Social Capital and the Food System: Some Evidences from Empirical Research

The paper stresses that in order to understand the current re-organizational processes in the food system, two kinds of social capital should be taken into account, trust and network-based social capital. Stemming from a case study, concerning the Italian processing tomato industry, it demonstrates that while trust seems to enhance social welfare, by reducing transaction costs and promoting cooperative behavior, network-based social capital mainly affects firm competitive behavior, with unpredictable effects on social welfare.social capital, trust, networks, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Naturalness and Consumer Choices: The Case of Microfiltered Milk

Food is a very sensitive area and the most intimate form of consumption. Consumer choice is known to be strongly affected by emotional factors usually not taken into account in economic analysis. At the same time it is clear that such emotional factors can affect consumer behaviour and market reactions above all when there are scandals and concerns.One of the emotional aspects that seems to dominate consumer behaviour in the food sector is so ‐called magical thinking which leans on two different pillars: the contagion principle and the similarity principle. The contagion principle affects the concept of naturalness which, according to cognitive psychologists, is a key factor in determining consumer preferences. The main element stemming from this psychological approach is the generalised superiority which characterises those foods which are perceived as natural by consumers. It has also been observed that the specific kind of processing as well as the adding or subtracting of unnatural elements can modify the perception of naturalness and the degree of acceptability for food products.A survey which bore all such considerations in mind was conducted on a sample of 180 people interviewed shortly after their shopping trip to super markets and hyper markets in the province of Naples. A questionnaire was submitted to sample in winter 2009. The questionnaire collected information about the perception of naturalness and its role in determining consumer preferences for different food products and different kinds of processing.A specific section of the questionnaire covered a case study and gathered information about the willingness to buy a specific food product: pasteurized and microfiltered fresh cow’s milk. This product has the same nutritional qualities and the same taste as fresh pasteurized cow’s milk, but has a longer shelf life due to specific technology.On the basis of the results and by using a binary model, consumer willingness to purchase the specific milk was estimated. The findings permit an analysis of the role that both different types of product processing or manipulation and the various forms of innovation can play in determining levels of trust and modifying the discrepancy between objective and perceived quality

Validation of a Psychometric Scale to Measure Consumers’ Fears of Modern Food Technologies

 The main consumer trends in food sector are two: on the one hand there is a growing demand for modernity (functional foods, convenience foods, healthy foods such as low calories and low-sodium foods), on the other hand there is a increasing demands for naturalness (organic foods, natural foods, local products and typical products). Moreover, in recent years consumers’ fears of novel food technologies are well documented and several psychometric scales were tested for the analysis of consumer’s attitude towards new technology. Therefore the ability to identify population segments that have greater or lesser neophobia/neophilia, thus enabling identification of early adopters of innovative products, would be more and more useful.A survey which bore such considerations in mind was conducted on a representative sample of 355 people interviewed shortly after their shopping trip to super- and hyper-markets in Campania region. A questionnaire was submitted to sample in spring 2010. The questionnaire collected information about the perception of new food technologies, the perception of naturalness and their roles in determining consumer preferences for different food products. To collect information about consumers perceptions we adopted the FTNS scale (Food Technology Neophobia Scale) which represents a useful tool for assessing receptivity to foods produced by novel technologies.A specific section of the questionnaire covered a case study and gathered information about the willingness to buy food products that consumers can associate to a greater or lesser use of modern technologies and belonging to a specific set of six food categories: functional foods, low calories foods, convenience foods (ready to eat) typical foods, organic foods, short chain products.First findings confirm that FTNS scale is a good instrument for predicting individuals’ willingness to try foods produced using modern technologiesMoreover first results are consistent across the different types of products and technologies tested and thus provide consistent evidence of predictive validity

Neophobia in food consumption: An empirical application of the FTNS scale in southern Italy

Through the Food Technology Neophobia Scale (FTNS) proposed by Cox and Evans (2008) this work investigates the role of consumer attitudes to food technology in determining the probability of purchasing innovative products by using a set of commonly purchased food. Six food categories with different processing levels were analyzed. Consumer choices were empirically modeled through a simultaneous system of three equations. The results confirm the strength of the FTNS scale, reflecting the dichotomy between neophobia and neophilia attitudes even in southern Italy, characterized by a very different socio-cultural context from that analyzed by Cox and Evans. The model highlights the role of both consumer attitudes to technology and socio-demographic characteristics in determining the probability of buying innovative products, providing some initial elements to define ideal customer profiles for the products considered

Measuring the economic sustainability of Italian farms using FADN data

In recent literature, the issue of sustainability and its measure has been addressed with different approaches that depend on the multidimensional nature of the concept and the specific sector and context to which it applies. The present work focuses on the economic sustainability component and suggests an operative measure at the farm level. The measure of economic sustainability has been applied to Italian family farms using Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). Based on this data, an efficiency indicator (EI) and two income indicators [a factor profitability indicator (FPI) and a comparable income indicator (CII)] expressing the ability to remunerate the entrepreneur's production factors at their opportunity cost and the farm's income capacity have been used in a principal component analysis (PCA) to build an economic sustainability index (SI). The index was used to describe Italian farms' economic sustainability levels but was also the cue to discuss problems related to identifying economic sustainability thresholds and the trade-off between efficiency and income components

