Search

In recent years the link between diet and disease has become well established, with studies increasingly pointing to the role of diet in disease prevention, as well as its ability to prevent chronic diseases affecting children. As a consequence, there are ever more functional products specifically targeting children, marketed in terms of the benefits conferred on children's health as well as their potential in reducing the risk of disease. The current study aims to explore factors affecting parents’ choices of suitable FFs for their children. The questions addressed in this paper concern how FFs for children are perceived by their parents and what driving factors affect their willingness to purchase FFs. The results from a web survey conducted in southern Italy on a sample of 365 parents of children aged from 1 to 10 years reveal that parents have a strong interest in functional nutrition for their children, even if their level of familiarity with these products is still low. Furthermore, multivariate analysis shows that the buying frequency of FFs targeting children is influenced by several variables, beyond socio-demographics, generally related to parents’ nutritional knowledge, and trust and familiarity with FFs. The paper provides some practical indications for both policy makers and marketers to build different strategies to improve communication on the nutritional and health benefits of FFs for children.

The spread of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the present economic context has led to new ways of carrying out commercial activities. A large body of research has shown the high potential of ICT applications for agrifood products, in particular for highly differentiated products. Wine, in particular, is an ideal product to exploit these opportunities thanks to its intrinsic characteristics, namely it is a product of “experience” and is highly differentiated and marketed internationally. This paper, starting from an analysis of the important role that modern information and communication technologies have in the agrifood sector, and more specifically in the grape growing sector, aims at examining the role that Internet and web marketing could play in promotional and communication strategies of wine companies in the Campania Region, by examining these tools as the combination of strategic factors essential to acquire a competitive position in the virtual market., Paper Presented at INTERNATIONAL ADVANCED WORKSHOP ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRI-PRODUCTION AND ENVIRONMENT (AWICTSAE 2008), May 22-23 2008, Alexandroupolis, Greece

The increasing demand for sustainable food products has driven manufacturers to adopt many sustainability claims, certifications, messages and other information tools to differentiate their goods. The results of an online survey, conducted in southern Italy on a sample of 305 individuals aged between 18 and 26 years, reveal that the level of visibility of sustainability labels is low. In particular, Rainforest Alliance certification and Libera Terra have never been noted by large shares of respondents (respectively 75% and 68%). Moreover, the degree of understanding of these labels is generally low, except for the organic one. The correct definition is stated only by 15% of interviewees for Fair Trade; 25% for Libera Terra and 16% for Rainforest Alliance. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship ( χ

This study evaluates young consumers' attitudes to sustainable food and analyzes the determinants of their willingness to pay (WTP) for chocolate bars with different sustainability labels. Data were collected through experimental auctions in Italy assessing respondents' (N = 80, aged between 18 and 35) WTP for chocolate bars with three selected labels (i.e. Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and Carbon Footprint). Econometric outcomes reveal that several socio-demographic factors exert a positive and statistically significant effect on WTP for all the selected chocolate bars, namely age cohort (older), gender (female) and household income (high). Respondents' lifestyles and food consumption habits also had an effect on final bids. This study offers valuable insights to policy makers and practitioners for efficiently targeting young consumers in campaigns to increase sustainability-labelled food consumption.

Consumers in industrialized countries are nowadays much more interested in information about the production methods and components of the food products that they eat, than they had been 50 years ago. Some production methods are perceived as less “natural” (i.e. conventional agriculture) while some food components are seen as “unhealthy” and “unfamiliar” (i.e. artificial additives). This phenomenon, often referred to as the “clean label” trend, has driven the food industry to communicate whether a certain ingredient or additive is not present or if the food has been produced using a more “natural” production method (i.e. organic agriculture). However, so far there is no common and objective definition of clean label. This review paper aims to fill the gap via three main objectives, which are to a) develop and suggest a definition that integrates various understandings of clean label into one single definition, b) identify the factors that drive consumers' choices through a review of recent studies on consumer perception of various food categories understood as clean label with the focus on organic, natural and ‘free from’ artificial additives/ingredients food products and c) discuss implications of the consumer demand for clean label food products for food manufacturers as well as policy makers. We suggest to define clean label, both in a broad sense, where consumers evaluate the cleanliness of product by assumption and through inference looking at the front-of-pack label and in a strict sense, where consumers evaluate the cleanliness of product by inspection and through inference looking at the back-of-pack label. Results show that while ‘health’ is a major consumer motive, a broad diversity of drivers influence the clean label trend with particular relevance of intrinsic or extrinsic product characteristics and socio-cultural factors. However, ‘free from’ artificial additives/ingredients food products tend to differ from organic and natural products. Food manufacturers should take the diversity of these drivers into account in developing new products and communication about the latter. For policy makers, it is important to work towards a more homogenous understanding and application of the term of clean label and identify a uniform definition or regulation for ‘free from’ artificial additives/ingredients food products, as well as work towards decreasing consumer misconceptions. Finally, multiple future research avenues are discussed.

