Search results

Popularity of organic food and food products is growing across the globe due to rising awareness towards health and environment, leading to quality life. However, the multitude of challenges associated with the purchase and consumption of organic food remain insufficiently addressed within the context of developing nations, such as India. This study attempts to fill this gap by identifying the crucial barriers and analyzing them further to establish contextual relationships among them.

In total, 18 barriers identified with a literature review are classified into 6 major barriers (constructs) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Further, fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach is employed to relegate these barriers and sub-barriers into the cause-and-effect group. Moreover, causal relationships among these barriers are also established to assist organic food producers and food processing industries in developing the strategies to overcome these barriers.

The study results indicate that “acceptability,” “preferability” and “reachability” are the most prominent barriers. Moreover, “reachability’ is the leading cause group barrier, while “acceptability” is the major effect group barrier. “Usualness,” “visibility” and “readiness” of the organic food exhibit significant challenges in the organic food consumption.

The findings of this study act as a roadmap and guiding principle for various stakeholders, such as organic food manufacturers, organic food processing industries, government policymaking bodies and food certification agencies, in organizations and government regulatory agencies for devising and implementing targeted strategies to enhance the accessibility, appeal and, in turn, adoption and consumption of organic foods. This successively contributes to broader efforts in improving public health and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices.

The contribution of this study is two-fold. First, it investigates the interdependences among the organic food consumption barriers. Second, it provides policy-related recommendations to enhance the consumption of organic food, especially in India.

This study examines how street food affects urban culture, economics and sustainable tourism. It examines how street food stands, as a cultural and economic phenomenon, influence consumer behaviour and local traditions, particularly in Oman’s evolving street food scene.

Adopting a quantitative research design, this study utilises an integrated model combining the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) and Attitude-Social-Influence-Efficacy (ASE) models. This approach facilitates a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing consumer behaviour towards street food consumption. The methodology includes surveys and structured interviews with consumers and vendors to assess perceptions, attitudes and behaviours linked to street food in Oman.

The research identifies key sociocultural, economic and marketing factors that significantly influence consumer engagement with street food. It highlights how traditional elements, such as local customs and societal norms, interplay with contemporary marketing strategies to shape consumer preferences and experiences. The findings suggest that street food not only enhances the culinary experience for travellers but also plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of local tourism economies.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a novel empirical exploration of street food consumption in Oman, a relatively underexplored area within tourism research. It offers valuable insights into how street food can be leveraged to bolster local economies and enrich the tourist experience through sustainable practices. By integrating the S-O-R and ASE models, this research provides a unique framework for understanding the dynamic relationship between street food culture and consumer behaviour in a Middle Eastern context.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of consumption values on customer satisfaction and intention to consume millet-based foods. This study examines both tangible and intangible values of the millet-based food to the customer.

Based on consumption value theory (CVT), the present study evaluates the impact of consumption value factors such as emotional, epistemic, health, price, prestige and taste/quality values on satisfaction and intention to use millet-based foods and develops a unique research model. Later, leveraging a dataset comprising more than 410 responses from Pune city in India, a rigorous empirical examination of the proposed model was conducted employing SmartPLS 4.0 software.

The study's finding unveils both the significant and insignificant impacts of various consumption values, both from the tangible and intangible consumption value perspectives on satisfaction and intention to consume millet-based foods. The study also provides a validated food consumption model which can be used for other similar food consumption behaviour of the customers.

This study provides insights as to how different consumption values impact the satisfaction of the customers for the millet-based food. This study illuminates additional aspects of the tangible and intangible factors impacting the satisfaction level of customers to consume millet-based products. Also, this is a cross-sectional study, and the respondents are only based in Pune, India. Thus, the study results cannot be generalised.

This study employs CVT to explore the unexplored impact of consumption values on satisfaction and intention to use millet-based foods, which is unexplored in the past literature. Moreover, this study develops a theoretical model with high explanatory power, and the research model adds value to the existing body of literature from areas such as food preference, consumer behaviour and value consumption insights.

