The congruence effect of food shape and name typeface on consumers’ food preferences

Framed or Unframed? An empirical study of the impact of food brand logo frame on consumers' food preferences

Despite the widespread use of food brand logo frame in food brand logo cues, little is known about how food brand logo frame influences consumers' food preferences. Through five studies, this article explores the food brand logo frame on consumers' food preferences for different food types. For utilitarian foods, framed (vs unframed) food brand logos result in higher (lower) consumers' food preferences (Study 1), and this framing effect is driven by the psychological mechanism of food safety associations (Study 2); for hedonic foods, unframed (vs framed) food brand logos result in higher (lower) consumers' food preferences (Study 3), and this framing effect is driven by the psychological mechanism of food confinement associations (Study 4). Furthermore, this framing effect was also observed among UK consumers (Study 5). The findings contribute to the literature of brand logo and frame effect, as well as to the literature of food association, and bear important implications regarding food brand logo frame design for food marketers when developing food brand logo programs.

Consumers' attitude toward participation in community-supported aquaculture: a case of Kurdistan province in the west of Iran

Considering the increasing importance of sustainable operations in the agricultural sector and the relationship between producers and consumers, the current study was to determine customers' attitudes on participation in community-supported aquaculture programs in Kurdistan province (in the west of Iran). The present study was a survey, non-experimental, applied, and descriptive-correlational research. Using a literature review and field studies, factors affecting consumers' attitudes have been extracted. Then, to determine validity, the questionnaire was given to a panel of subject matter experts. Furthermore, to assess the reliability of the research instrument, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated. The results showed the good validity and reliability of the research tool. Moreover, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the proposed model. The results showed that among the factors affecting the attitude of consumers, the price of aquatic products had the first place, which has been neglected in the previous studies. In this regard, it was suggested that by creating support funds and facilities for the participation of consumers in community-supported aquaculture programs, setting standards for healthy aquatic products, and producing programs related to the introduction of community-supported aquaculture programs on the radio and television, the attitude of the consumers can be improved.

Effect of Die Configuration on the Physico-Chemical Properties, Anti-Nutritional Compounds, and Sensory Features of Legume-Based Extruded Snacks

Legumes are not valued by all consumers, mostly due to the prolonged soaking and cooking process they require. This problem could be solved by preparing legume-based ready-to-eat snacks. In this study, the effect of two different dies (circular and star-shaped, with cross-sections of 19.6 and 35.9 mm2, respectively) on the physico-chemical properties, anti-nutritional compounds, and sensory features of extruded breakfast snacks was determined. Extruded products were obtained from 100% legume flours of red lentil, faba bean, brown pea, and common bean. The extrusion-cooking conditions were 2.5 g/s feed rate; 160 ± 1 °C die temperature; 16 ± 1 g/100 g feed moisture, and 230 rpm screw speed. Star-shaped extrudates showed a lower expansion ratio, degree of starch gelatinization, and water solubility index, as well as higher bulk density, hardness, crunchiness, and lightness (L*) values. The oligosaccharides showed non univocal variations by changing the die, whereas phytates did not vary at all. The extrudates from lentil flour (richer in fiber) were the least preferred by sensory panelists, due to their hard texture. However, the spherical extrudates were preferred over the star-shaped product. These results emphasize the possibility of improving the physico-chemical and sensory properties of legume extrudates by selecting a proper die.

The Value of Consistency: Portfolio Labeling Strategies and Impact on Winery Brand Equity

The reported research examines the impact of product portfolio labeling strategies on brand reputation and equity. A netnographic approach allowed to observe winery portfolio labeling approaches and create a typology of winery labeling strategies. Expert evaluation served to assess the dependent variable brand equity by deploying a regression analysis. For the observed wine industry, being part of the food industry, creating consistent and recognizable brands has a direct relevance for reducing (sustainability-related) food information overload and thereby building sustainable brand equity. The results uncover the relative importance of each of the six identified labeling strategies as well as their impact on reputation and brand equity creation. The results point to the need to establish a consistent, strategically founded product communication. Such an approach, with a positive effect on reputation building can serve to build sustainable brand equity. “Stuck in the middle”-type strategies apparently diminish winery brand equity exploitation. The findings contribute to the knowledge on food labels in product communication strategies and their impact on organizational brand equity, thereby having high relevance for the implementation of environmental certification initiatives in an organizational context. The article deploys a novel research approach in an under-researched area to provide new insights for further research as well as implications for practice.

Food Marketing as a Special Ingredient in Consumer Choices: The Main Insights from Existing Literature

The choices and preferences of food consumers are influenced by several factors, from those related to the socioeconomic, cultural, and health dimensions to marketing strategies. In fact, marketing is a determinant ingredient in the choices related to food consumption. Nonetheless, for an effective implementation of any marketing approach, the brands play a crucial role. Creating new brands in the food sector is not always easy, considering the relevant amount of these goods produced within the agricultural sector and in small food industries. The small dimension of the production units in these sectors hinders both brand creation and respective branding. In this context, it would seem important to analyse the relationships between food marketing and consumer choice, highlighting the role of brands in these frameworks. For this purpose, a literature review was carried out considering 147 documents from Scopus database for the topics of search “food marketing” and “choices” (search performed on 16 October 2020). As main insights, it is worth highlighting that the main issues addressed by the literature, concerning food marketing and consumer choices, are the following: economic theory; label and packaging; marketing strategies; agriculture and food industry; market segments; social dimensions; brand and branding. In turn, food marketing heavily conditions consumer choices; however, these related instruments are better manipulated by larger companies. In addition, this review highlights that bigger companies have dominant positions in these markets which are not always beneficial to the consumers’ objectives.