Local Food Campaign in a Globalization Context: A Systematic Review

Can Traditional Food Product Communication Convey Safety to the Younger Generations? The Role of Sustainable Packaging

Traditional food products (TFPs) represent a defining part of one's culture, identity, and heritage with crucial economic, cultural, and environmental benefits in society. Younger generations have a positive idea of TFPs, even if this does not lead to actual purchase, possibly due to the fact that they are often perceived to not meet safety criteria. This study focuses on product communication (CP) and packaging referring to the territory (PT) and to sustainability (SP) in order to verify if these have a direct or mediated impact on perceived product safety (PPS). A structural equation model was conducted on a sample of 1079 young Italian cheese consumers. The results allowed us to confirm the hypothesized impact of CP on PPS through the mediation of PT and, particularly, SP. SP has a crucial communicative role in the model, demonstrating the ability to enhance the perception of the safety of TFPs. This research adds to the knowledge in the field of TFPs, focusing on communication and sustainable packaging as crucial factors conveying healthiness, nutritiousness, and perceived safety, consequently leading to a greater diffusion of the products themselves in the market.

Effect of perception of sustainability in local food experiences on healthy eating tendency: mediator and moderator effects

Tourists who favor local food typically care about healthy food choices. Their view of locally produced food as healthy is related to perceptions of sustainability. This relationship can be explained by tourists' personality traits and tendency to eat local food. This study aimed to establish the effect of tourists' perceptions of sustainability in the context of local food experiences on healthy eating tendencies. In addition, we aimed to determine the role of tourists' personality traits and local eating tendencies and elucidate the moderating role of searching online for information on food choices. An online questionnaire (via e-mail and WhatsApp) was used to obtain data from 379 research participants, recruited using a non-probabilistic sampling technique. A research model and hypotheses were formed based on Hayes PROCESS Macro models 90 and 6, and moderator and mediator effects were analyzed using these models. Healthy eating was well-explained by the model, and the perception of social and environmental sustainability in local food experiences (LFE-SES) positively affected food-related personality traits (FRPT), local food eating tendencies (LFET), and healthy eating (HE). While food-related personality traits did not mediate the relationship between the perception of sustainability and healthy eating, local food eating tended to mediate this relationship. In addition, when food-related personality traits and local food eating tendencies were evaluated together, they had a mediating role between the perception of sustainability and healthy eating. Searching online for information had an insignificant moderating effect. These findings help promote an understanding of healthy eating tendencies. Within the context of local food, they suggest critical theoretical and practical implications for the relationship between the perception of sustainability, food-related personality traits, local food eating tendencies, and healthy eating.

The Role of the Emotional Sequence in the Communication of the Territorial Cheeses: A Neuromarketing Approach

Over the past few years, many studies have shown how territoriality can be considered a driver for purchasing agri-food products. Products with certification of origin are perceived as more sustainable, safer and of better quality. At the same time, producers of traditional products often belong to small entities that struggle to compete with large multinational food corporations, having less budget to allocate to product promotion. In this study, we propose a neuromarketing approach, showing how the use of these techniques can help in choosing the most effective commercial in terms of likeability and ability to activate mnemonic processes. Two commercials were filmed for the purpose of this study. They differed from each other in terms of emotional sequence. The first aimed primarily at eliciting positive emotions derived from the product description. The second aimed to generate negative emotions during the early stages, highlighting the negative consequences of humans' loss of contact with nature and tradition and then eliciting positive emotions by presenting cheese production using traditional techniques as a solution to the problem. Based on the literature on the emotional sequences in social advertising, we hypothesised that the second commercial would generate an overall better emotional reaction and activate mnemonic processes to a greater extent. Our results partially support the research hypotheses, providing useful insights both to marketers and for future research on the topic.

Sustainability Assessment on an Urban Scale: Context, Challenges, and Most Relevant Indicators

The concept and practice of sustainability in urban planning have gained worldwide significance since the early 2000s and have become increasingly mainstream in the policymaking process. Adopting global frameworks, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and ISO standards, for sustainable communities provides an opportunity to build more sustainable, innovative, and equitable towns and cities, with regard to natural resources and biodiversity. However, attaining sustainability requires addressing many fundamental issues at various levels, and achieving the goals and objectives of sustainability poses a significant challenge for all segments of society. Several methods for assessing the sustainability of the urban environment have been established in recent years. Therefore, compiling a short and comprehensive list of indicators addressing the broad concept of urban sustainability issues has arisen as a significant challenge. This research reviews four urban sustainability assessment tools—BREEAM-C, LEED-ND, iiSBE SBToolPT Urban, and iiSBE SNTool—to identify a clear set of key sustainability priorities. This study aims to highlight a more consistent list of indicators that are considered the most significant aspects and priorities within the analysed sustainability methods, allowing for a common understanding of the most important principles that must be considered in the design of sustainable urban areas and are compatible with the most recent standardization and sustainability targets. The end product of this study includes a proposal for a set of sustainability indicators to assess environmental, social, and economic issues to implement in the design of sustainable urban environments, independent of the local context.

