Public Acceptance of Antibiotic Use in Livestock Production Canada and Germany

The use of antibiotics in livestock production has repeatedly been in the dock over the last few years. However, reducing antibiotic treatments without increasing the suffering of animals requires changes in animal husbandry practices which will likely come at a cost. The objective of the paper is to investigate the factors influencing consumers’ willingness to consume products of animals that have been treated with antibiotics, their willingness to pay for a considerable reduction in the use of antibiotics and their willingness to consider animal welfare in the context of ‘antibiotic free’ livestock production. The study is based on an online survey of citizens in Germany and Canada, conducted in October 2016. The results reveal differences in the individual’s willingness to consume livestock products from animals treated with antibiotics between Canada and Germany with lower acceptance rates in the latter. Results also show that in both countries individuals with higher concerns about the treatment of animals more strongly reject the use of antibiotics in livestock production. This might indicate that consumers are not aware that banning antibiotics in livestock production might have negative repercussions for animal welfare

Eco-friendly alternatives to food packed in plastics: German consumers’ purchase intentions for different bio-based packaging strategies

Growing concern about the environmental consequences of plastic packaging has led to the development of strategies that discourage single-use fossil-based plastic packaging and promote sustainable bio-based alternatives. Nevertheless, it is unclear how different bio-based packaging strategies are perceived by consumers. Research suggests an ambivalent relationship regarding bioplastics and a positive perception of paper. In this study, we investigated how consumers’ purchase intentions differ for two bio-based packaging alternatives—bioplastic and paper—in comparison to recyclable fossil-based plastic packaging for three products: fresh soft fruits, margarine/butter, and vegetable oil. Moreover, we explored the mediating roles of perceived eco-friendliness and perceived convenience and tested the moderation effect of green consumption values. In total, 2755 German consumers completed an online survey with a 3x3 between-subjects design in January 2022. The findings show that consumers’ purchase intentions differed between different packaging types and products. The higher consumers perceived the eco-friendliness of the packaging, the higher their purchase intention. This effect was stronger for people with higher green consumption values. While paper-based food packaging was perceived as most eco-friendly, it was not always perceived as convenient, and may therefore lead to rejection. For fresh soft fruits, paper-based packaging appears to be the best solution for consumers. For vegetable oil, the bioplastic option received the highest purchase intention. Nevertheless, there are product categories—such as margarine/butter—where the benefits of bio-based packaging are not obvious to consumers and should therefore be communicated clearly

Public Acceptance of Antibiotic Use in Livestock Production Canada and Germany

The use of antibiotics in livestock production has repeatedly been in the dock over the last few years. However, reducing antibiotic treatments without increasing the suffering of animals requires changes in animal husbandry practices which will likely come at a cost. The objective of the paper is to investigate the factors influencing consumers’ willingness to consume products of animals that have been treated with antibiotics, their willingness to pay for a considerable reduction in the use of antibiotics and their willingness to consider animal welfare in the context of ‘antibiotic free’ livestock production. The study is based on an online survey of citizens in Germany and Canada, conducted in October 2016. The results reveal differences in the individual’s willingness to consume livestock products from animals treated with antibiotics between Canada and Germany with lower acceptance rates in the latter. Results also show that in both countries individuals with higher concerns about the treatment of animals more strongly reject the use of antibiotics in livestock production. This might indicate that consumers are not aware that banning antibiotics in livestock production might have negative repercussions for animal welfare

Jumping on the Bandwagon of Responsibility—Or Not? Consumers’ Perceived Role in the Meat Sector

It is evident that sustainable meat consumption and production require shared responsibility for actions and consequences by consumers and producers. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the relevant focus areas within the meat food value chain that consumers attach relevance to. Furthermore, the study provides an understanding of potential actions of consumer social responsibility (CNSR) and reasons for not taking responsibility. The study is based on an online consumer survey (n = 1003) including standardized and open-ended questions. Data were analyzed via content analysis using a combination of inductive and deductive analyses in an iterative process. Results reveal that consumers consider animal husbandry as the core area where there is a need to take responsibility. This is followed by food safety, slaughtering, and transport, while environment and social issues related to the working conditions of employees are judged to have lower relevance. In most focus areas, the large majority of respondents attribute responsibility to one or several of the other stakeholder groups but not to consumers of meat products. Recommendations for the meat sector as well as for policymakers are derived in this paper to further encourage meat consumers to take their part of the overall responsibility

Sustainability-Related In-Store Interventions in Experimental Online Supermarkets - A Systematic Review

This PRISMA compliant intervention review is the first systematic review that aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the effectiveness of food and non-alcoholic beverage in-store interventions applied in experimental online supermarkets. Thereby, this intervention review considers in-store interventions of different sustainability aspects (e.g., environment, social issues, health). Experimental online supermarkets considered in this literature review are online supermarkets that emulate a real online supermarket and in which a randomized controlled trial has been conducted. As there is currently no framework for classifying experimental online supermarkets, this systematic literature review further attempts to develop a classification of experimental online supermarkets based on their layout, functionalities, characteristics and perceived realism

Vegetarianism/Veganism: A Way to Feel Good

Previous studies have identified health, the environment and animal welfare as key motivations for becoming and remaining vegetarian/vegan. However, the idea of vegetarianism/veganism appears to have interesting facets that go beyond those drivers. This paper describes and examines this attraction. Twenty-six in depth interviews and two group discussions were conducted using the Morphological Psychology approach, which allows the revelation of conscious as well as unconscious drivers based on the detailed narrations of the interviewees. We conclude that the attractiveness of vegetarianism/veganism cannot only be explained by the classical and conscious motivations of a meatless or animal-free diet such as improving health and animal welfare. It also comprises less conscious or unconscious drivers of vegetarianism/veganism such as empowerment and enrichment, regaining autonomy and creating identity and superiority in addition to and partly through liberation from a meat production system which is perceived as destructive and threatening