Empirical analysis of choice behaviour and attitudes

Konsumenten stehen beim Kauf von Lebensmitteln einer großen Anzahl an Produkten gegenüber. Eine hohe Dichte an Informationen bezüglich der Zutaten, Herkunft oder des Produktionsverfahrens sind verfügbar. Dadurch können Konsumenten nicht nur über Inhalts- und Nährstoffe der Produkte entscheiden, sondern auch über das System, in dem Nahrungsmittel produziert werden. Somit beeinflussen Entscheidungen rund um die Lebensmittelwahl nicht nur das individuelle Wohl, sondern auch das Gesellschaftliche. Primäres Ziel der Dissertation ist es, (i) einen Beitrag zum Wissen und der Erklärung von Verbraucherpräferenzen zu leisten, und (ii) Implikationen und Empfehlungen für Regierungen, Politiken und insbesondere die Wissenschaft abzuleiten. Am Beispiel von Schulmilch und der Tierhaltung werden Präferenzen für Produkte, Produktattribute und für Produktionssysteme der Landwirtschaft untersucht. Sowohl das Entscheidungsverhalten als auch Einstellungen von Verbrauchern werden betrachtet. Das Entscheidungsverhalten von Kindern und Jugendlichen bei Schulmilch ist deswegen von Interesse, da sich Ernährungsgewohnheiten in der Kindheit ausbilden bzw. diese erlernt werden. Die Einflussfaktoren auf die Nachfrage nach Schulmilch werden im ersten Beitrag untersucht. Das Nachfragemodell, welches auf der Methode der Multilevelanalyse beruht, berücksichtigt sowohl individuelle Merkmale der Kinder als auch Merkmale der Familie und des Schulkontextes. Dabei werden vier Level bzw. Ebenen unterschieden: die Preis-, Schüler-, Klassen- und Schulebene. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Produktpreis (d.h. die Verfügbarkeit einer Subvention) für die Nachfrage nach Schulmilch von Bedeutung ist. Der Anteil der Schüler, die bei einer stärkeren Subventionierung der Preise zusätzlich Schulmilch bestellen, ist jedoch relativ gering. Zudem haben individuelle Faktoren, wie Konsumgewohnheiten zuhause, sozio-demografische Merkmale oder Einstellungen gegenüber Milch einen signifikanten Einfluss. Die Ergebnisse liefern Hinweise auf Sozialisationseffekte und Rollenvorbilder (role modelling), da Einstellungen und Verhalten der Eltern und Lehrer die Entscheidungen der Kinder signifikant beeinflussen. Die Analyse der Präferenzen für Schulmilch in Abhängigkeit des Geschlechtes steht im zweiten Beitrag im Vordergrund. Die Ergebnisse der Multilevelanalyse bestätigen, dass identische und unterschiedliche Faktoren die Schulmilchnachfrage von Jungen und Mädchen bestimmen. Der dritte Beitrag analysiert, ob die am Markt existierenden Schulmilchprodukte (noch) den Präferenzen von jungen Erwachsenen entsprechen. Ergebnisse des Nested Logit-Modells zeigen, dass eine breitere Produktpalette präferiert wird. Weiterhin sind sich die Jugendlichen über den Fett- und Zuckergehalt und die Auswirkungen auf Gesundheit und Körpergewicht bewusst. Wie erwartet, hat der Preis einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Entscheidung der Jugendlichen. In Bezug auf die Tierhaltung sind das Wissen und Verständnis der Verbraucherpräferenzen ebenfalls von großem Interesse, da die heutige Landwirtschaft und Lebensmittelproduktion häufig sehr kritisch in der Öffentlichkeit und den Medien diskutiert wird. Im vierten Beitrag werden daher am Beispiel der modernen Schweinehaltung die gesellschaftlichen Einstellungen für landwirtschaftliche Produktionssysteme untersucht. Der Hauptkritikpunkt der Diskutanten ist der zur Verfügung stehende Platz pro Tier. Obwohl die Wahrnehmungen und Einstellungen gegenüber der modernen Schweinehaltung generell negativ bzw. kritisch sind, ergibt sich ein differenziertes Bild in der deutschen Bevölkerung. Drei Gruppen mit sehr unterschiedlichen Einstellungen werden bestimmt. Insgesamt zeigen die Ergebnisse der Dissertation, dass durch die Kombination von methodischen Ansätzen detaillierte Erkenntnisse von Verbraucherpräferenzen gewonnen werden können. Bei der Analyse des Entscheidungsverhaltens werden auf Basis von revealed und stated preference-Daten eine Vielzahl an Einflussfaktoren, die das Nachfrageverhalten nach Schulmilch beeinflussen, identifiziert. Zudem werden durch die Kombination von qualitativen mit quantitativen Methoden die in der Gesellschaft vorherrschenden Einstellungen gegenüber der modernen Schweinehaltung detailliert erfasst. Letztendlich werden Konsumenten auch nicht nur in ihrer Rolle als Entscheider oder Käufer betrachtet, sondern auch in ihrer Rolle als Bürger oder als Teil der Gesellschaft

