Sustainable Value Creation in the Food Chain: A Consumer Perspective

What Is the Value of a "Mountain Product" Claim? A Ranking Conjoint Experiment on Goat's Milk Yoghurt

Rural development is complex in marginal and disadvantaged areas, such as mountains, which impose high labour costs and restrict farmers in their choices of crop and livestock. To recognise this problem, the European Union regulates the use of the optional quality term "Mountain product" on the label. Consumers may recognise this label and be more willing to pay for it, resulting in higher revenues for producers using it. This study estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) for a mountain quality label. This WTP is then compared to that of functional and nutrition claims. For this purpose, we used a ranking conjoint experiment, using goat's milk yoghurt-a typical mountain product-as a case study. Using a rank-ordered logit, we show that mountain quality labels generate a significant WTP, higher than that of functional claims. WTP differs by the demographic profile of the consumer. The study provided useful insights about the combination of the mountain quality label with different attributes. However, future studies are needed to adequately understand the potential of mountain certification as a supporting tool for farmers in marginal areas and for rural development.

Consumers' Attitudes and Purchase Intention for a Vitamin-Enriched Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This study aims to examine Italian consumer preferences for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) enriched with vitamins and to analyze the key drivers that affect consumer choices for this product. Specifically, we assessed consumers' intention to purchase the enriched product compared to the conventional one. The methodology adopted inferential and multivariate statistical techniques: (1) exploratory factor analysis (EFA), (2) ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and (3) non-hierarchical clustering. This study appears to be the first research project related to exploring consumers' interest in an extra virgin olive oil enhanced with vitamins, thereby providing preliminary indications. The main results represent a significant starting point for the development of new marketing strategies for the food industry.

Lifestyle, psychological and socio-demographic drivers in functional food choice: a systematic literature review based on bibliometric and network analysis

Food-related diseases are a topic of concern for the population and institutions; therefore, regulations have been envisaged to improve consumer knowledge about food properties and to guide them towards healthy food consumption. Europe has addressed the use of claims on labels with two important regulations in 2006 and 2012. The use of claims allows for the differentiation of food products, particularly functional foods, i.e., those that can provide health benefits as part of a standard diet. The study aims to describe the interest of researchers on the topic of functional foods and health claims by observing the trend of publications and highlighting the role of the country on the topic through a network analysis. Another objective is to evaluate the role of lifestyle, psychological and socio-demographic predictors in the choice of functional foods bearing label claims or not, using a systematic literature review. To this aims, a bibliometric and a network analysis were assessed. The results reveal a positive trend in publications and a growing interest in the topic, thus showing that socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle variables partially influence consumer behaviour. In particular, it emerges that educated people and women are more interested in functional foods, showing a higher willingness to pay for them. In addition, physical activity and beliefs regarding the nutritional quality of functional foods are positively correlated with WTP. However, several contradictory results were observed for some variables in the collected studies. For these reasons and considering the high number of functional foods and claims yet to be evaluated, further investigations are recommended.

Enzymatic treatment, unfermented and fermented fruit-based products: current state of knowledge

In recent years, food manufacturers are increasingly utilizing enzymes in the production of fruit-based (unfermented and fermented) products to increase yield and maximize product quality in a cost-effective manner. Depending on the fruits and desired product characteristics, different enzymes (e.g. pectinase, cellulase, hemicellulase, amylase, and protease) are used alone or in combinations to achieve optimized processing conditions and improve nutritional and sensorial quality. In this review, the mechanisms of action and sources of different enzymes, as well as their effects on the physicochemical, nutritional, and organoleptic properties of unfermented and fermented fruit-based products are summarized and discussed, respectively. In general, the application of enzymatic hydrolysis treatment (EHT) in unfermented fruit-based product helps to achieve four main purposes: (i) viscosity reduction (easy to filter), (ii) clarification (improved appearance/clarity), (iii) better nutritional quality (increase in polyphenolics) and (iv) enhanced organoleptic characteristic (brighter color and complex aroma profile). In addition, EHT provides numerous other advantages to fermented fruit-based products such as better fermentation efficiency and enrichment in aroma. To meet the demand for new market trends, researchers and manufacturers are increasingly employing non-Saccharomyces yeast (with enzymatic activities) alone or in tandem with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce complex flavor profile in fermented fruit-based products. Therefore, this review also evaluates the potential of some non-Saccharomyces yeasts with enzymatic activities and how their utilization helps to tailor wines with unique aroma profile. Lastly, in view of an increase in lactose-intolerant individuals, the potential of fermented probiotic fruit juice as an alternative to dairy-based probiotic products is discussed.

Reviewing Value Creation in Agriculture—A Conceptual Analysis and a New Framework

Creation of business value is a major objective of any enterprise, but the way in which value is created and its consequences call for re-evaluation in response to current sustainability goals. The agricultural sector serves basic human needs, but its systems and methods for production, processing, and consumption often pose challenges to sustainable development. To address these challenges, this study consolidated value-creating factors identified in a systematic literature review into nine clusters: collaboration, communication, knowledge, production, diversification, entrepreneurism, funding, policies, and inclusiveness. These clusters were analyzed with a Triple Bottom Line framework where financial, environmental, and social dimensions are part of sustainable development. The analysis revealed that agricultural enterprises pursue business activities in a near-term perspective, with few having strategies for long-term activities such as innovativeness, knowledge acquisition, and collaboration with external stakeholders. These findings highlight the complexity in creation of sustainable business value and call for further investigation of how value is conceptualized in the agricultural sector. Re-thinking value creation in the sector should consider why value is created, for whom, the time perspective in which value is assessed, and the aspects given weight in the assessment.