Search

This study analyzes the mitigating effect of positive brand information on animal welfare on consumers' perceptions, attitudes, and buying intentions for meat products when provided before a negative information shock related to the same issue. By tackling this question, this study integrates with the existing agricultural economics literature, which mainly analyzed consumers' willingness to pay for meat with the animal welfare attribute, and the marketing literature, which extensively studied the interaction of positive and negative information in similar but different settings. Data are collected from a convenience sample of 394 university students through an online survey on fast food chicken breast sandwiches. The latent growth model (LGM) used to analyze the data allows understanding how different segments of consumers dynamically change their perceptions and attitudes when affected by contrasting information. This analysis provides meat companies a tool to tailor their brand information to communicate more effectively to their stakeholders, to build and protect their brand from the risks of negative shocks, and ultimately to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of serving more healthful, local, and sustainably grown foods in school meals has many elements of a 'wicked problem' and therefore an engaged, participatory approach is essential. This article discusses efforts by a national farm-to-school project, School Food FOCUS, and its efforts to engage school districts in participatory supply chain research. It describes the methods, activities, and findings of the project and its initial impacts on changes in procurement practices and food availability. It concludes with overarching observations on the efficacy of this approach, key lessons learned, and future plans for the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]