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The purpose of this paper is to assess hygiene practices during fish selling in retail stores.

The data were collected by observations during inspections carried out in 100 randomly selected food retail stores, both independent and chain, selling fresh fish, fish products and other seafood. Stores were located in and around the area of Warsaw, Poland. The inspection check list consisted of 43 questions based on rigorist requirements of Commission Regulation (EC) 852, 853 and Codex Alimentarius. The question form was divided into three hygiene sectors: hygiene conditions of seafood departments; hygiene of fish selling process; personal hygiene of employees. Inspections were unannounced, and were conducted by discreet visual observations of employees work routine and selling procedures.

The level of hygiene compliances with inspection criteria was unexpectedly low. The highest percentage of compliance appeared in the hygiene of fish selling processes (in 44 percent of the stores compliance with evaluated criteria was found), less one compliance levels appeared in personal hygiene (18 percent) and hygiene of seafood department’s hygiene conditions (23 percent). Neither the size of the store, nor its location and type (independent and local or global chain) affected the compliance rate.

The main research limitation is that assessment was done only by observation method. This is one of audit/inspection methods according to ISO 19011/2011, guidelines for auditing management systems. However, this kind of inspection cannot assess microbiological cleanliness or other like ATP or symptoms of diseases expect of only visible signs. The used inspection check list needs more testing and more analyses should be done for its reliability and validity.

Adequate hygiene practices are critical in preventing cross-contamination. However, none of the inspected stores ensured full implementation of all hygiene requirements during the sale of fish. The results indicated that a greater effort should be made to increase hygiene level both in small and large size retail stores. The designed inspection questionnaire proved to be a successful format for detailed evaluation of hygiene practices during the sale of fish. However, more work and analyses should be done for its reliability and validity.

The findings bring some information for the consumers that in many retail stores the hygiene level during the fish sales might be insufficient.

The paper presents additional and detailed data on hygiene practices during fish selling, which are rarely pointed out by other authors. The applied evaluation method showed a low level of compliance with the rigorous hygienic criteria, adopted in this study, that may raise some food safety concerns.

Older readers may remember the time when peas were vegetables that you ate for only a few short weeks in the summer, and really fresh fish was one of the joys of living, or holidaying, in a seaside town. Younger readers may never have podded garden peas before cooking them, and although they may appreciate the wide variety of excellent frozen fish available, they may never have seen the traditional display of the old fashioned fish monger. These facts make us realise how much frozen foods have changed our lives.

Implementing global traceability standards (GTSs) facilitates interoperability in food supply chains (FSCs). The purpose of this paper is to present incentives, opportunities and requirements for implementing GTSs in a fresh FSC.

The research was developed in two stages: a literature review was conducted to establish a theoretical framework; and then an in-depth case study of a Swedish fresh fish supply chain was conducted. The Kano methodology was used to evaluate opportunities based on implementation requirements in each enterprise.

FSC enterprises implement a GTS to meet legal food traceability requirements. This incentive is stronger among enterprises upstream in the FSC than among downstream enterprises. Downstream enterprises emphasize communication with the end consumer as an incentive to implement a GTS. Implementing a GTS increases the opportunity to preserve end consumer confidence, efficiency in information sharing, reduces time in inventory management and the risk of theft.

The paper contributes to the field of food traceability by providing knowledge regarding incentives, opportunities and requirements for implementing standards to meet food traceability requirements at FSC enterprises.

Regulatory requirements on traceability preservation of food safety, quality and sustainability stipulate the implementation of a GTS. The research presented can support managers in understanding incentives and opportunities for implementing a GTS.

This paper combines in-depth academic research with the involvement of Swedish fresh food enterprises. The study is of benefit to fresh food enterprises, authorities and organizations in the further implementation and development of GTSs.

This paper seeks to examine the significance of various aspects of consumers' perception of a collective label as predictors for consumers' intention to buy the labelled item and willingness to pay for the label.

The online survey was organised based on random sampling from a panel consisting of 46,000 people who had previously agreed to serve as online consumer panellists for a large market research firm. A total of 2,844 invitations were sent out and 684 panellists answered the invitation. The final sample consisted of 522 subjects.

The authors have developed and tested a model looking at the significance of various aspects of consumers' perception of a collective label as predictors for consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay for the labelled commodity.

By defining which factors influence consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay for the labelled product the paper suggests what managers should pay attention to when they introduce a new label for a commodity.

