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1 – 10 of over 18000
Article
Publication date: 12 March 2018

Jan Mei Soon and Carol A. Wallace

Provenance and ethical standards reflect foods that traceable and are supportive of the environment, sustainability and justice in the food supply chain. The purpose of this study…

Abstract

Purpose

Provenance and ethical standards reflect foods that traceable and are supportive of the environment, sustainability and justice in the food supply chain. The purpose of this study is to understand higher education consumers’ food choices and to examine the predictors of purchasing intention of food with provenance and ethical standards.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire was completed by 296 students and staff members of the University of Central Lancashire. The questionnaire collected information on socio-demographic profiles; food choices, provenance and ethical standards; ethical purchasing and sourcing requirements and purchasing intention of food products with provenance and ethical standards. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency of distribution of all socio-demographic characteristics. Multiple regression was used to examine if attitude, perceived behavioural control and subjective norms of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) significantly predict the consumers’ purchasing intention (Step 1). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the behavioural items using principal components estimation and varimax rotation. Multiple regression on the expanded TPB (Step 2) using the obtained factor scores were conducted to determine if the factors were significant predictors of purchasing intention of food with provenance and ethical standards.

Findings

Multiple regression on the expanded TPB model revealed that only attitude and perceived behavioural control were significant predictors of purchasing intention of food with provenance and ethical standards. The regression model explained about 50 per cent of the variance of the intent to purchase food with provenance and ethical standards where R2 = 0.50 (Adjusted R2 = 0.47). This was significantly different from zero F (5, 89) = 17.77, p < 0.001. The incorporation of “Preference for ethically sourced food” and “Perceived knowledge and status of provenance standards” did not increase the prediction of purchasing behaviour.

Originality/value

Two broad themes were identified from the factor analysis where the first factor prioritises “Preference for ethically sourced food” and the second factor conceptualises “Perceived knowledge and status of provenance standards”. The TPB was expanded to incorporate both factors but did not increase the prediction of purchasing intention. The authors recommend that other potential predictors, for example, moral concerns or perceived value of food with provenance and/or ethical standards to be tested using an extended TPB framework. The study is of value to higher and further education catering services to encourage more sustainable and local food consumption.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 48 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2018

Valentina Della Corte, Giovanna Del Gaudio and Fabiana Sepe

Increased awareness about the importance of a safe, healthy nutrition has changed human interactions with food and increased worldwide demand for high quality and ethical food. In…

1259

Abstract

Purpose

Increased awareness about the importance of a safe, healthy nutrition has changed human interactions with food and increased worldwide demand for high quality and ethical food. In this respect, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the concept of ethical food and the nature of kosher food production, assessing common traits and the main differences between the two. A literature review was undertaken in order to verify the direction in which further studies might proceed.

Design/methodology/approach

A research review on current literature was carried out exploring concepts of ethical food and food certification underpinning kosher businesses by means of an analysis of both producers’ and consumers’ perspectives. In order to proceed with an accurate analysis, the paper matches both the conceptual analysis and the bibliometric one. The overlap between these two forms of analysis makes results robust and useful for future research.

Findings

This review reveals common points between ethical and kosher food because attention is given to both processes and products and the way the market perceives them as expressions of trustworthy and safe production. Furthermore, the analysis reveals an under emphasis on kosher food in the academic world and the results reveal the importance of empirical analysis.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis is focused mainly on kosher food production as an expression of ethical food. It would be interesting, however, to expand the analysis to other types of ethical certification such as Halal food, for example, in order to perform comparative evaluations.

Practical implications

From a practical point of view, it is interesting to note that kosher food is conceived as very safe food and that non-religious people are sensitive to this, which opens new horizons for ethical food. It also offers the possibility that firms that have never considered entering the field of ethical food certification may do so to expand their businesses. This implication also reveals that there is a higher attention on sustainability and safety in agro-food market. Therefore there are great opportunities of expansion for ethical food.

Social implications

From a social point of view, this paper is of importance for several reasons. It deals with a relatively new and relatively unexplored issue; it points out the relevance of sustainability and safety in food market and consumer behavior, it presents the possibility of exploring knowledge interactions between different perspectives (multidisciplinary approach) and cultures which, in the opinion, will present significant challenge in relation to agro-food business research in the future.