The World Health Organization recommends limiting the intake of free sugars, which can be added to packaged foods and may appear on labels under different terms. The aim of this research was to analyse the evidence related to the declaration of free sugars from fruits on packaged food labels.

A scoping review was conducted following the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI).

Ten eligible studies, conducted in seven countries, were included in this review. The percentage of packaged foods in which free sugars were identified ranged from 52.5 to 86.5%. In three studies, terms related to sugars were identified inductively by reading the entire ingredient list, whereas in the other studies sugars were identified by searching for a list of predefined terms. Studies differed in the definition of sugars and the terms used to identify them. Nine studies included fruit sugars within the terms used to identify free sugars. However, they lacked consistency in the types of fruit sugars considered and did not discuss their agreement with the adopted definitions of sugars.

As far as can be ascertained, this is the first review that addresses the declaration of free sugars from fruits on packaged food labels. Overall, there is a scarcity of literature focused on identifying and discussing the range of free sugars from fruits declared on food labels.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic raised global alarms about hunger and food insecurity worldwide and the corresponding need for public policies, particularly in emerging countries. One possible solution for addressing this important topic is a food donation supply chain, which comprises food banks and involves their relationships with suppliers (donors), customers (people in need) and other potential stakeholders. The aim of this research is to understand how different agents in a food donation supply chain use different but interrelated capital dimensions (human, structural and relational) to leverage their resources and build knowledge in their relationships with other stakeholders.

We conducted an abductive single case study with the food bank as a focal organisation in a direct supply chain. Data were collected by way of 15 semi-structured interviews with representatives from each tier in the chain (food bank, donor, social impact company and social movement), non-participant observation and secondary data (e.g. codes of practice, websites and media). All data sources were analysed individually and then cross-checked.

Our findings show that tangible dimensions, such as those that are structural, are present upstream while intangible dimensions – those that are relational and human, for example – are prevalent downstream. The political dimension was identified as an important mechanism that allows stakeholder engagement and access to resources, funding and government incentives.

By applying a multi-tier approach, the present research explores how different stages in this supply chain use intellectual capital (IC) to better manage relationships. The heterogeneity of agents within the food donation supply chain (public, private and third sector), each of which has distinct levels of IC dimensions, can share their knowledge to improve efficiency and social protection mechanism policies. Since the focal organisation is a non-profit organisation, this study also contributes to IC theory.

With a growing world population and climate crises, edible insects are a promising alternative to conventional livestock. However, Western consumers are largely opposed to eating insects. The aim of this study is to investigate the acceptance of insects in a German sample with a specific focus on risk–benefit perceptions and risk preferences.

Data were collected via an online survey (N = 569). Established scales for food neophobia (FN), risk perception, risk preference and acceptance were used. The statistical analyses included mean comparisons regarding acceptance and risk–benefit perceptions of unprocessed and processed insects. We further examined the role of perceived benefits and risks as well as risk preferences as determinants of acceptance via hierarchical multiple regressions.

Respondents indicated lower perceived risks, and higher perceived benefits and thus higher acceptance for processed insect products as compared to whole insects. Risk perception was the strongest predictor of acceptance of unprocessed as well as processed insect food. Respondents who reported to have already eaten insects before exhibited higher risk preferences than those who had not.

This study specifically considered the role of risk preferences, which has been so far largely overlooked in consumer research on insect foods. The findings indicate that acceptance of insect food is mainly driven by risk perception rather than individual risk preferences. However, risk preferences should not be totally overlooked as they seem to play a role especially for unprocessed insects and the decision to try insects for the first time.

This study explores how food biosafety measures (FBM), electronic service quality and product quality influence consumer satisfaction and loyalty in the online food delivery service (OFDS) sector. It also integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to form a robust framework for assessing consumer behaviours and providing insights for this sector.

Data from 877 Colombian urban consumers were collected. The proposed theoretical model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) in the SEMinR package of the R program (an open-source programming language).

The results reveal that food biosafety measures and product quality are the most essential factors for OFDS consumers. Besides, food biosafety measures strongly affect product and e-service quality, which in turn significantly and directly impact consumer satisfaction and loyalty. This means that it is necessary to consider both visible actions strongly related to product quality and invisible actions that highlight the role of e-service quality in ensuring operational excellence.

To maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty, OFDS managers should consider first working with restaurants that practice high food biosafety measures so that the order leaves the restaurant in good condition. However, OFDS should maintain these measures to ensure operational excellence from the order on the platform until delivery to the end consumer.

This innovative study demonstrates how FBMs directly affect perceptions of service, product quality, satisfaction and loyalty. This goes beyond traditional findings suggesting that food biosafety measures' influence is only indirect and mediated by satisfaction.

In our world, nearly nine million people die every year from hunger, losing one person to hunger every few seconds. Ethiopia is among the leading countries in the total number of people facing hunger. Several actions have been taken to achieve food security globally and at the household level. However, the problem of food insecurity is still high in many parts of the world. Why are we failing to achieve food security? And where should we start? This study aims to answer these main questions.

Relevant quantitative and qualitative data were duly used to describe food insecurity and associated climate factors globally and nationally. For this, PRISMA review methodology was used to help the systematic review. More than 90 relevant empirical and theoretical literature in the field were reviewed in an integrated way with practical evidence from Ethiopia. Governmental technical reports, NGOs reviews and other relevant empirical data referring to Ethiopia are thematically analyzed.

The subjectivity, dynamism and complexity of the concept of food security are found to be some of the issues challenging the practice of achieving food security. The unresolved issues in the combination and interaction of the four pillars of food security (food availability, access to food, food utilization and stability) are affecting its measurement. In this study, it is emphasized that food insecurity in rural and urban areas should be treated differently, as food insecurity in rural areas is directly related to food production which depends on rainfall patterns. In rural Ethiopia, rainfall variability was among the main causes of food insecurity. More importantly, it is indicated that rainfall variability does not affect all pillars of food security equally; its effect is more pronounced on food availability and stability aspects. Deconstructing the concept of food security to make it more pragmatic, and understanding the factors behind the rainfall variability should be the starting tasks in achieving food security. Further, even though food aid is preferred to react to transitory food insecurity, focusing on long-lasting preventive measures that address the root causes of the recurring food insecurity in rural areas of Ethiopia would be an effective way of addressing the problem.

Policy makers and other governmental and humanitarian agencies working on food security can make an evidence-based decision, shape policies and programs if they have clear information about the features of food insecurity, the nature of rainfall variability and critiques of the reacting mechanisms to food insecurity. Shortages of food in some place and food price crises in the other places have been both referring to food insecurity. This makes the understanding of food security situations more difficult to explain and communicate.

This study primarily clarifies the conceptual complexity surrounding food security as it currently exists. Further, it provides a comprehensive and quantitative description of the state of global to national food security, along with the associated variability of rainfall patterns that are related to it. It also provides a brief overview of the intervention mechanisms for addressing food security, with a specific focus on Ethiopia. This study has set a clear demarcation to assess food security in rural and urban areas.

While the application of blockchain technology in the organic food supply chain has been increasingly recognized, the extant knowledge of how blockchain-driven traceability influences consumer perceptions and purchase intentions remains underexplored. Grounded in the stimulus-organism-response theory, this study aims to construct a moderated mediation model to examine blockchain-enabled traceability’s direct and indirect impacts on organic food purchase intention through perceived blockchain-related information transparency, considering the moderating role of blockchain-based trust.

A purposive sample of 5,326 Vietnamese consumers was surveyed using the PROCESS macro to test the proposed hypotheses.

The findings indicate that blockchain-enabled traceability significantly enhances perceived blockchain-related information transparency, which positively influences organic food purchase intention. Furthermore, blockchain-based trust was found to positively moderate both the direct effect of transparency on purchase intention and the indirect impact of traceability on purchase intention through transparency.

Practical and managerial insights for stakeholders in the organic food sector are also discussed.

These results contribute to the literature by extending the stimulus-organism-response model to the context of blockchain technology in supply chains and highlighting the critical role of trust in moderating the effectiveness of technological innovations.

