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Being the basic need of humans, but also an attractive element of the tourist offer, gastronomy is related to the attractiveness of a destination, and Balkan gastronomy is considered to be one of the most positive aspects of the tourist image of the region. This study aims to investigate the locals' perception of gastronomic specificity of ‘Balkan food’ and national (local) food as well. Furthermore, the study investigated how ‘Balkan food’ is perceived in terms of its tourist potential, uniqueness, quality, nutrition and its general role in the creation of a joint ‘Balkan’ tourist brand. The methodology included a historical approach and a survey which involved110 respondents. Out of 21 traditional dishes identified in the official tourist promotional activities of selected countries and a review of the relevant literature, the following are identified as regional ‘Balkan’ dishes: ‘pečenje’, ‘musaka’, ‘ćevapi’ and ‘sarma’. The following are identified as national dishes: ‘pastrmajlija’, ‘sogan dolma’, ‘raštan’, ‘pašticada’, ‘burek’ and ‘svadbarski kupus’. The results indicated that some nations have specific knowledge of certain dishes being considered national and regionally present, while other nations show a lack of knowledge of food origin and regional presence in identified countries. Furthermore, the results showed that different dimensions of Balkan cuisine significantly contribute to the tourist potential of the region, while the contribution of its nutritive characteristics is perceived as less important. Results showed that ‘Balkan food’ is considered to be important for the improvement of the ‘Balkans'’ image and promotion, as well as important for the creation of the regional tourism brand.

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.

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.

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.

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

The purpose of this paper is to identify global issues relevant to the strengthening of national food control systems with reference to the hospitality and food service sector. It is the second paper in a themed issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes presenting international food safety management challenges and solutions.

Literature review and semi‐structured interviews with food control officials and academics involved in the strengthening of national food control systems.

This paper finds that similar challenges are experienced by interviews in a range of countries. Food control management and information, education, communication and training are identified as key challenges for food control authorities. In addition, smaller and/or less developed businesses and particularly the hospitality sector, are highlighted as important.

The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

In this paper, the experiences of individuals involved in the development and implementation of national food control policy are brought together for the first time.

foodlink’s National Food Safety Week provides a focus for communicating messages designed to help people understand and initiate the basic precautions which can be taken to reduce the risk of food poisoning and in the process provide fun and entertainment for thousands throughout the UK. There were over 100,000 reported cases of food poisoning last year and there has been much speculation recently that many more cases go unreported. National Food Safety Week provides the tools both to raise awareness of the problem and to provide the answers in a fun, inclusive and effective way. Indeed, keeping food safe is one of the most basic applications of technology in the home.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into considerations underlying consumers’ perceptions of Norwegian food and to examine what the concept of belonging can add to the understanding of national food.

Two-stage qualitative research design, where data were first collected by in-store interviews with 100 customers in 30 different food retail stores (supermarkets, low discount and specialty stores) in three areas in Norway (East, West and Mid). This was followed by four focus groups with consumers (n=34) in two areas (East and West).

The consumers perceived Norwegian food as having two main dimensions: foods grown and produced in Norway and dishes belonging to traditional cuisine. These two dimensions could coexist and foods that embodied both aspects were higher on a scale of national identity. Perceptions of Norwegian food reflected context, food category and consumer group. The findings support the use of the concept of belonging. Emotional belonging was mainly expressed by the consumers when talking about traditional dishes and Norwegian cuisine, whereas politics of belonging had to do with supporting domestic agriculture and especially produce that has been traditionally grown in Norway.

The findings may have implications for product differentiation and marketing.

This study adds the concept of belonging to the existing literature on consumers, food and place.

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate aspects of the relationship between food and culture with particular emphasis on globalisation and its consequences, the ways in which food can represent people and places, and interest if food heritage. Issues are discussed within the context of Singapore.

A case study methodology is employed using published information from assorted sources, both online and in conventional print form, supplemented by personal observation.

A country's food culture is found to be influenced by globalising forces, yet these do not always overwhelm local distinctions and the international and domestic can co-exist and coalesce. Food is also shown to be a critical dimension of ethnic and national identity and to have a heritage worthy of protection. In addition, it is a tourist attraction which affords insights into destination culture. Defining a national cuisine, however, is complicated in multiracial societies and origins and ownership of so-called national dishes may be disputed.

Enhanced knowledge about the wider role of food in established and emerging Asian economies and societies can improve understanding of its significance for residents and tourists, helping in formulating strategies to meet needs.

New insights are offered into the meanings of food in relatively young countries of mixed races and how cuisines evolve and interact.