Originality/value

The originality of this work is that of systematizing a literature review of ethical food, enlarging its scope and boundaries with specific reference to kosher food. It also highlights the need to focus on both management and marketing, since up to now there has been a lack of academic contributions to these areas of research. Directions for further research are outlined.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 120 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2021

Wided Batat

This paper aims to draw on the sociocultural dimensions of food luxury consumption as a new theoretical foundation to explore the consumers’ perceptions of ethical food production…

1903

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to draw on the sociocultural dimensions of food luxury consumption as a new theoretical foundation to explore the consumers’ perceptions of ethical food production and consumption practices within luxury gastronomic restaurants.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a contextualized, qualitative exploration of French luxury dining settings among 35 consumers with different profiles, food cultural backgrounds and gastronomic knowledge. Drawing on Thompson’s analysis framework, the authors captured the narratives beyond the stories told by participants that describe their perceptions and the meanings they assign to ethical food practices in Michelin-starred restaurants.

Findings

The results illustrate how consumers with different profiles perceive ethical food practices within luxury restaurants. The authors identified three segments: novice, advanced and confirmed according to participants’ acquaintance with luxury gastronomy codes and values. These three profiles served as a framework to examine consumers’ perceptions of ethical food forms – environmental sustainability, food well-being and cultural heritage – within the luxury dining setting.

Research limitations/implications

The study revealed no one dominant form of ethical food practices as emphasized in prior studies. Rather, there are multiple forms, including functional, hedonic and symbolic values, related to the degree of familiarity and knowledge of consumers in terms of their luxury gastronomic experiences. The findings show that the perception of ethical food practices within luxury restaurants can encompass additional dimensions such as food well-being and cultural preservation and transmission. This information can enrich the restaurant sustainability literature that principally focuses on health, community and the ecological aspects of food ethics in restaurants. Although this study suggests numerous new insights, there are limitations related to focusing on the French food culture. However, these limitations can help us develop other opportunities for future research.

Practical implications

The findings of this study provide luxury professionals and marketers with key insights into effective strategies to integrate sustainable practices while enhancing the luxury experience. The findings show that to encourage luxury businesses and restaurants to promote sustainable practices, it is necessary to enhance the functional, social, emotional and cultural dimensions of the perceived benefits of offering sustainable luxury experiences and reducing the constraints related to sustainability.

Social implications

With its focus on the luxury dining settings underpinning the ethical food practices from the perspective of consumers, this research offers novel insights for researchers and luxury professionals interested in ethical and sustainable business practices.

Originality/value

This research suggests a new way to study sustainability and ethical food production and consumption practices in luxury dining settings – namely, as multiple, culturally embedded perceptions related to three main profiles of luxury gastronomy consumers: novice, advanced and confirmed.

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2024

Dan Jin and Rui Qi

The primary objective of this study is to explore the nuanced interplay of conspicuous consumption, ethical label purchasing and the ensuing dynamics of civic virtue and cynicism…

Abstract

Purpose

The primary objective of this study is to explore the nuanced interplay of conspicuous consumption, ethical label purchasing and the ensuing dynamics of civic virtue and cynicism within the luxury foodservice context.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in a theoretical understanding of solidarity within the context of product consumption, this research employs a two-pronged approach involving secondary data analysis and scenario-based experimental studies. The initial phase involves analyzing firm-level data from the Euromonitor database in 2019 and 2021. The main study employs a between-subjects experimental design with a cohort of 316 participants sourced from an online panel.

Findings

The results reveal a consistent pattern in the consumption of luxury foodservice and underscore a distinct upward trajectory in consumer demand for ethically labeled food. Notably, these findings underscore the moderating role of ethical label purchasing in the relationship between conspicuous consumption and consumers civic virtue. Additionally, ethical label purchasing moderates the impact of conspicuous consumption on consumer cynicism, both directly and indirectly through emotional solidarity related to both communal and equitable principles.

Originality/value

This study holds significance for both luxury food service researchers and market design practitioners. It provides valuable insights into how ethical labeling interacts with consumers conspicuous consumption, all facilitated by emotional solidarity.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 126 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 April 2020

Adekunle Oke, Jasmina Ladas and Moira Bailey

This study aims to explore the motivation as well as barriers for ethical food consumption behaviour by focussing on the food consumption pattern of young adults in the North East…

1594

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the motivation as well as barriers for ethical food consumption behaviour by focussing on the food consumption pattern of young adults in the North East of Scotland. Considering the recent involvement of young adults in environmental activism, consumption behaviour of young adults in the North East of Scotland, an oil-based community, presents essential research interest to understand whether young adults often contemplate the consequences of their lifestyle.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors explored the perceptions of ten purposive recruited young adults using semi-structured interviews to understand factors underpinning consumer's decision-making towards ethical food products.

