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1 – 10 of over 7000Clinton Amos, Iryna Pentina, Timothy G. Hawkins and Natalie Davis
This study aims to investigate the appeal of “natural” labeling and builds on past research which suggests that people may have a naïve pastoral view of nature and natural…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the appeal of “natural” labeling and builds on past research which suggests that people may have a naïve pastoral view of nature and natural entities. “Natural” labeling is pervasive in supermarkets across the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs a multi-method approach to examine consumer perceptions and beliefs about products labeled “natural”. Qualitative responses are solicited to examine the images and feelings that come to mind when consumers see “natural” labeling on a food product. Two experiments are conducted to examine consumers’ evaluations of “natural” labeling on both food and supplement products.
Findings
The results of three studies suggest that “natural” labeling evokes positive feelings and sentimental imagery associated with a pastoral view of nature. These perceptions reinforce beliefs that food and supplement products labeled “natural” possess positive instrumental benefits such as health advantages, lack of contamination and safety.
Social implications
Consumers are under pressure to make better choices regarding what they put into their bodies due to pervasive concern over the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. This study provides insight into why consumers perceive food and supplement products labeled “natural” as better alternatives.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first studies to investigate the underlying perceptual forces accounting for the effectiveness of “natural” food and supplement labeling.
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Ruizhi Yuan, Martin J. Liu and Markus Blut
This study aims to examine the impact of five consumption values (i.e. ecological, functional, symbolic, experiential and epistemic) on consumers’ intentions to adopt green…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of five consumption values (i.e. ecological, functional, symbolic, experiential and epistemic) on consumers’ intentions to adopt green products. Using Thaler’s utility theory, the authors investigate the indirect effect of values on purchase intention through acquisition utility and transaction utility. Two moderators (materialism orientation and value consciousness) further influence the strength of the effect of consumption values on transaction utility.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a survey design (N = 437 Chinese customers recruited through a Chinese online panel provider) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test six hypothesized relationships in the proposed model. Moderated SEM was used for moderation analysis.
Findings
Most hypothesized relationships in the model were confirmed, with the exception of the functional value–transaction utility link and the moderating effect of materialism on the experiential value–transaction utility relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Larger-scale research may help to determine whether there are more significant differences in consumer evaluations of different types of green products.
Practical implications
As the concept of green marketing in China evolves, firms should continue to stress the importance and value of green products regarding individuals’ care for the environment, status and self-image. Further, firms should conduct systematic utility analyses and address acquisition and price equity in a strategic process.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to adapt utility theory to green consumption and proposes a clearly defined and well-substantiated set of utility types by merging economic and green consumption literature.
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Monica Mendini, Marta Pizzetti and Paula C. Peter
The purpose of this paper is to introduce and define social food pleasure as a new conceptual framework that can promote pleasurable and healthy food experiences.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce and define social food pleasure as a new conceptual framework that can promote pleasurable and healthy food experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
By reviewing the literature related to food well-being and pleasure primarily from marketing and management fields and by looking at current trends appealing to food consumers and food enjoyers, the authors propose a new conceptual framework of social food pleasure.
Findings
The authors conceptualize social food pleasure as “the enjoyment derived from the acts of sharing food experiences offline, online, and for society at large, that positively contributes to consumers’ overall pleasure and satisfaction with consumer’s food consumption”. Moreover, the authors identify three key contexts of applications of social food pleasure. Sharing offline relates to the social activities that can help achieve pleasure with food. Sharing online concerns new media tools which allow for the connection between consumers and food to enhance food pleasure. Sharing for society considers the current pleasure of consumers derived from having a positive social experience based on food consumption.
Originality/value
By defining social food pleasure and proposing a conceptual framework of the three contexts of application, the authors advance the understanding of what constitutes pleasurable food experiences, connecting it to healthy food choices and well-being.
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Douglas H. Constance, William H. Friedland, Marie-Christine Renard and Marta G. Rivera-Ferre
This introduction provides an overview of the discourse on alternative agrifood movements (AAMs) to (1) ascertain the degree of convergence and divergence around a common ethos of…
Abstract
This introduction provides an overview of the discourse on alternative agrifood movements (AAMs) to (1) ascertain the degree of convergence and divergence around a common ethos of alterity and (2) context the chapters of the book. AAMs have increased in recent years in response to the growing legitimation crisis of the conventional agrifood system. Some agrifood researchers argue that AAMs represent the vanguard movement of our time, a formidable counter movement to global capitalism. Other authors note a pattern of blunting of the transformative qualities of AAMs due to conventionalization and mainstreaming in the market. The literature on AAMs is organized following a Four Questions in Agrifood Studies (Constance, 2008) framework. The section for each Question ends with a case study to better illustrate the historical dynamics of an AAM. The literature review ends with a summary of the discourse applied to the research question of the book: Are AAMs the vanguard social movement of our time? The last section of this introduction provides a short description of each contributing chapter of the book, which is divided into five sections: Introduction; Theoretical and Conceptual Framings; Food Sovereignty Movements; Alternative Movements in the Global North; and Conclusions.
Egil Petter Stræte and Terry Marsden
Within the agri-food sectors of Western countries, there is an increasing interest in alternative food, i.e., organic, local and regional food, artisanal food, short-supply…
Abstract
Within the agri-food sectors of Western countries, there is an increasing interest in alternative food, i.e., organic, local and regional food, artisanal food, short-supply chains, slow food etc. Innovation in food processing is a significant element both in alternative food and conventional food strategies. Alternatives are based on competition on qualities rather than price. A main question in this chapter is to address how alternative qualities are embedded into food products? This question is explored using a study of two alternative cases within the dairy sectors of Norway and Wales. A model of the different modes of designed qualities of food is developed and discussed to explore the complex issue of quality. We find space and technology especially relevant as dimensions of qualities. Our conclusion is that there is a need to nuance the discussion about quality and food. Firms may develop as hybrids within a conventional vs. alternative perspective, and a strong emphasis on the conventional and alternative as a dichotomy tends to give a static and restrictive perspective.