The global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol launched in 2010 by the World Health Organization includes, amongst several areas of recommended actions, providing consumer information about, and labelling, alcoholic beverages to indicate alcohol-related harm. Labelling requirements worldwide for alcoholic drinks are currently quite diverse and somewhat limited compared to labelling on food products and on tobacco. In this context, the current paper contributes to the academic and political debate on the inclusion of nutritional and health information on wine labelling, providing some insights into consumer interest in, and preferences for, such information in four core wine-producing and -consuming countries: Italy, France, Spain, and the United States of America. A rating-based conjoint analysis was performed in order to ascertain consumer preferences for different formats of additional information on wine labels, and a segmentation of the sample was performed to determine the existence of homogeneous groups of consumers in relation to the degrees of usefulness attached to the nutritional and health information on wine labels. Our results highlight the interest expressed by European and United States consumers for introducing nutrition and health information on wine labels. However, the results of conjoint analysis show some significant differences among stated preferences of the information delivery modes in different countries. In addition, segmentation analysis reveal the existence of significant differences between consumer groups with respect to their interest in receiving additional information on wine labels. These differences are not only linked to the geographic origin of the consumers, or to socio-demographic variables, but are also related to wine consumption habits, attitudes towards nutritional information, and the degree of involvement with wine. This heterogeneity of consumer preferences indicates a need for a careful consideration of wine labelling regulations and merits further investigation in order to identify labelling guidelines in terms of the message content and presentation method to be used.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers’ interest and preference for health warnings on wine label, and the key socio-demographic and attitudinal variables driving this interest. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered, by a professional marketing company, through an on line survey with a sample of 300 Italians, aged over 18, consuming wine at least once a month. Findings – Respondents were interested in receiving more information on nutritional and health features of wine through the label, and would also like to obtain information about the warnings about possible side effects related to excessive wine consumption. The most relevant variables influencing positive interest toward this information are gender (female), age (younger cohort), education level (higher), presence of children in the household and being the main responsible of grocery shopping. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited by being conducted only in Italy, using explorative methodology. Social implications – Outcomes provide useful evidence for advocates calling for the introduction of health warnings on wine labels and policy makers. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze Italian consumer interest toward health warnings on wine label.

Activists and policy makers strongly encourage consumers to act as responsible citizens when purchasing everyday products. Accordingly, retailers and brands are competing on the market introducing a plethora of sustainability labels that should address increasing customer demand. Nevertheless, the usefulness of these labelling schemes in aiding consumers to make informed purchase decisions is still heavily debated. Results of a survey on Italian young consumers (N = 500) reveal low levels of individuals' familiarity with sustainability labels and highlight that several socio-demographic characteristics and food habits have a significant impact on consumers' knowledge of these labels.

As widely acknowledged functional foods (FFs) may contribute to improve human health due to the presence of specific components useful for their protective action against several diseases. However it is essential that consumers are able to comprehend and assess the properties of FFs health claims play a central role in helping consumers to select among food alternatives, beyond providing protection against unsupported or misleading statements about foods properties. At the same time health claims are the main marketing tool that the food industry could use to differentiate FFs from other products. Clearly, massive investments in research and development are necessary to enter the FF market segment, together with the possibility to protect innovation through patents. Current paper aims to examine factors influencing consumer understanding and use of food health claims on FFs, as well as providing several indications for developers, marketers and policy makers. After a brief review of the literature the results of a quantitative survey conducted online on 650 Italian consumers are presented. Results show that consumer use and understanding of health claims on FFs depend on different variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and confidence with nutrition information but also wording and variables related specifically to the product. Furthermore, different segments with a diverse degree of use and understanding of health claims have been identified. Therefore, to boost market growth, more efforts are needed by policy makers and marketers to provide better information on nutrition and health aspects of FF using an approach capable to ensure truthful, significant and clear information. Finally some recent patents related to the FFs market with specific regard to components and/or functionality investigated in the current paper are reviewed.

