Organic food consumption - between the market, everydaylife and visions of a sustainable food culture

The paper will shortly present some of the conclusions from my Ph.D. dissertation “Or-ganic Food Consumption between the Market, Everyday Life and Vision of a Sustainable Food Culture” (2006). I will discuss how to develop the organic food consumption in a sustainable direc-tion and how to understand food consumption as part of everyday life and the food culture in gen-eral

The association between socioeconomic status and adult fast-food consumption in the U.S.

Health follows a socioeconomic status (SES) gradient in developed countries, with disease prevalence falling as SES rises. This pattern is partially attributed to differences in nutritional intake, with the poor eating the least healthy diets. This paper examines whether there is an SES gradient in one specific aspect of nutrition: fast-food consumption. Fast food is generally high in calories and low in nutrients. We use data from the 2008, 2010, and 2012 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) to test whether adult fast-food consumption in the United States falls as monetary resources rise (n = 8136). This research uses more recent data than previous fast-food studies and includes a comprehensive measure of wealth in addition to income to measure SES. We find little evidence of a gradient in adult fast-food consumption with respect to wealth. While adults in the highest quintile are 54.5% less likely to report fast-food consumption than those in the lowest quintile, adults in the second and third quintiles are no less likely to report fast food–food intake than the poorest. Contrary to popular belief, fast-food consumption rises as income rises from the lowest to middle quintiles. The variation in adult fast-food consumption across income and wealth groups is, however, small. Those in the wealthiest quintile ate about one less fast-food meal on average than those in the lowest quintile. Other factors play a bigger role in explaining fast-food consumption: reading ingredient labels is negatively associated while soda consumption and hours of work are positively associated with fast-food consumption.Accepted manuscrip

Personal determinants of organic food consumption: a review

Purpose - A lot of literature is available that discusses personal determinants of organic food consumption. However different models and determinants are used in the literature. This paper aims to provide an overview, within a framework linking Schwartz' values theory and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Also it seeks to focus on the importance of affective attitude, emotions, personal norm, involvement and uncertainty related to organic food consumption. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on secondary data sources, namely the literature concerning personal determinants of organic food consumption. Findings - Both the values theory and the theory of planned behaviour have been referred to as relevant theories for better understanding consumers' choice for organic food. Organic food consumption decisions can be explained by relating attributes of organic food with more abstract values such as "security", "hedonism", "universalism", "benevolence", "stimulation", "self-direction" and "conformity". Appealing to these values can positively influence attitudes towards organic food consumption. Besides attitude, subjective and personal norm and (perceived) behavioural control influence consumption of organic food. Research limitations/implications - More research related to the role of uncertainty (reduction) during the process of buying organic food is recommended. Practical implications - Relatively little research has examined the affective component of attitude and emotions in relation to organic food consumption, while these may play an important role as drivers of involvement and thus help to jolt food purchasers out of their routine of buying conventional food and set a first step to adopt organic food. Originality/value - To the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper providing a comprehensive overview and linking the literature on organic food consumption to the values theory and the theory of planned behaviour, including the role of personal norm and focusing on emotions. The proposed integration of mental processing in an organic food consumption model leads to interesting hypotheses and recommendations for policy makers, researchers and stakeholders involved in the organic food market

A conceptual and empirical framework to analyze the economics of consumer food waste

We develop a microeconomic model to understand food waste of consumers. We capture at-home and away-from home food consumption and distinguish between food purchases and food consumption. We allow the consumer to choose the rate of food waste at home optimally to maximize her utility. We show that consumer purchases can decline or increase with a cut in the rate of consumer waste, depending on the elasticity of food demand. Using the UK data for poultry in 2012, we also show a case where for a price elastic demand food consumption increases with a reduction in the food waste rate, but food purchases (retail sales) increase

