Are quality regulations displacing PDOs? A choice experiment study on Iberian meat products in Spain

La publicación de la legislación española sobre normas de calidad que regula los productos cárnicos de cerdos ibéricos ha supuesto la certificación obligatoria del sistema de producción, piensos y raza en el sector porcino. El estándar está diseñado para garantizar la calidad del producto final, evitando los fraudes que pueden haberse producido anteriormente, aprovechando la heterogeneidad del producto. Tradicionalmente, las etiquetas de Denominación de Origen Protegida ofrecían la garantía y seguridad del consumidor, pero esta función ha sido asumida en gran medida por los Estándares de Calidad. En este contexto, es necesario estudiar el conocimiento de los consumidores y la valoración de estos dos indicadores de calidad. Se ha observado que, aunque los DOP son más conocidos que los estándares de calidad, los consumidores están dispuestos a pagar solo una pequeña prima por los productos ibéricos con un DOP. Por lo tanto, las PDO deben reorientarse para proporcionar un valor agregado al producto.The publication of the Spanish Quality Standards legislation regulating meat products from Iberian pigs has meant the obligatory certification of the system of production, feed, and breed in the Iberian pig sector. The Standard is designed to ensure the quality of the final product, avoiding the frauds that may have occurred previously taking advantage of the heterogeneity of the product. Traditionally, the Protected Designation of Origin labels offered the consumer guarantee and security, but this role has largely been taken over by the Quality Standards. In this context, there is a need to study consumers’ knowledge and valuation of these two quality indicators. It has been observed that, although PDOs are better known than the Quality Standards, consumers are willing to pay only a small premium for Iberian products with a PDO. Hence, PDOs need to be reoriented so as to provide added value to the product.peerReviewe

Short food supply chains from a social media marketing perspective: a consumer-oriented study in Spain

The increasing use of internet, especially the proliferation of social networks has offered companies of all sectors the opportunity to keep in contact with their consumers; getting their feedbacks and complains on a daily basis and even to create short online chains enabling consumers to buy their products. This trend is found to be rather limited in the case of food products. The main objective of this article is to deal with consumer’s perceptions towards the potential use of social media to create online short supply chains for food. Projective techniques (Sentence completion tasks) have been used in this study. As, they allow researchers to uncover motivations, emotions and beliefs that drive consumer’s perception and behavior which may not be detected by straightforward questioning. The findings of this study have allowed to obtain insight into those aspects that consumers regard as opportunities or barriers of such potential short food chains. The main aspect is to put food enterprises in the picture about what is going on in consumer’s mind. This might open new possibilities for food businesses to develop a new short food chain

Social networks as a new tool for online food marketing

Tesis por compendio de publicacionesLa revolución en la tecnología de información y la comunicación cambió la forma de hacer negocios hoy en día. La proliferación de los medios de comunicación sociales pueden dar a la agroindustria ventajas competitivas como la reducción de la intermediación y los costos de publicidad, la posibilidad de ahorrar tiempo y esfuerzo relacionados con el proceso de compra y mejorar la selección de información. Sin embargo, el sector agroalimentario continúa sin hacer el mejor uso de este canal de redes sociales como una nueva herramienta de marketing. Este estudio se lleva a cabo con el objetivo de estudiar el estado actual de las redes sociales como plataforma para la comercialización de alimentos en línea. También pretende contribuir al aumento de la venta de alimentos a través de tiendas en línea creadas en redes de comunicación sociales. La metodología adoptada se basará en el análisis cualitativo, análisis clúster y técnicas proyectivas para estudiar la disposición a comprar a través de los medios de comunicación y para explicar los determinantes de la aceptación de las redes sociales como nuevas plataformas de marketing. El estudio también tiene como objetivo comparar las percepciones de los consumidores en diferentes países con el fin de obtener una visión amplia de las diferencias que se pueden encontrar entre las sociedades en la adopción de los medios sociales en la compra de alimentos.The revolution in information and communication technology changed the way people conduct business today. The proliferation of social media applications, above all social networking sites, can give to agribusiness competitive advantages as a reduction in intermediation and advertising costs, the ability to save time and effort related to purchasing process and by improving information selection and processing. However, the agro-food sector continues without making the best use of this channel as a new tool of marketing. This study is conducted with the main objective of studying the current state of social networks as a platform for online food marketing. It also aims to contribute to the increase of food sales through online networking stores. The methodology adopted will rely on qualitative analysis, cluster analysis and projective techniques to study the willingness to purchase through social media and to explain the determinants of accepting social networks as new marketing platforms. The study also aims at comparing consumer perceptions in different countries in order to get a wide view of differences that may be encountered among societies in the adoption of social media in purchasing food