Findings

The study reveals three key factors influencing ethical food consumption behaviour among young adults. The findings show that personal health and well-being are the main reasons why consumers engage in ethical food consumption. Also, it is observed that information facilitates decision-making by raising awareness regarding the social, environmental and health consequences of food production and consumption. Further, the findings show that situational attributes, such as product price and product availability, are creating dissonance when engaging in ethical food consumption.

Originality/value

This study contributes to sustainability research and the ongoing debate on consumerism by exploring ethical food consumption behaviour and highlights the need to address situational challenges, such as product price and availability. The study suggests that interventions to address current consumption patterns should also emphasise the social and personal benefits of food consumption rather than the environmental benefits that have been the focus of prior research.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 122 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2019

Sergio Rivaroli, Arianna Ruggeri and Roberta Spadoni

As indicated in the Italian law (No. 109-1996), agri-food co-operatives can also play a role in combatting mafia-type systems by choosing to grow their food products in lands…

Abstract

Purpose

As indicated in the Italian law (No. 109-1996), agri-food co-operatives can also play a role in combatting mafia-type systems by choosing to grow their food products in lands confiscated from mafia-type organisations. These food products provide individuals with a new opportunity to fight criminal organisations on the marketplace. The purpose of this study is to explore how people react to a social marketing initiative devoted to promoting food “buycotting” to counteract mafia-type organisations in Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were obtained from a convenience sample of 339 Italians, and the study adopted a model inspired by the general theory of marketing ethics. A structural equation model was applied to estimate both the parameter and coefficient functions.

Findings

Individuals recognise the ethical value of “buycotting”. However, they perceive this form of critical choice as not yet being fully effective in counteracting mafia-type systems in Italy.

Practical implications

The results suggest that promotional and psychological approaches from marketing literature can be effectively used to influence the consumer’s ethical judgement by selectively communicating and emphasising the benefits of the critical consumption investigated.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to address consumers’ ethical judgments and their reactions towards buycotting food as a critical choice to reward socially responsible corporations.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2013

Amir Shani, Yaniv Belhassen and Daniel Soskolne

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the incorporation of ethics into the coursework of culinary schools, utilizing the value chain analysis as a theoretical framework to…

2778

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the incorporation of ethics into the coursework of culinary schools, utilizing the value chain analysis as a theoretical framework to explore and confront food ethics concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a review of the pertinent literature, this conceptual paper offers a theoretical framework whereby ethical issues relevant to the food industry can be tackled and then incorporated into the training of culinary professionals.

Findings

To illustrate the usefulness of the suggested framework, the paper provides a systematic analysis of ethical concerns related to the production, distribution and consumption of food.

Practical implications

Food ethics education is likely to have a positive impact on the credibility of the culinary arts' profession, at a time when there is a shift toward sustainability and ethical awareness; it is also likely to impact favorably on the opportunity of recruiting culinary professionals as agents of change regarding pressing moral challenges.

Social implications

Including ethics in the curricula of culinary schools has various positive social implications, including the development of future professionals with acknowledged ethical responsibilities toward society.

Originality/value

Despite the upsurge of ethical concerns and the controversies associated with the food industry, hitherto culinary schools have paid little attention to ethics within their curricula. In view of that, the article introduced a value‐chain perspective for integrating food ethics into culinary arts curricula.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2022

Abdul Salam, Rajendra Mulye and Kaleel Rahman

Despite its perceived benefits, organic food has very limited uptake in the consumer market. Many studies have investigated the causes of this slow adoption, but limited attention…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite its perceived benefits, organic food has very limited uptake in the consumer market. Many studies have investigated the causes of this slow adoption, but limited attention has been paid to the ethical motives of consumer preference for organic food. Also, no research has addressed this issue through an unobtrusive data collection method. Therefore, this netnography-based qualitative study explores the deontological and teleological ethical motives for organic food consumption through the lens of Hunt and Vitell's general theory of marketing ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

User-generated content in the form of posts and comments from a food-related Facebook page, Food Matters (https://www.facebook.com/foodmatters), with over 2.3m followers, was thematically analysed using Hunt and Vitell's general theory of marketing ethics. Over 1.5m posts and comments were mined through Facepager 4.0.4 after due approvals. Organic-food-related content was manually screened. Netnography, an Internet-based ethnography technique which is a relatively underutilised and unobtrusive method of data collection, was employed on selected content to understand the consumer behaviour towards organic food in an online environment.

