Search results

1 – 10 of over 12000
Book part
Publication date: 20 August 2016

Raffaella Cagliano, Federico F. A. Caniato and Christopher G. Worley

This chapter compares and discusses the 10 sustainability-oriented food supply chain innovations described in the previous chapters. Our purpose is to address and reflect on the…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter compares and discusses the 10 sustainability-oriented food supply chain innovations described in the previous chapters. Our purpose is to address and reflect on the questions and challenges introduced in the first chapter.

Methodology/approach

The cases are first analyzed in terms of the extent to which the innovations were motivated and impacted the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainability. The various sustainable food supply chain practices adopted are compared. The third section explores the innovation strategies used in the cases, including the type of strategy, the breadth and level of innovativeness of the strategy, the governance approach, and the extent of capability development required. The final section presents our conclusions.

Findings

The results suggest that to become truly sustainable, companies need to adopt a broad set of practices that address all three dimensions of sustainability, and develop strategies to make the sustainability-oriented innovation economically viable. The more radical and systemic the innovation, the more difficult it is to generate these outcomes.

Details

Organizing Supply Chain Processes for Sustainable Innovation in the Agri-Food Industry
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-488-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2015

Marie von Meyer-Höfer, Sina Nitzko and Achim Spiller

While the European organic regulation exists since more than 20 years consumers still do not seem to know what to expect from European Union (EU) labelled organic food. The…

2313

Abstract

Purpose

While the European organic regulation exists since more than 20 years consumers still do not seem to know what to expect from European Union (EU) labelled organic food. The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer expectations towards organic food in mature and emerging EU organic food markets.

Design/methodology/approach

Online consumer survey data (n=1,180; 2011) from Germany, the UK, Spain, and the Czech Republic are used to analyse the question: “Which criteria would you expect of an organic food product labelled with the EU-organic label?”. In total, 23 items including organic production criteria according to EC 834/07 and unregulated food quality criteria are tested. Mean value analysis and exploratory factor analysis are performed.

Findings

Consumers expect organic food to be free from chemical pesticides and mineral fertilisers. In total, two factors affect consumers’ expectations: naturalness of organic food products; additional sustainability aspects like, e.g. resource saving. However, several differences between the analysed countries exist. Although there does not seem to be a big gap between what consumers expect from organic food and what EU organic labelled products fulfil, some attributes might not mean the same to each consumer which could be a source of consumer disappointment.

Practical implications

Consequently policy makers as well as market actors should take this risk seriously and use terms like “naturalness” only with great caution when promoting organic food.

Originality/value

Further cross-country studies focusing on consumer expectations towards organic food are still needed, because until today only few studies deal with consumer and marketing issues in EU countries with different organic market development.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 117 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Minerva Hidalgo-Milpa, Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán, Alfredo Cesín-Vargas and Angélica Espinoza-Ortega

– The purpose of this paper is to characterize consumers of traditional foods, taking as case study fresh cheeses produced in a village, in Central Mexico.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to characterize consumers of traditional foods, taking as case study fresh cheeses produced in a village, in Central Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were applied to a sample of 150 consumers, selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling. A factorial analysis by principal component analysis was performed to the data, followed by a cluster analysis.

Findings

Four factors were obtained, named: artisanship, health and well-being, liking, and satisfaction with the purchase. Three consumer groups were identified: practical, in the process of valorization, and with liking and tradition. The socioeconomic characteristics of consumers do not have a relationship in the classification of groups. It is concluded that the consumption of fresh cheeses is due to a number of social and cultural attributes, and in lesser proportion, to economic aspects.

Originality/value

At present, as part of life in a dynamic society, people have the power of choice in the food they consume, a process that involves cultural, social, economic, political, and ideological aspects, established by the consumers themselves, or by a determined social group to which they belong. This has not been researched in Mexico. Being an emerging economy immersed in a rapid process of globalization, studies like this contribute in similar countries of Latin America and other places to find ways to valorize local foods and products that play important roles in the development of rural communities.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 118 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2021

Alexandre Silva, Elisabete Figueiredo, Mónica Truninger, Celeste Eusébio and Teresa Forte

The purpose of this paper is to explore and typify the characteristics and diverse features of urban speciality stores selling rural provenance food, taking the case of three…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and typify the characteristics and diverse features of urban speciality stores selling rural provenance food, taking the case of three cities in Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on hierarchical cluster analysis, performed upon data collected from a survey to 113 shops, located in Aveiro (n = 15), Lisbon (n = 56) and Porto (n = 42).