Smart Management of Malnutrition Using Local Foods: A Sustainable Initiative for Developing Countries

Malnutrition is one of the major challenges the developing world is currently facing, whether it is caused by climate change, terrorism and conflict, or demographic shifts. Poverty is the main cause of malnutrition in this part of the world, and no progress is possible without the alleviation of poverty to reduce malnutrition. Reducing household vulnerability and increasing household resilience is the pathway to sustainable malnutrition management. Malnutrition has been a major threat to the health and development of children in developing countries, presenting as high levels of micronutrient deficiencies, stunting, and global acute malnutrition. The rates of malnutrition of all forms are above the thresholds accepted by the WHO in some regions. To this end, the resilience program on achieving nutrition in a developing country through at-home learning activities for nutritional rehabilitation and dietary promotion (known as FARN) reported, in this case, successful results from both statements from beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries on the reduction and management of malnutrition in their health centers. FARN activity encourages the consumption of locally available foods not only to eradicate malnutrition but also to protect the ecosystem and sustainable nutrition security. This is much like the saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” to the vulnerable people; parents' knowledge of their child's nutritional status and the use of local-based foods diets showed improvement, which is proof of the impact of the resilience program. It can be concluded that the resilience program through its activities at the level of the selected community significantly affected the factors and degree of persistence of malnutrition and the level of resilience of the populations. Thus, the FARN program showed resounding success in its ability to promote sustainable malnutrition management.

Expanding the Level of Technological Readiness for a Low-Cost Vertical Hydroponic System

Climate and social changes are deeply affecting current agro-food systems. Unsustainable agricultural practices and the low profitability of small farmers are challenging the agricultural development of rural areas. This study aims to develop a novel, modular and low-cost vertical hydroponic farm system through reviews of the patented literature, research literature and variants of commercial products. After a detailed conceptualization process, a prototype was fabricated and tested at my university to validate its technology readiness level (TRL). The outcomes supported the usability and performance of the present utility model but highlighted several changes that are necessary before it can pass to the next TRL. This study shows that the prototype has the potential to not only solve food sovereignty but also to benefit society by advancing the innovations in food production and improving quality of life.

Dairy Products with Certification Marks: The Role of Territoriality and Safety Perception on Intention to Buy

Over the years, the territorial origins of agri-food products have become a consolidated marketing model which stand as an alternative to mass production. References to territory, whether on packaging or in advertising, have become an increasingly popular way for marketers to differentiate products, by attributing specific characteristics to them, derived from specific cultural identities and traditions. The aim of this study is to capture the possible differences between two groups, Italian and French, in the perception and intention to buy products with certification marks. We tested a multi-group structural equations model, assessing the mediation of the Perceived Product Safety (PPS) between Packaging with reference to Territoriality (PT) and Intention to Buy (IB). Our findings show that in both groups PT has a positive association with IB and PPS and that PPS has a positive association with IB. The difference is the mediation of PPS, present only in the Italian group. This opens important considerations on the role of the perception of safety, particularly in the pandemic period, in the presentation of products, particularly in products with certification marks linked to sustainability and territoriality.

Measures to Increase Local Food Supply in the Context of European Framework Scenarios for the Agri-Food Sector

The issue of local food supply has attracted considerable political and public attention, due to the changing preferences of consumers, who have more awareness about ecological sustainability, in particular, but also due to recent developments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to identify measures facilitating local food value chains, which are resilient to different nationwide and global future developments, the aim of our analysis was to set the identified measures derived from the local roadmap of the city of Graz in the context of European scenarios for the agri-food sector in 2035. The results show that certain measures are applicable under all of the described scenarios, such as the food policy council, whereas some measures—for example, open food labs—are less suitable or need to be adjusted to fit the purpose within changing framework conditions. Setting specific measures for a city region in the broader context of European agri-food scenarios provides a systemic perspective, thus making the multiple links and influences more visible.