Findings

This study analysed a total of 158,583 posts and comments generated between March 2008 and December 2019. Out of these, 2,243 posts and comments were focussed on organic food. A total of seven themes emerged out of which six were found to be inextricably linked to ethical values of organic food consumption; three deontological (moral obligations, moral accountability and moral outrage) and two teleological (perceived risk and perceived benefits) themes. However, the seventh theme, consumers' lack of trust in organic food retailers, emerged as a major barrier in the proliferation of organic food.

Originality/value

This study is the first application of Hunt and Vitell's general theory of marketing ethics in organic food. The novel findings are that trust is a bigger issue than the price differential of organic food. Implications for marketers, policymakers, retailers and certification bodies are discussed to extend the current knowledge of motives and barriers to organic food.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 March 2020

Lucia Pizzichini, Valerio Temperini and Gian Luca Gregori

This paper aims to identify what ethical attributes tourists associate with national parks’ brands shown on food souvenir labels and the influence of such attributes on purchase…

2020

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify what ethical attributes tourists associate with national parks’ brands shown on food souvenir labels and the influence of such attributes on purchase motivations.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study was carried out involving a total of 102 Italian tourists, who were interviewed at two different souvenir shops in Italy. Respondents were first asked to describe what images and values they were associating with the visited Italian National Park. The second level of questions related to the association of food products with national parks and the purchase motivations of food products branded with the national park’s label. The ethical attributes associated with the national parks’ brands and their relevance in purchase motivations were detected and analyzed through content analysis.

Findings

The analysis of the national park brand allows highlighting the food souvenir role in communicating ethical values that influence the perceived quality of food as well as tourists’ purchase motivations. The analysis reveals interesting implications for the enhancement of local productions in tourist destinations, more specifically, how the place brand can act as a valuable communication tool. Particular attention is given to the crucial role that national parks’ brands play in strengthening the value proposition of small businesses located within parks. This vision must be implemented from the perspective of mutual promotion of local food and tourism in these parks.

Originality/value

The results of this paper contributed to the literature by filling the gap regarding the role of place brands in promoting food souvenirs.

Details

Journal of Place Management and Development, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 November 2021

Amit Sharma, Phillip M. Jolly, Robert Magneson Chiles, Robin B. DiPietro, Angeline Jaykumar, Hema Kesa, Heather Monteiro, Kevin Roberts and Laure Saulais

Moral aspects of food are gaining increased attention from scholars due to growing complexity of the food system. The foodservice system is a complex arrangement of stakeholders…

Abstract

Purpose

Moral aspects of food are gaining increased attention from scholars due to growing complexity of the food system. The foodservice system is a complex arrangement of stakeholders, yet has not benefited from similar scholarly attention on the moral facets. This gap is of significance given that the foodservice system has increased in importance with the larger proportion of food consumed in foodservice environments. This paper aims to focus on the foodservice system with the goal of applying moral perspectives associated with the theoretical discussion on the principles of food ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

Food ethics is described within the theoretical framework of three principles, namely, autonomy, justice and well-being. These ethical principles are reviewed in context of the foodservice system comprised of food distribution (supply chains), preparation (foodservice establishments) and consumption (consumer demand). The review also includes international perspectives on foodservice system ethics to assess relativism (versus universalism) of moral issues.

Findings

As the foodservice system increases in complexity, greater discussion is needed on the ethics of this system. This study observes that ignoring ethical principles can negatively impact the ability of consumers, businesses and communities to make informed choices, and on their well-being. Alternatively, a focus on understanding the role of food ethics can provide an anchor for research, practice and policy development to strengthen the foodservice system. While these moral principles are universal truths, they will require relative introspection globally, based on local experiences.

Originality/value

This paper presents a moral principle-based description of food ethics that incorporates the various components of the expanding foodservice system.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

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