The current article contributes to the literature in three ways. First, the paper replicates the results of the previous studies on branding and extends the literature through introducing a new model defining consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay. Second, the paper develops and tests a model that can be applied to collective labels. Third, the paper introduces a new label specific variable – importance of the label.

The competitiveness of destinations is crucial for tourism. In this context, the study aims to uncover customer satisfaction, experiences, feelings, and thoughts by conducting a comparative analysis of social media comments from various competitive tourism destinations.

Big data research was conducted to answer the research questions. The data was collected on a social media platform focusing on three destinations in the Mediterranean region. Three methods were employed to analyse the data: sentiment analysis, topic modelling, and named-entity recognition.

This study addressed traveller satisfaction levels. It identified the topics concerning each destination, examined the emotions expressed by travellers about these topics, explored the potential impact on future behaviour, and investigated the features of the destinations and satisfaction levels about these features. It also identified the prominent food and beverage names in destinations and explored tourists’ preferences regarding these foods and beverages.

The limitations of this study relate to the sample. The data used in this study was solely obtained from a single social media platform and focused on English-only comments. Further research that includes different social media platforms for hotel categories and considers reviews in local languages could capture a broader range of customer opinions and experiences.

Policymakers can gain insight into a destination’s position in the competitive landscape. This study has numerous implications for policymakers in the relevant destinations and managers in the design and implementation of services.

The findings of this study can have broader societal implications if considered and implemented by decision-makers and tourism businesses in the context of competitiveness.

The study’s originality lies in integrating multiple disciplines and comparing tourism destinations using big data. This study improves the understanding of competitiveness in three specific Mediterranean destinations. Previous research has focused on different contexts in these Mediterranean destinations. Therefore, the study fills this gap by focusing simultaneously on all three destinations in the context of competitiveness.

This paper aims to explore the drivers and barriers to seafood consumption in Australia and to investigate attitudes toward pre‐packaged fresh chilled seafood products.

A two‐stage study of seafood consumption in Australia was conducted comprising ten focus groups across six states (n=60) and a national online consumer survey (n=1,815).

The main drivers for seafood consumption in Australia are health, taste, convenience, and a desire for diet variety. The main barriers to seafood consumption are price, concerns regarding origin, concerns about freshness, difficulty in evaluating seafood quality, and not liking the taste or texture of fish. The main appeals of pre‐packaged fresh chilled seafood products are convenience and ease of preparation, while barriers include price and concerns about origin and freshness.

The survey focussed on the main or joint grocery buyers in households and thus may not be representative of the entire Australian population.

The findings provide important insights for the Australian seafood industry in developing and delivering seafood offerings that will appeal to Australian consumers and thus stimulate seafood consumption. This knowledge will also assist the Australian Government and health educators to more effectively campaign to encourage increased seafood consumption.

While research on antecedents to seafood consumption in Europe has been extensive, research into the drivers and barriers to seafood consumption in Western countries such as Australia and strategies for increasing seafood consumption is less evident.

The aim of this paper is to develop an understanding of the retail marketing, merchandising, and logistical practices in the Japanese grocery supermarket sector. Most of the literature in English has focused on the structure of the sector with little detailed research on the Japanese consumer and the corporate response to retail change. This paper highlights the case of Summit Inc., which has established a niche position in the Japanese grocery market through its operational excellence.

The following article is reprinted from The Business World.

Covers the quantitative and qualitative aspects of micro‐organisms present in fish and the factors which affect sea food quality. Several methods can be employed to counter deterioration ‐ low temperature, storage, dehydration, canning, modified atmosphere, packaging, irradiation and chemical or biological preservatives.

The purpose of this paper is to explore women's perceptions about the benefits and risks of fish consumption, while exploring differences on their views about wild and farmed fish, considering light fish consumers.

The methodology adopted is exploratory, using focus group technique, segregating women by education level (higher education versus lower education). A focus group guide was designed, taking into account the following dimensions: attitudes towards fish consumption and perceptions towards farmed fish relative to wild fish, also considering risk perceptions related to farmed versus wild fish.

This study has shown that fish consumers enjoy the taste of fish and they are strongly convinced that eating fish is healthy. The main reason for their low fish consumption is related to perceive lacking of convenience. Women with higher education levels expressed additional knowledge considering different aquaculture systems and women with lower education levels were convinced that both wild and farmed fish offer benefits and present disadvantages.

The paper shows that attitudes of light fish users are partially similar to heavy fish users considering farmed fish production, with the search for convenience being driven by either perceived lack of time or perceived lack of cookery skills to prepare fish‐based meals.