summary Agri-food Innovation and the Functional Food Market in Europe: Concerns and Challenges Europe has recently experienced an increase in several chronic diseases linked to dietary and lifestyle habits. As a result, enormous progress has been made to establish the scientific basis for food developments in the areas of health, nutrition and processing. The food industry has rapidly reacted to this trend by developing a growing variety of new products with health-related claims and images, including functional foods that are selected by consumers for their health-promoting properties. The European markets for functional foods are less developed in general than those in North America and Japan. This has often been ascribed to an inconsistent legislation and there is a broad consensus that there is a need for a regulatory framework in the European Union to protect consumers, promote fair trade, and encourage product innovation in the food industry. This article reviews the regulatory aspects of functional foods in Europe and offers an overview of the current market situation. Moreover, the main cognitive, motivational and attitudinal determinants of consumer acceptance of functional foods in different European countries are discussed, providing several practical insights. The insights presented could help practitioners make more effective strategic and tactical marketing decisions. L’Europe a recemment enregistre une recrudescence de plusieurs maladies chroniques liees aux habitudes alimentaires et au style de vie. En consequence, d’enormes progres ont ete faits pour etablir un fondement scientifique a l’evolution alimentaire dans les domaines de la sante, de la nutrition et de la transformation. L’industrie alimentaire a rapidement reagi a cette tendance par le developpement d’une variete croissante de nouveaux produits aux revendications et a l’image liees a la sante, y compris les alicaments choisis par les consommateurs pour leurs proprietes en termes d’amelioration de la sante. Les marches europeens des alicaments sont en general moins developpes que ceux de l’Amerique du nord et du Japon. Cela a souvent ete attribuea une legislation incoherente et il y a un large consensus reconnaissant la necessite, dans l’Union europeenne, de mettre en place un cadre reglementaire pour proteger les consommateurs, promouvoir le commerce equitable et encourager l’innovation sur les produits dans l’industrie alimentaire. Cet article passe en revue les aspects reglementaires des alicaments en Europe et presente une vue d’ensemble de la situation actuelle du marche. En outre, les principaux determinants au plan cognitif, des motivations et des attitudes de l’acceptation des alicaments par les consommateurs dans differents pays europeens sont examines, et plusieurs suggestions pratiques sont proposees. Ces suggestions pourraient aider les acteurs de terrain a prendre des decisions tactiques et strategiques plus efficaces. In Europa gab es vor kurzem eine Zunahme von zahlreichen chronischen Krankheiten, die im Zusammenhang mit Ernahrungs- und Lebensgewohnheiten stehen. Infolgedessen wurden grose Fortschritte zur Schaffung der wissenschaftlichen Grundlage fur die Entwicklung von Lebensmitteln in den Bereichen Gesundheit, Ernahrung und Verarbeitung erzielt. Die Lebensmittelindustrie reagierte sehr schnell auf diesen Trend und entwickelte eine zunehmende Anzahl neuer Produkte mit gesundheitsbezogenen Aussagen und Images, unter anderem auch funktionelle Lebensmittel, die von den Verbrauchern wegen ihrer gesundheitsfordernden Eigenschaften ausgewahlt werden. Die europaischen Markte fur funktionelle Lebensmittel sind im Allgemeinen weniger entwickelt als jene in Nordamerika und Japan. Dies wurde haufig auf eine uneinheitliche Gesetzgebung zuruckgefuhrt; es besteht weitgehend Einigkeit daruber, dass ein rechtlicher Rahmen in der Europaischen Union erforderlich ist, um Verbraucher zu schutzen, lauteren Wettbewerb zu fordern und Produktinnovation in der Lebensmittelindustrie anzuregen. Dieser Beitrag bewertet die regulatorischen Aspekte von funktionellen Lebensmitteln in Europa und gibt einen Uberblick uber die aktuelle Marktsituation. Desweiteren werden die wichtigsten Bestimmungsgrosen im Hinblick auf Wahrnehmung, Antrieb und innerer Haltung fur die Verbraucherakzeptanz von funktionellen Lebensmitteln in verschiedenen europaischen Landern erortert, wodurch sich zahlreiche zweckmasige Erkenntnisse ergeben. Die vorliegenden Erkenntnisse konnten die Fachleute dabei unterstutzen, effektivere strategische und taktische Marketingentscheidungen zu treffen.

The current paper reviews published academic research on European consumer attitudes towards Functional Foods (FFs). The main goal is to rationalize the vast existing body of evidence on consumers' understanding and use of FFs and identify further interesting research avenues. Almost all the studies analyzed in the current review reveal that consumer acceptance of the concept of FFs together with a better understanding of its determinants are core factors for market orientation, development and success. However, failure rates have shown that consumer acceptance is often neglected or at least far from being understood.

Among the various information and telecommunication technologies available today, internet is certainly the most innovative and useful in terms of marketing potentialities. However, it requires that enterprises (especially small and medium sized ones) develop specific strategies in order not to be excluded from the advantages offered by the virtual market. An empirical investigation, carried out by browsing the websites of 107, randomly selected, Italian companies engaged in the production of typical and traditional foods has shown that these firms invest very little in web marketing. Focusing their efforts on the internet only as a secondary promotion tool, while web-based direct selling is confined to market niches.

The current study, performed on a sample of 600 respondents responsible of household food shopping, explored consumers evaluation of four attributes of probiotics functional foods: base product (yoghurt, orange juice and biscuits), health claim (generic, psychological and prevention), price (high, regular and low) and brand (familiar and unfamiliar). Conjoint analysis ascertained that consumers consider the base product as the most important attribute in selecting a probiotic functional food and asses prevention claim as the most valuable. In addition cluster analysis revealed that customer groups significantly differ in their evaluation of perceived healthiness of functional foods and in the importance attached to price and brand.

An overview of the functional foods (FFs) market in Europe that ascertains the opportunities for further expansion of this segment is presented. Consumer behavior towards FFs was analyzed through a quantitative survey conducted on 400 Italian food shoppers. Our findings reveal that respondents are confused due to the ambiguity of what FF products are, and that consumers perceive products that are intrinsically healthy such as yogurt, cereals and juice, as preferable and credible carriers of FFs. Moreover, use of principal components analysis highlighted the key role played by the perception of healthiness in determining shoppers’ attitudes towards FF.