Search results

Describes a study to measure the quality of service provided by food‐poisoning surveillance agencies in England and Wales in terms of the requirements of a representative consumer ‐ the egg producing industry ‐ adopting “egg associated” outbreak investigation reports as the reference output. Defines and makes use of four primary performance indicators: accessibility of information; completeness of evidence supplied in food‐poisoning outbreak investigation reports as to the sources of infection in “egg‐associated” outbreaks; timeliness of information published; and utility of information and advice aimed at preventing or controlling food poisoning. Finds that quality expectations in each parameter measured are not met. Examines reasons why surveillance agencies have not delivered the quality demanded. Makes use of detailed case studies to illustrate inadequacies of current practice. Attributes failure to deliver “accessibility” to a lack of recognition on the status or nature of “consumers”, combined with a self‐maintenance motivation of the part of the surveillance agencies. Finds that failures to deliver “completeness” and “utility” may result from the same defects which give rise to the lack of “accessibility” in that, failing to recognize the consumers of a public service for what they are, the agencies feel no need to provide them with the data they require. The research indicates that self‐maintenance by scientific epidemiologists may introduce biases which when combined with a politically inspired need to transfer responsibility for food‐poisoning outbreaks, skew the conduct of investigations and their conclusions. Contends that this is compounded by serious and multiple inadequacies in the conduct of investigations, arising at least in part from the lack of training and relative inexperience of investigators, the whole conditioned by interdisciplinary rivalry between the professional groups staffing the different agencies. Finds that in addition failures to exploit or develop epidemiological technologies has affected the ability of investigators to resolve the uncertainties identified. Makes recommendations directed at improving the performance of the surveillance agencies which, if adopted will substantially enhance food poisoning control efforts.

This study aims to assess the household food security status and explore the potency of wild edible animals as a food source in the food insecurity–prone area of Bangkalan district, Madura, Indonesia.

This cross-sectional quantitative study used a mixed-method approach. A total of 66 participants were purposively recruited. Household food security was assessed using the short version of the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (US-HFSSM). A list of available wild edible animals was obtained from each interview using a structured questionnaire. For the qualitative study, an in-depth interview was conducted among key informants at subvillage level.

We found that 33.4 percent of households were food insecure. At least 18 kinds of wild edible animal protein consumed by the respondents were identified in the study area, which consisted of five kinds of insects, five kinds of fish, three types of birds, and two mammals. Most of the wild edible animals were rich in protein.

Wild edible animals can be promoted to support household food security. Villagers did not usually consider consuming wild edible animals as a normal practice as there were concerns about the taste and safety of eating wild animal foods. Methods of processing and cooking foods to improve the taste and safety aspects need to be explored. The information obtained from this study adds more evidence related to the potential of edible wild animals as a food alternative for households in food-insecure areas.

The acceptance and perception of people regarding 3D bioprinted meat are considered as primary concerns but have not been widely evaluated. This study aimed to determine how biospheric, altruistic, egoistic, ecological worldviews, awareness of consequences, social norms and personal norms affect the consumption intention of 3D bioprinted meat as a future food source.

The values-beliefs-norms theory grounded this study. An online survey was conducted with 600 valid respondents for analysis utilizing the structural equation modeling method.

It was found that the ecological worldview had the highest significance, and biospheric and egoistic values positively impacted individuals’ ecological worldview. The awareness of consequences and social norms was also seen to directly influence personal norms, leading to consumption intention. However, it was determined that altruistic values toward an ecological worldview had no significant effect, as an individual's moral values are not affected by other people's well-being.

This study was able to assess and discover the positive consumption intention among Filipinos, highlighting societal norms and pro-environmental behavior. The findings may help manufacturers market 3D bioprinted meat effectively and aid studies on environmentalism, social movements and consumer behavior, leading to acceptance of the development and proliferation of cultured meats.

There have been no studies on cultured meats such as 3D bioprinted meat in the Philippines. The current study was able to fully assess the pro-environmental behavior among Filipinos and intention for 3D bioprinted meat against the generic behavioral assessment among related studies. Comparison was presented based on the findings.

Interest is increasing interest in the links between social exclusion and access to both grocery and retail stores. There is however little knowledge of the extent to which consumers lack convenient access to retail facilities. Data from 30,000 households from the 1999‐2000 Scottish household survey were analysed to measure opinions on the convenience of local food stores and the quality and convenience of local shops and link these perceptions to a series of economic and social indicators. One out of every ten Scots households believes they do not have convenient access to a local food store, an issue which affects both rural and urban residents. Scots were also found to be very ambivalent about local stores, while e‐commerce is shown to have limited applicability as an alternative to local retail provision, particularly as an alternative source of food and groceries.

Strong evidence has shown that increased agricultural productivity and opened international trade are required to maintain and enhance food security. The multilateral trading system has been unable to keep trade open for one subset of agricultural products – those that use biotechnology in production. This chapter assesses whether preferential trade agreements can represent potential alternative sources of trade rules for dealing with trade in the products of biotechnology. This chapter analyzes and compares three case studies of preferential trade agreements (Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and Trans-Pacific Partnership), by focusing on negotiations pertaining to products of biotechnology. The three preferential trade agreements have shown little inventiveness in their attempts to put in place rules of trade for the products of modern agricultural biotechnology and have established forums where only issues can be discussed. They are forums to talk and talk without any means to force closure on negotiations. Given the inability to deal with the issue of biotechnology at the WTO or other multilateral forums, the recent and current negotiations of major preferential agreements represent the second best alternative which still needs to be analyzed and still needs to be understood by policy makers, academics, and the population at large. This chapter represents a first step in that direction.