The purpose of the study was to examine the factors affecting eating behavior of adolescents aged 17–19 years, residing in a college hostel and to assess the effectiveness of nutrition education in improving their knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP).

A convenient sampling technique was used to recruit 200 adolescent female participants of age 17–19 years. The obesity and underweight status of the participants were assessed using body mass index (BMI). Diet history was obtained using a 24-h dietary recall and food frequency questionnaire. A standard pretested questionnaire was used to analyze the factors affecting the eating behavior of adolescents. A nutrition education program was conducted to improve the KAP of the adolescents. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the improvement in KAP after the education program. Descriptive statistics was used to examine the factors affecting eating behavior. Paired t-test was used to check the effectiveness of the nutrition education program.

The findings of the study indicated that 50.5% of the adolescents were underweight (20%), overweight (12%) and obese (18.5%). The mean nutritional adequacy of the adolescents was 68.1%. Social factor had the highest impact on the eating behavior of adolescents (70.8%), followed by the environmental factor (69.7%). Imparting nutrition education was significant in improving the KAP of adolescents with a p-value < 0.05. Thus, it is necessary to analyze the factors affecting the eating behavior of adolescents and establish corrective measures such as community education intervention programs and awareness programs on healthy eating habits to modify the eating behavior of adolescents.

The dietary intake and the factors influencing eating behavior of the adolescents were assessed considering the transition in the intrapersonal, social and community food environment. The inadquate food intake affected the nutritional status of 50% of the adolescents.The taste, temptation, sight of the food, peer pressure, parental influence and unmindful eating practices majorly influenced the eating behavior of adolescents. Unhealthful eating behavior can increase the risk of chronic diseases during the adolescence and may extend in to adulthood. Hence it is necessary to bring a positive change in the eating behavior of the adolescents through a well planned comprehensive nutrition education program. The findings of the study proved that the knowledge, attitude and behavior of the adolescents could be significantly improved through a well planned nutrition eduation program. Further the study also provide insights to plan and implement community food policies targeted to improve the eating behavior and health status of the adolescents. One of the limitations of the study was, in addition to anthropometric measurements and diet history including biochemical parameters would be a better indicator of nutritional status. The cultural and religious influence on eating behavior would also be studied. In future a study on gender differences on the dietary intake and eating behavior of the adolescents can be conducted.

The study reflects the eating behavior of late adolescents and major factors affecting eating behavior of adolescents residing in college hostel. The findings will add on to the existing knowledge on the factors affecting eating behavior of adolescents. As eating behavior is correlated to the health status of the adolescents understanding the factors affecting eating behavior would help in modifying the eating behavior of late adolescents by implementing appropriate measures and help develop programs and policies that aid in improving the nutritional status. Since nutrition education is effective in improving the KAP of adolescents’ nutrition literacy is imperative in schools and colleges to improve the eating behavior and health status of the adolescents.

The research provides a scientific basis for understanding the factors affecting eating behavior of adolescents and the interaction between personal, social and environmental factors. It also acts as basis to be aware of one’s own eating behavior, modify and model healthy eating behavior. Inappropriate eating behavior in late adolescents can continue into adulthood affecting nutritional status and leading to an increase in the prevalence of diseases and disorders in adulthood. This can affect human potential and capital and thereby economic development. Hence, it is imperative to improve the nutritional status of the adolescents by creating awareness and implementing corrective measures to modify unhealthy eating behavior. The research also supports devising policy and programs regarding the nutritional behavior of adolescents.

Eating behavior is a complex interplay of various factors at multiple levels. The adolescents’ eating behavior correlates directly with their nutritional status. In total, 50.5% of adolescents were malnourished. The nutrient intake of the majority of the adolescents was less than the recommended intake. The mean nutrient adequacy was 68.1%. The quality of the diet was largely affected as they did not include 5–7 food groups in a day. The social factors such as peer group influence and parental influence had the predominant impact on eating behavior followed by environmental factors. The nutrition education program helped improve the nutrition KAP. Hence, it is necessary to create awareness and make policies and programs that can improve the eating behavior of adolescents.