TRANSITION AND FOOD CONSUMPTION

This paper examines why transition from planned to market economies in the countries of the former Soviet bloc has changed their mix and volumes of food consumption. During transition, consumption of high value products, such as meat and dairy products, has plummeted, while consumption of staple foods such as bread and potatoes has remained steady, or even increased. The paper shows that in the pre-reform planned economy, planners "desired" the production and national consumption of high value (and cost) foodstuffs more than consumers. When market reform resulted in consumer prices adjusting to reflect the full cost of production, consumer demand switched from high cost foods to other goods and services. The demand-driven nature of food restructuring in these countries has implications for food security, reinforcing the argument that any food security problems are not mainly the result of inadequate aggregate supplies of agricultural products.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Sustainable Consumption of Food

One of the key areas for lifestyle change in the interest of sustainable consumption is the household diet. This paper identifies concrete scenarios for dietary alternatives to high calorie diets rich in fats and sugars, based on the specialized nutrition literature, that are likely to have salutary impact on both the environment and the personal quality of life. Rough estimates of the substantial implications for agriculture of a moderate diet-change scenario are discussed. The paper then describes an approach to more systematic quantitative analysis of alternative dietary scenarios through the integration of life-cycle analysis and an input-output model of the world economy that captures likely effects of shifting comparative advantage in agriculture. Vested interests that might resist these kinds of dietary changes are identified, and approaches are suggested for enlisting their support or countering their opposition.

FOOD CONSUMPTION AND SEASONALITY

Time-series analyses of food demand often add dummy or harmonic variables to shift intercept terms during periods when seasonal effects exist. However, variable coefficients may be influenced by seasonality and the effects may vary by region. In this paper, a cluster analysis of seasonality indices for food products shows that distinct regions exist with similar seasonal patterns. Researchers could use these clusters to test for season-region interactions when other information about seasonality is unavailable.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Consumers and consumption of organic food in Central and Eastern European new member states of the European Union

Despite the significant growth of organic farms and organically managed land in Central and Eastern European new member states of the European Union (CEE NMS) the consumption of organic food in these countries remains at the very low level. The main barriers to organic food consumption growth are low availability of organic food in the sale channels where contemporary CEE NMS consumers prefer to buy food, high prices for organic products, related, inter alia, to high distribution costs and high gross margins that reflect the undeveloped nature of organic markets in CEE NMS. Further development of the organic sector in CEE NMS will contribute to the growth of organic food consumption by overcoming the supply-related barriers. Nevertheless, to increase the consumption of organic food, many efforts needed to communicate the benefits of organic food and farming to target potential consumers

Food Security Status and Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Two Economically Deprived Communities of Oakland, California, 2013-2014.

IntroductionFood security status may moderate how people perceive barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption. This study aimed to 1) describe the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and microbarriers and mezzobarriers to consumption, and 2) test whether these associations differ by food security status.MethodsWe surveyed adults (n = 531) living in 2 economically deprived communities in Oakland, California, in 2013 and 2014. Multivariate linear regression assessed associations between microbarriers (taste, cost, busyness) and mezzobarriers (produce selection, quality, and purchase ease) and fruit and vegetable consumption, derived from a 26-item dietary screener. Interactions were tested by food security status.ResultsRespondents consumed a mean 2.4 (standard deviation, 1.5) servings of fruits and vegetables daily; 39% of the sample was food insecure. Being too busy to prepare healthy foods was associated with reduced fruit and vegetable consumption (β(busyness) = -0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.52 to -0.28) among all respondents. Food security moderated the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and taste, cost, and perceived ease of purchase of healthy foods. Among the food secure, disliking healthy food taste (β(taste) = -0.38; 95% CI, -0.60 to -0.15) and cost (β(cost) = -0.29; 95% CI, -0.44 to -0.15) concerns were associated with lower consumptions of fruits and vegetables. Mezzobarriers were not significantly associated with consumption in either group.ConclusionPerceived time constraints influenced fruit and vegetable consumption. Taste and cost influenced fruit and vegetable consumption among the food secure and may need to be considered when interpreting analyses that describe dietary intake and designing diet-related interventions