Findings

The study identified three clusters of shops according to the type of rural provenance products sold, services provided and clientele characteristics: the wine focused, the rural provenance focused and the generalist. The study confirms that in Portugal, small food retail outlets, with different rural provenance patterns and degrees of specialization have considerably grown in large cities over the last decade.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to typifying urban speciality food stores selling rural provenance products and to addressing critical research gaps on this topic. The study highlights the dynamism of small food retail outlets and their significance, mediating and responding to changing patterns of food consumption in urban spaces.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding and characterization of food speciality shops in urban settings and their links with rural territories of provenance, an under-researched topic on the food retail literature.

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2020

Lin Sun, Li Tao Ye and Michael R. Reed

Against the background of the rapid increase of total imported food in China, China's imported high-quality food has increased more than low-quality ones, and China's imported food

Abstract

Purpose

Against the background of the rapid increase of total imported food in China, China's imported high-quality food has increased more than low-quality ones, and China's imported food quality structure has continuously improved. It is a new issue that needs further examination.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the assumption of non-homothetic preference, this paper apply the method provided by Eaton and Kortum (2002) in a new theoretical model and empirically analyzes the impact of per capita income on the quality structure of imported food by using SYS-GMM with firm import data from Chinese customs.

Findings

The study finds that income is a significant factor which affects the imported food quality structure in China. The higher the per capita income, the higher the imported food quality structure. Furthermore, per capita income has a significant positive impact on the imported food quality structure in different quality groups. The research confirms that China import more food with the highest quality as its per capita income increases.

Research limitations/implications

Chinese policymaker needs to reconsider the role of food imports in improving food quality structure. The aim of the Chinese food industry's supply-side reform should be not only to remove excess capacity but also to produce high-quality products that meet the demand of discriminating consumers.

Originality/value

This paper constructs a new theme for imported food quality structure and investigates import food quality structure improvement from the perspective of demand by incorporating non-homothetic preferences. Another feature of this paper is that it conducts an empirical analysis with unique and highly disaggregated firm import data from Chinese customs to measure imported food quality, which is more refined than the national-product dimension data.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2011

Irena Ozimek and Sylwia Żakowska‐Biemans

The purpose of this paper is to reveal factors underlying Polish consumers' food choices and particularly their perception of food quality attributes in relation to selected food

4211

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal factors underlying Polish consumers' food choices and particularly their perception of food quality attributes in relation to selected food products and points of sale and to reflect on the implication of shifting consumers' expectation towards food for the national food industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a review of previous research results relevant for the problem analyzed – emphasizing the results from the authors' own research conducted in the years 2000‐2007 with the use of quantitative approach on representative in terms of gender, level of education, place of residence samples of Polish consumers.

Findings

Polish consumers are more and more concerned with various food quality attributes and particularly sensory properties, healthiness and safety. They differentiate between quality of foodstuffs offered in various points of sale and have favorable opinions about specialized shops and tend to perceive the quality of food bought in super and hypermarkets as inferior. Perception of food quality is dependent on the product being assessed, and foodstuffs addressed to particular groups such has infants and people facing health problems were perceived as having high quality, while food with additives, highly processed and genetically modified was assessed as having low quality.

Research limitations/implications

The results have implications for the Polish food sector in terms of highlighting the aspects related to food quality that influence Polish consumers' food choices.

Originality/value

The paper provides a review of previous research results on Polish consumers relevant for the problem analyzed and give insights into Polish consumers' food choices and their perception of various quality cues. It is of value for the companies operating on the Polish food market and could be used for developing communication strategies and identification of future research areas.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 113 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 October 2022

Grace Clare, Miranda Mirosa and Phil Bremer

The study analyses the resilience of food rescue organisations’ operating as “essential services” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) in Aotearoa New Zealand. It…

Abstract

Purpose

The study analyses the resilience of food rescue organisations’ operating as “essential services” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) in Aotearoa New Zealand. It explores the impact of COVID-19 on the organisations’ operation, preparedness, and potential positive impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 19 out of 23 active food rescue organisations across the country. Interview participants included CEOs, founders, managers, and coordinators.

Findings

The study identifies six impact areas experienced by food rescue organisations during COVID-19, policy and preparedness, funding, operation - logistics and personnel, supply continuity, food security and sector collaboration. Despite these impacts, the organisations showcased admirable resilience through innovation, adaptability, and collaborative practices, enabling the continuation of their services during the crisis.

Practical implications

The paper provides a three-stage crisis management framework to guide the development and implementation of a crisis management plan to improve the resilience and preparedness of food rescue organisations’ response to future crises. The framework is flexible and adaptable to each food rescue organisation’s unique operation and capacity.