Climate change and global population growth are threatening the sustainability of hospitality food systems. Foodservice organizations are seeking an optimal solution for this problem. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization proposed edible insects as a solution, yet the “yuck” factor discourages consumers from actively endorsing this option. Thus, this study aims to find ways to increase consumer acceptance of edible insects.

A 2 (message framing: hedonic vs utilitarian) × 2 (celebrity endorsement: absence vs presence) × 2 (social support: low vs high) between-subjects factorial design experiment was conducted.

The significant three-way interaction effects show that when celebrity endorsement is absent, there is no difference in restaurant advocacy (RA) and experience satisfaction between utilitarian and hedonic message framing, regardless of low (vs high) social support. However, when celebrity endorsement is present and social support is not lacking, a hedonic (vs a utilitarian) message had more significant effects on dependent variables. Conversely, when celebrity-endorsed messages receive high social support, utilitarian (vs hedonic) messages had a more substantial effect on the outcome variables.

This study contributes to alternative protein and associated consumer psychology and hospitality marketing literature by introducing marketing strategies for edible insects. By demonstrating the three-way interaction effects of message framing, celebrity, endorsement and social support on RA and experience satisfaction, this study could demonstrate some boundary conditions to consider when applying celebrity endorsement strategies (e.g. message framing and social support). Also, by addressing the effects of social support, this study builds upon the lack of hospitality literature on online social support.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the readiness of young Italian people to consume insects and the psychosocial determinants associated with edible insect consumption, in order to evaluate whether insect-based food could be an alternative food source.

An explorative study was conducted, using focus group interviews as the technique for data collection. In total, 32 consumers, aged 20-35 years took part in five focus group interviews.

Significant determinants comprised appearance, farming and sustainability. Participants’ willingness to eat insect-based food is dependent on the form in which the products are presented to them. Crustaceans were frequently mentioned as a comparison in terms of distaste. Lack of practice in preparation was a major barrier to consumption. To expand consumption participants suggested an active role for public health institutions. Even though with some uncertainty, there are some people prepared to consume insects.

Due to the restricted size of the sample survey, the findings are considered as exploratory research. Further investigation is required among other young adults in order to delineate promotional strategies.

There is a lack of information regarding the willingness to consume edible insects in Italy. Due to the restricted size of the sample survey, the findings are considered as exploratory research. Further investigation is required among other young adults in order to delineate promotional strategies.

To examine the market potential for lab-grown meat (LGM) in Australia by: (1) determining consumers' willingness to consume LGM; (2) exploring heterogeneity in both consumers' willingness to consume LGM and food choice values; and (3) characterizing unique consumer clusters (segments) using socio-demographic, behavioral and psychosocial factors.

Latent class cluster analysis was conducted using online survey data obtained from a nationally representative sample of 1,078 Australian food shoppers.

Six consumer clusters were identified, each distinct in their degree of willingness to consume LGM and in their food choice values. Three clusters (49% of consumers) indicated some willingness to consume LGM. One segment, “Prospective LGM eaters” (12%), appeared “very willing” to consume LGM. These consumers were more likely to be younger (<35 years); university-educated; have greater prior awareness of LGM; stronger beliefs regarding the potential self- and society-related benefits of growing demand for LGM; and higher trust in diverse information sources.

Insights on the characteristics of each cluster provide useful information for the industry on how to tailor product development and marketing strategies to address the needs of consumers with the greatest potential to consume LGM.

This is the first consumer research on the topic of LGM to explore market opportunities for LGM in Australia using a nationally representative consumer sample.

“It is generally accepted that the food industry must be scientifically based to cope with the problems, particularly of public health, which arise as new processes of growing, manufacturing, packaging and preserving food depart even further from traditional ways.”

The purpose of this study is to establish household‐level food security risks associated with climate variation, and how households respond to these risks in a patriarchal society such as in Northern Cameroon where subsistence women producers have less control over resources required to support the food production sector which depends entirely on the quality of the rainy season.

Primary data from 116 female‐headed households (FHHs) and 184 male‐headed households (MHHs) is examined for the three Northern provinces of Cameroon. The survey generated information on the response and coping strategies to climatic variation; and the socioeconomic impacts of climate on households. The multinomial logit model is employed to establish the determinants of the choice selection for climate risk coping options by households.

Both FHHs and MHHs are exposed to stresses related to food production and availability, low incomes and food accessibility and utilization of food supplies, heightened by the real and perceived effects of the variability of current climate. Short‐term coping choices include diversification of livelihood which in turn impacts food accessibility and consumption choices.

A seasonal pattern is revealed in household expenditure with households spending more than 70 percent of their income on food in spring. The lowest food expenditures are in summer. Market and income manipulation choices for food supply stability include a range of non‐farm income generation strategies to cope with expected shortages induced by climatic variability. The current climate variation, household demography, and farming conditions via access to credit, tenure, and extension service delivery are significant determinants of coping choices for households perceiving change in climatic patterns.

Significant seasonal patterns in household food availability, accessibility and utilization are observed with important implications for both household welfare and as precursor to long‐term adaptation to climate change.