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The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore different business models that are active in the gastronomic industry and assess where there may be opportunities and limitations for innovation.

The authors develop a conceptualization of the business model concept and some of its main components – considering an internal and external orientation – and how they can be applied to the gastronomic sector. On this basis, the authors propose, develop and test an empirical framework for the economic sustainability of gastronomic enterprises. Based on data from a publicly available database of the Danish hospitality sector, the authors conduct hierarchical cluster analysis to identify different business models for the Danish gastronomic sector.

Given the diversity of the gastronomic sector, there can be a multitude of alternative business models and characteristics, which may enable the sector to create value through, for example, product differentiation, market segmentation, and so on. The analysis revealed nine different clusters, which represent different business models in terms of value creation, segmentation, and resource utilization – highlighting either more closed or open business models. These business models offer a basis for considering the opportunities and barriers for business model innovation – for both startups and incumbent firms – within gastronomy and agri-food more generally.

The gastronomic sector is diverse and heterogeneous with a multitude of possible alternative business models. This paper provides a basis for considering the key enablers of business model development in this sector. The integrative framework and empirical assessment provides a basis for further exploring business model innovation in the gastronomic sector in particular and the agri-food sector more generally.

Given the fact that local food as a tool to create value-added is a relatively new trend in Scandinavian countries with a strong emphasis on organic food, only limited – and mainly qualitative and case-based - empirical evidence on producers and processors involved in local food value chains (FVCs) has been available so far. Thus, the present paper contributes to the small but growing literature analyzing local FVCs by providing and analyzing quantitative survey data. More specifically, the authors aim at investigating (1) how agricultural producers and processors define and perceive local food, (2) which drivers are important for the decision to become involved in local FVC and (3) whether these drivers differ in a systematic way across producers and processors.

In order to address these research questions, empirical data from a quantitative stakeholder survey carried out in spring in 2017 is used. Data are analyzed via descriptive and inductive statistics including a cluster analysis.

The survey results concerning the definition and perceptions of local food are in line with previous studies showing that there is usually a strong emphasis on geographic proximity. Besides, local (organic) food producers and processors are diverse and heterogeneous with differing distribution and product differentiation strategies being implemented and pursued. In particular, businesses employing primarily a personified distribution strategy (e.g. direct sales via farmers markets) differ quite substantially from businesses employing mainly a standardized distribution strategy (e.g. via retail) in their economic characteristics. Moreover, differences in the perception of potential benefits of local food as well as in the underlying drivers to become part of local FVCs were detected across businesses with different distribution strategies.

Although the employed data sample is considered adequate for analyzing heterogeneity in firms' business strategies, the sample is not representative for Denmark and cannot straight-forwardly be extrapolated to the population level.

One of the first quantitative study on producers' and processors' perceptions of local food and its interaction with organic farming. So far, there is a large literature on consumers' perceptions but empirical evidence for other stakeholders is scarce. Hence, the present study provides a complementary perspective on the topic of local food.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct economic evaluation of a school meal programme based on principles of a New Nordic Diet (NND) by assessing the costs of the NND lunch, compared with packed lunch from home, and investigating potential effects of adjusting the NND principles underlying the school meals on the costs and on the rate of food waste.

The analysis combines recipes, dietary records and food waste data from a school meal intervention with collected price data within an economic optimization framework.

A New Nordic School meal programme consisting of a morning snack and a hot lunch based on fixed seasonal menu plans and with 75 per cent organic content is 37 per cent more expensive in terms of ingredient costs than corresponding packed school meals. This cost differential can be almost halved by introducing more flexible scheduling of week plans and reducing the level of organic ambition to 60 per cent. Reducing portion sizes could reduce the cost differential by an extra 5 per cent, which would also reduce food waste by about 15 per cent.

Higher costs and food waste in a restrictive ingredient sourcing school meal programme can be reduced by increased flexibility in meal scheduling, reduction in organic content and reduced average portion size.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate determinants for the viability of school lunch programs with a zero‐price start‐up period.

Data sources include application material, questionnaire surveys among the pupils, parents, and staff at the participating schools, follow‐up telephone interviews with the staff, as well as interviews with suppliers. Data are analysed using principal components analysis and logistic regression.

An econometric analysis suggests that price, school size, demand‐stimulating activities related to the schools' support and the users' feeling of ownership, as well as internal professionalism and leadership in the implementation of the school lunch program are important for the viability of the program. These components may, to some extent, compensate for the gap between cost and users' willingness to pay for school lunches.

The study contributes to increase awareness of the many determinants and barriers for the viability of school lunches. Experience from the study demonstrates a significant challenge in making user requirements for quality, product diversity and willingness to pay meet with the costs of supplying school lunches.

The focus on the economic viability on school lunches is a new approach to the topic compared to the literature, which mainly concentrates on the physical and environmental effects of providing food in schools