Milking challenges while drinking foreign milk: the case of Ghana’s dairy sector

While the domestic milk production sector of Ghana remains stagnant over the years, dairy processing on the other hand is continually witnessing growth relying largely on milk powder and other dairy products imports mainly from EU member countries. The EU is blamed for the underdevelopment of the domestic dairy sector of many African nations. However, evidence that either prove or refute these growing criticisms are missing. This study was thus initiated to examine Ghana’s dairy sector with an emphasis on those parts of the value chain where imported milk powder is used. The study shows that the dairy processing industry is continually expanding relying largely on milk powder imports mainly from EU member countries. Also, processors expect an increase in consumer preferences for more diversified dairy products in the near future. This implies further growth of the processing industry which already relies largely on imported input. The study identified myriads of challenges facing the Ghanaian dairy sector which altogether contribute to its inability to contribute to the processing industry’s needs. Notwithstanding, any attempt to address the challenges of the sector should focus not only on economic and political aspects such as self-sufficiency, sovereignty, and trade dependency but also climate conditions, the use of natural resources and their subsequent environmental impacts should be considered

Does everyone reject modern pig production? Identification and characterisation of societal groups in Germany

Today’s agriculture and food production has been topic in public discussions and the media in the last years. Societal perceptions and imaginations of agriculture seem to be far away from reality. There is no indication of a declining gap between consumers’ expectations and their perception of animal husbandry. However, precise information about expectations and priorities of the population are unknown. Thus, the paper concentrates on society’s views and opinions. On the example of intensive pig production, the objective of the study is to analyse societal perceptions, expectations and main points of criticism. It also aims on the identification and characterisation of societal groups with almost identical attitudes.By combining exploratory focus groups with a quantitative survey, a mixed method approach is pursued. Focus groups are carried out in September 2012 in three German cities to capture a variety of opinions and concerns among the population. On the basis of findings from focus groups a quantitative survey is carried out in spring 2013 per online survey with approximately 1500 German citizens to quantify qualitative results.The surveys’ findings confirmed many of the critical views gained in the focus groups. On the basis of four extracted attitudinal factors three groups with heterogeneous opinions are differentiated with respect to modern pig production. Besides a very engaged group which is characterised by a strong criticism in general and a strong critical perception of current production systems, also a considerable group accepting modern animal husbandry was identified. The multinomial logit regression finally allows for a characterisation of the identified societal segments by sociodemographic and regional aspects. Additionally, the question of responsibility and the acceptance of consequences of several governmental actions are included in the model. It turns out that gender and agricultural knowledge of the people are significant determinants in explaining cluster membership. Interestingly, opponents more often have a good knowledge of agriculture. These findings imply that negative attitudes cannot be traced back to a missing knowledge

What is the benefit of organically-reared dairy cattle? Societal perception towards conventional and organic dairy farming

During the last years, current systems in agriculture and food production have been topic in public discussions. Especially modern animal husbandry seems not to match consumers’ or societal needs any longer. This paper concentrates on the society’s perspective regarding dairy farming in general and diverting perceptions and expectations with respect to dairy cattle either reared organically or reared conventionally. It aims to give orientation to farmers as well as policymakers about the societal point of view of dairy farming.Six focus groups were carried out in three German cities to capture the scope of opinions and expectations among the population. Three of those groups consisted of participants buying mainly organic food while the other three comprised citizens buying mainly conventional food.With respect to society’s perception of today’s dairy farming results showed that participants put emphasis on the following topics: the space for each cow was considered as insufficient and not species-appropriate, assumed application of medications as too high, and in particular the prophylactic use of antibiotics as problematic.Asked about perceived differences between organic versus conventional farming it became obvious that organic in contrast to the conventional farming was perceived as more species-appropriate. More or less, all previously criticized aspects seem to be regarded as irrelevant in organic farming. Some participants showed a very romantic view of organic dairy farming. The most critical point was an assumed high rate of rogue traders among organic farmers

Analysing purchasing behaviour: A consumer segmentation of fresh-meat shoppers in Germany