Chika Kondo and Atsushi Suzuki
This chapter provides insights into the distribution challenges faced by alternative food networks (AFNs) in Japan. Consumers in Japan are showing increasing interest in…
Abstract
This chapter provides insights into the distribution challenges faced by alternative food networks (AFNs) in Japan. Consumers in Japan are showing increasing interest in supporting and buying directly from farmers, reflecting a growing demand for local food production and consumption. This trend parallels the increasing popularity of AFNs which are often touted as distribution models that seek to reconfigure the relationship between producers and consumers. Although AFNs are defined as a bottom-up response to the unsustainable nature of the industrial food system and the exploitative trade relations that are embedded within global food supply chains, there is little in the literature regarding challenges that emerge when scaling AFNs. This chapter focuses on the distribution challenges that emerge for AFN models that exist outside of direct market transactions, by comparing AFN models in Japan with a local wholesale market system that exists within the conventional, mainstream food system. Based on an analysis of the nuances and complexities that AFNs face in coordinating aggregation and distribution, we argue that the promotion of local food systems can also benefit existing conventional food systems, by leveraging the infrastructure of local wholesale markets. The distribution logistics and fundamentals of parity pricing from the wholesale market system would enable AFNs in Japan to establish a more accessible and sustainable food system. Using four case studies, including a local wholesale-market and three AFN models that distribute agricultural products from rural to rural, and rural to urban areas located in the Kansai region of Japan, we deepen the discussion of how small-scale farmers and their involvement in AFNs can better support sustainable food system transformation.
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Maria K. Magnusson, Anne Arvola, Ulla‐Kaisa Koivisto Hursti, Lars Åberg and Per‐Olow Sjödén
The present study reports demographic differences with respect to Swedish consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods (milk, meat, potatoes, bread), purchase frequency, purchase…
Abstract
The present study reports demographic differences with respect to Swedish consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods (milk, meat, potatoes, bread), purchase frequency, purchase criteria, perceived availability, and beliefs about organic foods. A random nation‐wide sample of 2,000 respondents, aged 18‐65 years, were mailed a questionnaire and 1,154 (58 per cent) responded. The majority of consumers, and particularly women and young respondents (18‐25 years) reported positive attitudes, but purchase frequency was low. A total of 13 per cent stated that they regularly bought organic milk. Corresponding figures for organic meat, potatoes, and bread were 13, 16, and 8 per cent respectively. The most important purchase criterion was good taste, and the least important was “organically produced”. Approximately half of the respondents were satisfied with the availability of the organic foods. The organic foods were perceived to be more expensive and healthier than conventionally produced alternatives. A major obstacle to the purchase of organic foods was reported to be premium prices. The results suggest that the consumption will not increase as long as important purchase criteria and perceived beliefs about organic foods do not match.
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Shadi Hashem, Giuseppina Migliore, Giorgio Schifani, Emanuele Schimmenti and Susanne Padel
The purpose of this paper is to explain the growing interest of English consumers in local organic food sold through box schemes, by providing insights into the motives of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain the growing interest of English consumers in local organic food sold through box schemes, by providing insights into the motives of customers of such schemes and examining the relationship with their awareness about problems of the agro-food system.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods approach combined in-depth interviews with 22 box scheme customers with a quantitative survey of 416 consumers, analysed by means of principal component analysis and an ordered logit model.
Findings
Consumers of small local organic box schemes in England are both altruistically and hedonistically motivated. This includes a strong political motivation to change the current food system, as shown by the strong influence of an anti-globalisation factor and wanting to support small farmers. They perceive local organic food as a more environmentally sustainable alternative to the mainstream food system. The box schemes offer consumers a practical alternative by providing high quality products combined with convenience illustrating the importance of the latter also in local food shopping. This reinforces the possibility to successfully combining the attributes of “local” and “organic”.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted in only one country (England) with about 400 consumers of ten organic farmer-led box schemes. It was based on a self-selecting sample of consumers of such schemes, which included a large proportion of females and people with high level of education. Further research is needed to validate the results.
Originality/value
This study is the first academic study investigating the main factors affecting consumers’ choice to purchase local organic food through a number of English box schemes. It identifies that such consumers are ethically and politically motivated and show some differences compared with the general literature on organic food consumption.
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Giuseppe Pellegrini and Federica Farinello
The search for quality food products is driven by cultural factors and behaviours referable to specific lifestyles which have changed greatly in recent years. This paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The search for quality food products is driven by cultural factors and behaviours referable to specific lifestyles which have changed greatly in recent years. This paper aims to investigate this issue by analyzing the attitudes, behaviours and knowledge concerning organic good in Italy.
Design/methodology/approach
This study considers the food choices of a large sample of Italians by analyzing the relations among their attitudes, behaviours and knowledge concerning organic food.
Findings
By means of the most recent Italian survey on the purchase of organic products, it was possible to identify various types of purchasing actors, verify their features and compare their preferences for conventional and organic products. The study demonstrates that their acceptance of organic products is strongly associated with behaviours that orientate different lifestyles among types of consumers. Moreover, a purchase simulation carried out on two kinds of food confirmed a marked willingness among consumers to accept higher costs in order to buy organic products.
Originality/value
This paper has proposed an approach that can be used to determine the relation between the consumption of organic products and behaviours indicative of specific lifestyles by identifying and comparing various types of purchasers.
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