Voluntary traceability standards: which is the role of economic incentives?

Over the past decades increasing consumers’ concerns due to repeated food scares has lead firms and policy makers to adopt mandatory and voluntary normative instruments in order to reduce consumers loss of confidence towards food products. Traceability is one of the most important interventions aimed at assuring the safety and quality characteristics of food products. Firms can use such tool to reduce the risk of food safety non-compliance, to impact on consumer behaviour through the labelling of traced quality attributes, and to reinforce vertical relationships within the food supply chain through a system aimed at guaranteeing a more transparent management of transactions

Nutrition information, Mediterranean diet, and weight: A structural equation approach

This paper studies the relationships between adherence to the Mediterranean diet, food-related information, and possible effects they could jointly exert on weight status. The empirical analysis was conducted via a consumer survey using face-to-face interviews, and a structural equation model was implemented to the data analysis. This model choice was led by its ability to simultaneously evaluate multiple constructs. The results outline the central role played by adherence to the Mediterranean diet and food-related information, both in terms of nutritional knowledge and expert recommendations, which seem to be the key drivers affecting healthy weight. Moreover, food label use increases the nutritional knowledge of consumers, which in turn favours a healthy diet

Trust to Go Green: An Exploration of Consumer Intentions for Eco-friendly Convenience Food

Interest in food products with eco-friendly characteristics and certifications has grown in recent decades. Consumers are also increasingly demanding ready-to-eat products, especially in urban environs, where modem lifestyles tend to limit their available time. Understanding the pro-environmental behaviour of convenience food consumers is particularly challenging because there is often a contradiction between eco-friendly behavioural intent and time constraints imposed by modern lifestyles in large cities. It is not clear to what extent information labels on such products are trusted by consumers and considered when making food choices. This study aims at contributing to the debate investigating the determinants influencing consumer purchase intention, focusing on minimally processed vegetables labelled with integrated-pest-management standards. More specifically, the analysis investigates the role consumer trust plays in consumer intention to buy such products. The conceptual framework builds on and extends the theory of planned behaviour. The analyses are based on face-to-face interviews in a large European city (Milan, Italy). Data were analysed by means of structural equation modelling. Results confirm the important role of consumer trust, which positively affects attitudes towards the purchase of convenience food with eco-friendly attributes, and negatively affects consumer concerns around agricultural practices in relation to environmental and health impacts

Sustainability standards and the reorganization of private label supply chains : a transaction cost perspective

Private standards are among the main measures that can be implemented to differentiate food production. Retailers have been particularly active in setting food safety and quality systems for the development of their private labels. The purpose of this paper is to identify the effects of introducing measures that guarantee the environmental sustainability of food production on vertical dyadic relations. We focus our attention on the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) systems that are designed by retailers to support private label products, with the aim of studying how these systems affect the governance structure of transactions between retailer and farmer/processor. Transaction cost analysis is used as theoretical framework to assess changes in vertical coordination after the adoption of an IPM system. Four case studies related to food retailers in Italy were analyzed to identify changes in transaction characteristics, costs, and governance that are related to the adoption of this system. The results show that the introduction of an IPM system leads to an increase of transaction asset specificity (i.e., especially of human and material asset specificity) among the agents of the supply chain, and a decrease of the degree of transaction uncertainty. The variations in transaction characteristics determine changes in transaction costs. These changes lead to new hybrid forms of transaction governance, namely dyadic contracts, and a centralized organization of vertical relationship

Consumer interest in meat labelled attributes : Who cares?

The aim of the study is to better understand consumer attitudes about meat origin, cattle breeding and feeding systems. We analysed the determinants that lead consumers to use labelled information contained on fresh beef and processed beef products. Information was gathered by telephone using a questionnaire survey conducted in the northern Italy. The survey sampled nearly 1000 consumers. Four binary logit models were used to investigate consumers' use of specific labelled information using a set of variables to identify the primary determinants. Results showed that the use of different types of labelled meat-information is affected by the variables related to socio-demographics, product quality, safety perception, and consumer food knowledge

Vertical coordination in organic food chains : A survey based analysis in France, Italy and Spain

The paper analyses characteristics of vertical relationships of organic supply chains with a specific focus on the processing and retailing sectors. The analysis takes into account different regions of the EU Mediterranean area. Data were collected through interviews using an ad hoc questionnaire. The survey was based on a sample of 306 firms, including processors and retailers. The analysis revealed that a relevant aspect for the processing firms of organic products concerns the guaranteeing of safety and quality levels for the products. The main tools to implement the quality management are based on the adoption of specific production regulations and quality controls. The premium price most frequently applied by processors ranges from 10% to 40% and similar values are revealed for retailers. The diffusion of supply contracts allows the vertical coordination between agriculture and processing firms in the organic supply chains. The main distribution channels for the processing firms are represented by specialised shops in organic products, direct sales and supermarkets

The determinants of voluntary traceability standards : The case of the wine sector

The aim of this paper is to study the determinants leading firms to choose among different kinds of voluntary traceability standards in the wine sector. To achieve this goal, we referred both to individual and institutional-level determinants, which are identified to play an important role in the literature related to the implementation of quality and safety standards. In specific, we referred to two theoretical approaches to better understand the industry behaviour towards the adoption of voluntary traceability, i.e. the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Institutional Theory. We developed a vis-\ue0-vis survey through a questionnaire on a sample of Italian wineries approached during the most important Italian wine exhibitions in 2016. The results suggest that when wineries show positive cognitive beliefs towards voluntary traceability standards, they will probably implement complex traceability systems, which require high investments and efforts for their management. On the contrary, when the institutional environment plays a key role in the perception of wine processors, a simple and flexible traceability system seems to be preferred

Exploring the adherence to the mediterranean diet and its relationship with individual lifestyle : the role of healthy behaviors, pro-environmental behaviors, income, and education

The reduction of diet-related diseases and the improvement of environmental sustainability represent two of the major 21st century food policy challenges. Sustainable diets could significantly contribute to achieving both of these goals, improving consumer health and reducing the environmental impact of food production and consumption. The Mediterranean diet (MD) represents an excellent example of sustainable diet, however recent evidence indicates that such a dietary pattern is now progressively disappearing in Mediterranean countries. In such a context, this paper explores how individual lifestyle and habits are related to a high/low adherence to the MD model. The goal is to examine whether there is a relationship between individuals\u2019 healthy and pro-environmental behaviors and their level of adherence to the MD. The analysis also explores the role of consumer income and education. The study is based on the Italian population (n = 42,000) and uses a structural equation model approach. The results outline that the MD is part of a sustainability-oriented lifestyle and stress the key role of both income and education in affecting adherence to MD. Future policy aimed at contrasting the gradual disappearance of the MD should emphasize the sustainable dimension of the MD, meanwhile reducing socio-economic disparities among different population segments