Negative effects of heavy meat consumption have been critically discussed in politics, the public and science for a long time. As there is heterogeneity in consumer behaviour, targeted measures regarding behaviour management can hardly be implemented on the basis of an average consumption levels but should take into account different consumer segments. Therefore, this study performs a segmentation and characterisation of fresh-meat-shoppers based on household panel data provided by the GfK. A cluster analysis was performed based on the average per capita monthly purchasing shares of five different meat types. A multinomial logistic regression was used to characterize the different segments regarding sociodemographic aspects, people’s attitudes towards food and meat shopping, total purchasing intensity and different shopping locations. The authors found a four-cluster solution, identifying a segment of poultry lovers (24 %), a segment of beef, lamb & speciality purchasers (17 %), a segment of mixed product eaters (15 %) and a segment of pork buyers (45 %). Households assigned to the largest cluster of “pork buyers” have an above-average monthly meat purchase while being price-sensitive. Future policy instruments such as meat tax could address this buyer segment in particular, and probably decrease overall meat purchases. However, it should not be neglected that “beef, lamb & speciality purchasers” also have an above-average monthly meat purchase, causing particularly negative environmental effects. As this buyer segment has a rather high income and reports to be less price sensitive, it might be a challenge to influence their purchasing behaviour by taxing meat products

Preferences for School Milk - How Juveniles Differ

Snacks and lunches offered at school can decisively influence children’s dietary habits. In the light of discussions to establish prevention and intervention programs to abate current trends of rising childhood obesity, children’s preferences for food items with lower calorie content gain on importance. But youths preferences concerning different school milk products are not well-known. Therefore, the objective is to investigate if the milk products offered at school still meet older children’s preferences or if modifications could prove to be useful. Based on outcomes of an online survey covering a choice experiment and conducted among juveniles in Germany the probability that youths benefit from different products as well as varying prices, sugar and fat contents is estimated. Socio-demographics, psycho-metrics and perceived weight status are employed to explain youths choices preferring novel school milk products yet unavailable in German schools. Results of the choice experiment show that youths aged 15-18 are a heterogeneous group. They prefer a wider range of different products including drinking yoghurt as an option as well. Results indicate that nutritional aspects (low sugar/fat content, artificial sweetener) and body image are important for some of them

What is the benefit of organically-reared dairy cattle? Societal perception towards conventional and organic dairy farming

During the last years, current systems in agriculture and food production have been topic in public discussions. Especially modern animal husbandry seems not to match consumers’ or societal needs any longer. This paper concentrates on the society’s perspective regarding dairy farming in general and diverting perceptions and expectations with respect to dairy cattle either reared organically or reared conventionally. It aims to give orientation to farmers as well as policymakers about the societal point of view of dairy farming.Six focus groups were carried out in three German cities to capture the scope of opinions and expectations among the population. Three of those groups consisted of participants buying mainly organic food while the other three comprised citizens buying mainly conventional food.With respect to society’s perception of today’s dairy farming results showed that participants put emphasis on the following topics: the space for each cow was considered as insufficient and not species-appropriate, assumed application of medications as too high, and in particular the prophylactic use of antibiotics as problematic.Asked about perceived differences between organic versus conventional farming it became obvious that organic in contrast to the conventional farming was perceived as more species-appropriate. More or less, all previously criticized aspects seem to be regarded as irrelevant in organic farming. Some participants showed a very romantic view of organic dairy farming. The most critical point was an assumed high rate of rogue traders among organic farmers

“Value creation pays”: a business model canvas approach to improve post-production activities in Senegal’s broiler industry

The chicken production sector of Senegal has witnessed a significant growth after the ban on imported chicken meat was enacted in 2006. Nevertheless, the post-production sector which entails processing, distribution and marketing of chicken meat remains almost undeveloped. This study was carried out with an aim of first assessing activities in the post-production chain in detail, and second, proposing solutions for upgrade dwelling on the Business Model Canvas. As assumed, this study finds very minimal value addition activities in the chain. Moreover, processing, distribution and marketing activities pose significant health threats to consumers. Overall, an expansion of the cold chain and processing of broiler meat into pieces is recommended to ensure food safety and product diversity and accessibility. The business model canvas describes recommendations for improving activities in the chicken meat value chain and focuses on collaboration, sustainability, and scalability. The jobs created at the level of production due to the import ban could be of great importance to the economy of Senegal. For this reason, activities in the post-production chain should be given the needed attention

School Milk Consumption in Germany - What are Important Product Attributes for Children and Parents?

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Pros and Cons of Introducing a Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling for Dairy Products in Germany

In Germany, different voluntary labelling schemes are in place to describe the origin of dairy products covering varying degrees of binding conditions, for example, brands with geographical information privately defined combined with relatively vague obligations, private label initiatives (e.g., Regionalfenster)1In contrast to other products, like most meats, fruit and vegetables, provision of information on the country of origin or place of provenance is not mandatory for milk and milk as an ingredient. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers identifies the need to explore the possibility to extend mandatory origin labelling for selected foodstuff categories, i.e. dairy. Thus the EU issued a study aiming to evaluate cost and benefits of introducing a mandatory country of origin labelling (MCOOL) for dairy products (EU Commission, 2015). The study intended to analyse a range of issues covering the need of consumers to be informed, the feasibility of providing mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance, and, an analysis of the measures’ economic implications, including the aspects concerning the common market and likely impacts on international trade