data collection instrument were measured using Chronbach’s Alpha values. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was the statistical method used, and the f-test was conducted to determine the statistical significance of the variables in the multivariate analysis. The overall results of the study showed that O. mossambicus farmers largely sell the fish fresh to individual consumers and informal fish traders at farm stalls. In contrast, fish traders bought the O. mossambicus frozen or smoked from other suppliers. Here, recommendations are made in respect of new entrepreneurial ventures, next steps for business consultants and other stakeholders in the O. mossambicus industry, and future research directions