Domestic food waste and covid-19 concern: An application of the theory of planned behaviour

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic rapidly and dramatically disrupted household behaviours in almost all areas and, among these, eating behaviours and daily food patterns have also been radically altered. All reported changes have potential effects in terms of food waste, which is a global problem that mainly occurs at household level. Many scholars attempted to understand the antecedents of food waste in the framework of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). In this paper we follow this strain of research by focussing on two different behaviours, suggested by the Waste Framework Directive of the EU, namely (a) reducing servings and (b) using leftovers, which may be predicted by the intention to reduce food waste. An online questionnaire containing the key constructs of the TPB and the concern towards the pandemic was administered to a sample of 201 Italian consumers. Results show that the TPB model was confirmed for both behaviours while the Covid-19 concern had no direct effect. However, in the case of portion reduction, there is a significant interaction between concern and intention not to waste food. That is, the effect of intention on reducing servings is increasing as the level of concern increases. Therefore, some indications on how to address food waste policies are drawn

Evaluating italian attitude and behaviour toward Fair Trade products

In the context of food consumption, several issues have been widely discussed in reference to a large array of attributes and product types used as evidence of growing consumer feeling toward ethical issues linked to moral and social consciousness. Animal welfare, fair prices for farmers, social aspects of production, and preservation of cultural features, are some of the product attributes for which consumer behaviour has been analyzed in the context of ethical consumerism. This paper aims at providing insights into consumer motivational systems and their relations with fair trade product purchasing behaviour. In order to pursue this goal, the effectiveness of two alternative approaches, proposed in the literature and tested in Belgium and Germany, were formally assessed in Italy. The two sets of scales were tested for predicting purchasing behaviour by using a sample of Italian consumers

Fair Trade Attitudes and Consumer Behavior in Italy: a comparative analysis of two attitudinal scales

This paper aims to provide insights into consumer motivational systems and their relations with fair trade product purchasing behavior. In order to pursue this goal, the effectiveness of two alternative approaches, proposed in the literature and tested in Belgium and Germany, were formally assessed in Italy. The two sets of scales were tested for predicting purchasing behavior by using a sample of Italian consumers. Although both sets of scales showed good internal reliability and statistical evidence of behavioral predictive validity, one of the two sets under assessment is able to depict actual behavior in much greater depth than the other

Responsibility and Sustainability in a Food Chain: A Priority Matrix Analysis

 This paper shows the results of empirical research conducted to assess the sustainability of a typical food supply chain, suggesting feasible solutions to satisfy inter-dimensional requisites of durable development. The analysis was conducted with reference to the supply chain of the San Marzano tomato (SMZ), a typical local food. The product is endowed with an origin certification label (PDO), meeting demand within high-value market niches. The SMZ is a flagship product in the Italian region of Campania and has benefited from several regionally funded interventions, such as genetic research and support for the application for EU certification of origin). Two key findings emerged from the research. First, the results allowed us to define a Stakeholder Priority and Responsibilities’ Matrix (SPRM), and monitor the sustainability trend of SMZ food supply chains. Second, the consistency between the adoption of quality strategy (brand of origin) and sustainable development of the sector was evaluated. Despite its intrinsic characteristics and its organized, well-defined structure, the SMZ food supply chain is unable to address sustainable objectives without considerable public intervention and support. In terms of sustainability, to be able to show desirable food chain characteristics, the existence of a fully collaborative relationship between the actors has to be ascertained. Identifying shared goals is essential to assign and implement coordinated actions, pooling responsibility for product quality into social and environmental dimensions

Responsibility and Sustainability in a Food Chain: A Priority Matrix Analysis

 This paper shows the results of empirical research conducted to assess the sustainability of a typical food supply chain, suggesting feasible solutions to satisfy inter-dimensional requisites of durable development. The analysis was conducted with reference to the supply chain of the San Marzano tomato (SMZ), a typical local food. The product is endowed with an origin certification label (PDO), meeting demand within high-value market niches. The SMZ is a flagship product in the Italian region of Campania and has benefited from several regionally funded interventions, such as genetic research and support for the application for EU certification of origin). Two key findings emerged from the research. First, the results allowed us to define a Stakeholder Priority and Responsibilities’ Matrix (SPRM), and monitor the sustainability trend of SMZ food supply chains. Second, the consistency between the adoption of quality strategy (brand of origin) and sustainable development of the sector was evaluated. Despite its intrinsic characteristics and its organized, well-defined structure, the SMZ food supply chain is unable to address sustainable objectives without considerable public intervention and support. In terms of sustainability, to be able to show desirable food chain characteristics, the existence of a fully collaborative relationship between the actors has to be ascertained. Identifying shared goals is essential to assign and implement coordinated actions, pooling responsibility for product quality into social and environmental dimensions