Consumption of Organic Foods from a Life History Perspective: An Exploratory Study among Danish Consumers

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Italian Consumer Attitudes Toward Products for Well-being: The Functional Foods Market

Functional foods, Italian consumers, Market segmentation, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Consumption of Organic Foods from a Life History Perspective: An Exploratory Study among British Consumers

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WOMEN AND THEIR “FOOD TIME” AN INVESTIGATION INTO FOOD PURCHASES, PREPARATION, AND CONSUMPTION ATMOSPHERE USING SMARTPHONE SURVEY TECHNOLOGY

Women’s food purchasing and eating habits have been studied in detail, but are still not entirely understood. Prior research has sought to segment the female food shopper market, but typically use only demographic characteristics. In this study, fifty females were recruited in San Luis Obispo, CA from March 2012 to May 2012 to keep an electronic food-time diary for one week. By collecting information through surveys distributed using a smartphone application, SurveySwipe, the study investigated the amount of time expended for each meal, as well as the manner in which the meal was prepared or purchased, and the context surrounding the eating situation, for a period of seven days. A segmentation of these female food consumers was then formed in order to demonstrate that by using attitudinal and behavioral data, a unique segmentation scheme may be achieved, different than would have resulted using only demographic information. For the data analysis, four principal components analyses were conducted followed by subsequent cluster analyses, followed by ANOVA and Chi-Square tests. Study participants were segmented in four distinct sets of clusters, or consumer groups. Of the four sets of clusters formed, one was created using solely demographic variables, whereas the other three used “food time” variables comprised of behavioral and attitudinal information. It may be inferred from the results that the behavior of the participants within each cluster was similar regarding a particular variable being tested, while it differed from the behavior of participants in other clusters (regarding the same variable being tested). Specifically, an abundance of key, significant differences were found with the “food time” variables. The study supports the use of variables related to “food time” allocation and the context of the eating situation as they relate to the purchase, preparation, and consumption of food, instead of only demographic attributes. The results will be useful for food marketers and product developers seeking to understand how food fits into the lives of female consumers with diverse roles and behaviors, in addition to being valuable for segmenting a select market or targeting a particular customer type

Haemoglobin status of adult non-pregnant Kazakh women living in Kzyl-Orda region, Kazakhstan.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of anaemia among adult non-pregnant women in the Kzyl-Orda region of Kazakhstan, and to determine the association between haemoglobin concentration and anthropometric, socioeconomic, reproductive and dietary factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using a randomly selected sample. Subjects were interviewed, and finger-prick blood samples and anthropometric measurements were collected. Associations between haemoglobin concentration and anthropometric and questionnaire data were evaluated by sequential linear regression analysis. SETTING: Health centres in Kazalinsk, Djalagash and Zhanakorgan districts of Kzyl-Orda region, Kazakhstan. SUBJECTS: Three-thousand six-hundred and twenty-five non-pregnant women aged 18-45 y randomly selected from health centre records. RESULTS: Iron deficiency anaemia, as reflected by low haemoglobin levels (Hb<12 g/dl), was detected in 40.2% of the total sample. There was a significant curvilinear relationship between haemoglobin concentration and age, with the nadir of the curve in the 30-40 y age-group. Haemoglobin concentration was found to be positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic factors. Significant negative associations were found between haemoglobin concentration and duration of menses, use of the intra-uterine contraceptive device and the consumption of tea. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that iron deficiency anaemia is present at considerable levels among adult women living in Kzyl-Orda region, Kazakhstan, and provides important baseline information for future research and public health interventions. SPONSORSHIP: Funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Nutrition, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the Polden-Puckham Trust

Policy initiatives to address low-income households’ nutritional needs in the UK

Members of low-income households in the UK are more likely to have patterns of food and nutrient intakes that are less inclined to lead to good health outcomes in the short and long term. Health inequalities, including the likelihood of child and adulthood obesity, have long been documented in the UK and show little sign of improving so far, despite 10 years of attention from a government that has committed itself to addressing them. Following the Acheson Inquiry into Inequalities in Health (1998) in England a number of initiatives to tackle inequalities in food and diet were established, both nationally and within the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, until recently, there has been no overall strategic policy addressing the food and nutritional needs of low-income households. The present paper reviews how the problems have been constructed and understood and how they have been addressed, briefly drawing on recent evaluations of food and nutrition policies in Scotland and Wales. The contemporary challenge is to frame cross-cutting policy initiatives that move beyond simple targeting and local actions, encompass a life-course approach and recognise both the diversity of households that fall into ‘low-income’ categories and the need for ‘upstream’ intervention

European consumer segments with a high potential for accepting new innovative fish products based on their food-related lifestyle

Consumer lifestyles influence consumer behaviour towards food product choices and provide important insights about the existence of consumer segments that vary in their response to new food products. With the aim to contribute to a more market-oriented enhancement of the European aquaculture industry competitiveness, the objective of this study was to identify and profile food-related lifestyle segments of consumers that vary in terms of their willingness to buy new aquaculture fish products. Data were collected through a survey among respondents in three large European fish markets (Spain, France and Germany, N = 1500 in total). Certain core dimensions of the food-related lifestyle construct were used as segmentation bases. We identified five consumer segments across two country groups. The segments differed mainly in terms of their psychographic profile and their intention to buy new aquaculture fish products. Our results contribute to identifying the most promising European consumer segments in terms of buying intention that can be targeted when promoting new aquaculture fish products. The findings have important strategic marketing implications for the food industry and aquaculture, while highlighting the important role food-related lifestyles can play in European segmentation for new food product development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Resilience effects in food consumption behaviour at the time of Covid-19: Perspectives from Italy

The Covid-19 pandemic lead Italy to undertake a severe lockdown for almost two months. All of a sudden, the lives of Italians were forced to shift in accordance with the regulations issued by government. This change in the lives of Italians can be mirrored by an adjustment in food consumer behaviour that, consequently, brought about a transition in the whole supply chain. This paper gives an overview of the recent changes in consumption patterns that occurred due to the Italian lockdown, and how evolutions in behaviour are intertwined with the evolution of the main food supply chains. Many of the events here depicted are likely to last far beyond the crisis and affect the subsequent evolution of food consumption in Italy. The Italian retail supply chain successfully adapted to the big shift in consumption. Despite purchases for essential items having increased, no stockout harmed the food security of Italians. Out-of-home consumption moved inside houses giving space to home meal preparation and comfort food. Home delivery has been the most important element in this context, as it boomed during this period, helping laggard consumers fill the digital divide, as it was mostly mediated by e-commerce platforms and instant messaging. It was also the leverage that allowed small retailers and small producers regain their space. This crisis calls for a more sustainable food system that will be increasingly oriented to moving goods rather than people, which will also have relevance in the coming years