Originality/value

This paper offers a retrospective analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 on 83% of food rescue organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is the first paper to study the impact of COVID-19 on food rescue organisations.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 125 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2017

Bo Yan, Zhuo Chen and Hanwen Kang

The purpose of this paper is to identify the risk factors that affect aquatic product quality in the “farming-supermarket docking” condition. This paper investigates how the…

1183

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the risk factors that affect aquatic product quality in the “farming-supermarket docking” condition. This paper investigates how the investment scale can affect earnings and aquatic product quality assurance level. Also, it aims to determine an effective method for increasing aquatic product assurance level, coordinate the supply chain and improve management of the entire supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors construct a coordination model for quality risk control of the aquatic supply chain by simulating the model in a tilapia supply chain using the case study method. They applied Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions to analyze upstream enterprises (breeding base) and downstream enterprises (corresponding supermarket) under the conditions of sufficient or insufficient funds, Further, they consider the relationships among revenue, optimum quality assurance and investment scale at different capital positions; discuss the best cooperation conditions in four cases; and draw conclusions on ways to control quality risk.

Findings

The proposed coordination model is found to be effective in controlling aquatic product quality risk. The simulation results show that when the enterprise funds are sufficient, the sales prices, product freshness, quality assurance ability, collaboration and quality test ability have a positive influence on quality assurance level, whereas coefficient and price sensitivity have a negative influence on it. Additionally, it can obtain high-quality assurance levels and earnings in both breeding bases and supermarkets under the condition of adequate investment.

Originality/value

The study built a coordination model combined with the characteristics of the aquatic supply chain by adding the quality penalty mechanism, product freshness parameters and cost function in the “farming-supermarket docking” mode into the traditional principal–agent model. Research results are beneficial to enhancing the quality assurance level of the aquatic supply chain and improving the coordination level of the supply chain.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 September 2006

Maki Hatanaka, Carmen Bain and Lawrence Busch

In recent years the production and consumption of food have become both more transnational and diversified. Concurrent with these transformations has been the increasing use of…

Abstract

In recent years the production and consumption of food have become both more transnational and diversified. Concurrent with these transformations has been the increasing use of standards to differentiate both agricultural products and processes. Historically standards were understood as “natural market lubricants,” but today they are increasingly viewed as tools for competitive advantage. As the use of standards has proliferated, the need to ensure compliance has also increased. Third-party certification (TPC) is one way to ensure compliance and it is becoming increasingly prominent in the global agrifood system. This chapter examines the complex effects that the widespread implementation of standards and TPC is having on the global agrifood system. What is occurring is not simple standardization and differentiation, but rather differentiated standardization and standardized differentiation. In the first instance, whereas we have standardization, it is differentiated, as multiple options remain. For example, while TPC for food safety and quality is becoming increasingly common, what such certification means continues to have considerable diversity. In the latter case, different kinds of agricultural practices are becoming standardized (i.e., organic). That is, difference (e.g., alternative agriculture) is becoming standardized, so that it is increasingly becoming the same globally. In concluding, we argue that standardization and differentiation are both taking place simultaneously in the global agrifood system, and that analyses of the globalization of food and agriculture must begin to recognize this.

Details

Between the Local and the Global
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-417-1

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2008

Martin Hingley, Valeria Sodano and Adam Lindgreen

The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to review the literature in order to assess the opportunities and the possible welfare effects of differentiation strategies in the…

7242

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to review the literature in order to assess the opportunities and the possible welfare effects of differentiation strategies in the food market; and second, to analyse the current structure and organisation of the fresh produce market (fruit, vegetable, and salad) in the light of new product procurement, innovation, and differentiation policies carried out by retailers at the global level.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used a single dyadic case study across two countries (Italy and the UK): the primary producer is engaged in “partner” supply to a principal category management intermediary for channel leading multiple retailers.

Findings

First, equilibrium in differentiated markets is not stable, and a welfare assessment is difficult. Second, a differentiation strategy in the market for fresh produce might benefit retailers more than in other sectors, which seem to be consistent with the theoretical findings. Third, when retailers engage in product differentiation it is more likely that channel relationships shift from collaborative to competitive types, with the power imbalance becoming the disciplinary means by which vertical coordination is achieved and maintained.

Research limitations/implications

This article was based on a single case study.

Practical implications

For suppliers it could be wise to agree to some inequity as the cost of doing business, especially when smart large retailers carry out successfully competitive strategies with positive spill‐over effects on the upstream firms.

Originality/value

Using the industrial economic literature on the effects of differentiation strategies (horizontal and vertical differentiation) on market structure, firms' performance, and welfare effects, this paper analyses case findings from a study in the fresh produce industry and will be of interest to those within the field.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 110 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 12000