Views of Farmers and Industrial Entrepreneurs on the Iberian Pig Quality Standard: An In-Depth Interview Research Study

Since 2014, the Quality Standard for Iberian meat, leg ham, shoulder ham and dry-cured loin has regulated production factors and processes involved in the raw material and manufactured products from Iberian pigs, the most important pig breed in both population size and economic importance of the southwest Iberian Peninsula. Regarding the changes to the Quality Standard that industrial entrepreneurs and farmers are currently demanding, a qualitative research study has been developed through 14 in-depth interviews with the purpose of understanding the perception of Iberian pig farmers and industrial entrepreneurs of the requirements of the currently-effective Quality Standard, as well as the conditions under which this is being applied. The results showed a consensus amongst the majority of the participants in aspects such as the maintenance of the breed base as 100% Iberian for reproductive females, weight and age requirements at the time of slaughter for the montanera category and the manufacturing lengths for dry-cured products. On the other hand, there were discrepancies between the requirements defined by the Quality Standard and those requested by the respondents for the non-free-range fodder-fed and free-range fodder-fed categories, with the industrial entrepreneurs and farmers being inclined towards the reduction in the age of slaughter of the former and the distinction in the production conditions of the latter

Are quality regulations displacing PDOs? A choice experiment study on Iberian meat products in Spain

The publication of the Spanish Quality Standards legislation regulating meat products from Iberian pigs has meant the obligatory certification of the system of production, feed, and breed in the Iberian pig sector. The Standard is designed to ensure the quality of the final product, avoiding the frauds that may have occurred previously taking advantage of the heterogeneity of the product. Traditionally, the Protected Designation of Origin labels offered the consumer guarantee and security, but this role has largely been taken over by the Quality Standards. In this context, there is a need to study consumers’ knowledge and valuation of these two quality indicators. It has been observed that, although PDOs are better known than the Quality Standards, consumers are willing to pay only a small premium for Iberian products with a PDO. Hence, PDOs need to be reoriented so as to provide added value to the product

Complementary Role of Neopterin and the IL-28B Polymorphism in Predicting Antiviral Response in Genotype 4 Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Patients

Background and Aims: Neopterin, a water-soluble stable byproduct of the first reaction of the GTPCH induced inhibition of the pteridines biosynthesis, is used as a marker of interferon-induced GTPCH activation suggesting its use as a marker of response to anti-viral therapy. IL28B polymorphism is an established predictor of response to pegylated interferon-Ribavirin therapy. The aim of the study is to verify the role of pretreatment serum neopterin level with or without IL28B polymorphism in predicting the rate of SVR in genotype 4 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.Patients and Methods: This prospective cohort study included 102 treatment naïve genotype 4 CHC patients treated with pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy. Pretreatment IL28B rs12979860 C/T polymorphism and serum neopterin level were determined.Results: SVR was achieved in 65/102 (63.7%) patients. Regarding IL28B genotypes, 20% of CC genotype (4/20), 39% of TC genotype (20/51), and 42% of TT genotype (13/31) were non responders. A cutoff level of serum neopterin >18.68 nmol/L (AUC=0.695) predicted 29/37 (78.4%) non-responders. The favorable IL28B genotype (CC) was good predictor of response irrespective of serum neopterin level. Adding serum neopterin with cutoff > 18.68 nmol/L to the unfavorable IL28B genotypes (CT/TT) improves the prediction rate of non-responders [33/82 (40.2%) versus 25/33 (75.8%)], with 75.8% sensitivity, 63.2% specificity, 58% PPV and 79.5% NPV (P=0.001).Conclusion: High serum neopterin level could improve the predictive value for non-responders in CHC patients with unfavorable IL28B genotypes (CT/TT) suggesting their allocation to the more expensive IFN-free regimens