The present study is an intra-industry analysis, which aims to investigate whether the impact of COVID-19 on employment level, clientele rate, liquidity constraints and sustainability aspect of different food outlets is symmetric or asymmetric in nature.

With the help of well-structured questionnaire, the study has surveyed 80 food outlets in total by interviewing the managers and owners of these outlets. Food outlets have been classified into four categories namely international, national, local and street food outlets. Econometric techniques like MANOVA and Garret ranking have been employed to fulfil the objective of the study.

The results depict that the impact of COVID-19 on employment level and liquidity constraints is significantly asymmetric amongst different groups of food outlets, even though the decline in extent of clientele is somewhat same for all groups. The survival aspect of outlets also witnesses clear-cut asymmetry in results as big outlets have greater potential to survive for longer if lockdown happens again when compared to street food outlets as their financial availability and stability differ.

The sample size of study is restricted, mainly due to lesser number of national franchise's food outlets available in Amritsar, though other categories of eateries were sufficient in number. Further, the study is restricted only to one district of Punjab state, whereas for future research, inter-district comparison can be done.

The findings reveal that the street food outlets may gain by fostering its online functioning. Similarly national food outlets are encouraged to alter their business strategies to revive their sales against their competitors.

This study is one of the explorer studies to analyse the impact of COVID-19 by making an intra-industry comparison for the eatery industry – considering four different categories of eateries. The classification of eateries helps in analysing whether the employment level, clientele rate, liquidity constraints and survival perspective have been affected symmetrically for the whole eateries industry or does severity of being affected differ asymmetrically. The study makes a contribution by adding a new string of dimension to the existing load of literature in the domain of hospitality.

The imposition of the National Curriculum on schools in England and Wales took place without any substantive consultation with professional practitioners in education and other intersectoral groups. One of the consequences of this imposition has been the “optionalization” of food skills in the curriculum. The result, it is feared, will be an even greater reliance on precooked, convenience foods which are, in general, nutritionally inferior to home‐cooked meals ‐ and generally much more expensive, a major consideration for low income families. Therefore the concern is that the nation’s diet will be adversely affected which, in turn, will have a detrimental influence on the nation’s health. Looks at the validity of these concerns in Britain but also calls on material gathered in consultations with health and education professionals in other countries. Aims to strengthen the argument for prioritizing food cookery skills in schools as one of the most effective health promotion strategies in protecting the means which families and individuals have to determine what they eat, rather than forfeiting this to the mass processed food industries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer preferences in the Slovenian context with regard to cheese, ham and honey labelled with the national and EU protected designation of origin (PDO) indication and the protected geographical indication (PGI) associated with price and origin.

An online survey with a representative sample of the Slovenian population of 650 consumers was conducted. Consumer preferences were estimated using choice-based conjoint analysis.

The findings show that price is the most powerful driver of consumer preferences for cheese and honey, whereas it is origin for ham, which proved to be the most strongly desired “Slovenian” food product of all items analysed. Label is the least preferable attribute for all three products considered. Cheese, ham and honey bearing the national PDO and PGI labels were more desired than products carrying the EU PDO and PGI labels. The study findings also show the main statistically significant differences in the age and gender of consumers.

The biggest limitation is that the study focused on certain labels only, related to quality, and origin in particular.

This result highlights the need to extend and intensify promotional and communication activities to increase consumer preferences for the national and EU PDO- and PGI-labelled cheeses, ham and honey.

This study contributes to relevant literature by presenting the results regarding consumer preferences for the EU and national quality labels for different food categories in Slovenia, which has no tradition in using the EU quality labels.

We are experiencing a period of adaptation of our agri-food systems to the context of climate change, thus witnessing the incorporation of several more ecological and socially inclusive practices. In this sense, this chapter seeks to understand the role of civil society in promoting sustainable food systems based on Brazilian experiences over the last three decades. First, the role of civil society in the construction of new agroecological markets is discussed, bringing the experience of the consumer cooperative COOLMEIA, which started the construction of the first agroecological fair in Brazil, the Ecological Farmers Fair in Porto Alegre. Then the civil society activism engaged on establishment of the Human Right to Healthy and Adequate Food is discussed, highlighting the importance of social movements and civil society organisations in the construction of a democratic political system. At last, the trajectory of the civil society as actors participating in the formal instance of State governance through their performance in the National Council for Food Security and Nutrition – CONSEA, presenting the historical context, achievements and struggles. Finally, the chapter concludes with a section reviewing lessons learned and possible challenges for civil society participation in the debate on agri-food systems in the future.