Consumers’ Perspectives on Alternative Short Food Supply Chains Based on Social Media: A Focus Group Study in Spain

Nowadays, an increasing number of consumers are demanding more information and more direct contact with food producers in order to avoid the various intermediaries in the supply chain, thus improving food traceability and price transfer. This has led to the development of more direct (short) food supply chains (SFSCs). Although consumer preferences to use SFSCs rather than traditional (long) supply chains have been widely researched in the literature, this study brings a new approach with the use of social media sites to build online SFSCs. A focus group approach with a total of 32 participants was used in this study with the main objective to understand consumers’ awareness and acceptance of SFSCs. Special attention was given to the use of social media and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) as new approaches to support the creation of such alternative channels

Stated Preferences for Plant-Based and Cultured Meat: A Choice Experiment Study of Spanish Consumers

Meat production and consumption have been claimed to have negative impacts on the environment, and even on the consumer’s health. In this sense, alternative sources of protein, mainly meat substitutes and cultured meat, have emerged due to those perceived negative effects. Our paper carries out a choice experiment to analyze the preferences of 444 Spanish consumers and their willingness to pay for plant-based and cultured meats, as compared to conventional meat. Spain was considered of interest for this study due to its significant gastronomic culture, with high-quality meat products that make a great contribution to the economy, meaning that this could be a suitable and also challenging market in which to test alternative sources of protein. The findings show that consumers’ motivations and their interactions with these products are complex. Additionally, a cluster analysis allowed us to identify three types of consumers in terms of preference for these products: price-sensitive millennials, conscious/concerned consumers, and indifferent consumers. Only one group showed some level of acceptance of these alternative products meats

COVID-19 and liver diseases

Abstract Coronavirus causes an outbreak of viral pneumonia that spread throughout the world. Liver injury is becoming more widely recognized as a component of the clinical picture of COVID-19 infection. Hepatitis with serum ALT elevation has been reported in up to half of patients. Patients with CLD were at a higher risk of decompensation with liver failure, hospitalization, and mortality. The percentage of acute liver injury (ALI) varied from 5 to 28%. COVID-19 hinders HCV elimination by 2030. It is recommended to continue treatment of chronic HCV and chronic HBV if already receiving treatment. Consider using antiviral therapy to prevent viral flare-ups in patients with occult or resolved HBV and COVID-19 who are receiving immunosuppressive agents. Patients with AIH do not have an increased risk of adverse outcomes even in high-risk areas. There is an association between MAFLD and disease progression. Patients with any type of cancer are at a higher risk of infection and are more likely to develop more severe clinical outcomes. Most societies advise against immunosuppressant modifications in patients with mild COVID-19, whereas in rare cases such as severe lymphopenia, worsening pneumonia, or bacterial or fungal superinfection, reduction or discontinuation of antiproliferative agents and lymphocyte-depleting therapies has been suggested

Correlation of spleen stiffness measured by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Imaging (ARFI) with Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) in the prediction of esophageal varices (EVs) grades in cirrhotic patients

Background: measurement of spleen stiffness (SS) by ARFI may predict the presence of EVs. Aim: To assess the correlation of SS measured by ARFI as noninvasive assessment with HVPG in the prediction of presence and grades of EVs in cirrhotic patients. Methods: 30 patients with post HCV liver cirrhosis who underwent biochemical tests, abdominal ultrasound (US) , Doppler , Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE), liver stiffness (LS) and spleen stiffness (SS) measurements using ARFI elastography and HVPG. Results: statistically significant difference was found between EVs presence and grades in relation to HVPG. In contrary no statistically significant difference was found between EVs presence and grades in relation to SS. Conclusion: HVPG had good significant positive correlation with presence and grades of EVs. There was no significant correlation between non-invasive parameters including the SS and LS (by ARFI) and presence or grades of EVs. There was no significant correlation between HVPG and SS and LS (by ARFI)