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When the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the war in Ukraine led to further disruptions in consumers' daily behaviours, with rising prices for food and energy. We conducted a survey study on self-reported changes in food-related consumer behaviour in ten European countries and compared the results to a similar study conducted two years ago. A latent class cluster analysis distinguished five clusters and showed that different types of consumers can be distinguished based on how they react to the crisis as regards their eating habits. 19% of survey participants reported no major changes, and 32% reported changes mostly in terms of more price sensitivity. Among those that reported changes beyond reacting to higher prices, there are indications of more mindful eating and more deliberate choices. The changes already found earlier in response to the COVID-19 pandemic therefore seem to have been strengthened and supplemented by reactions to price increases. The results present a challenge to the food industry in terms of supplying healthy and sustainable food at affordable prices., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

To study consumers' intention to reduce their dietary salt intake and willingness to purchase salt-reduced food products, as well as the determinants of these, this research relies on data collected through a web survey of 1030 participants in Denmark. The majority of respondents (66.8%) express no intentions to change their dietary salt intake, but 12.6% indicate such intentions, and 20.6% claim to have already implemented a change. Willingness to purchase salt-reduced food products is high but varies across product categories, ranging from 52% for olives to 72% for meat spreads. Personal and social norms reveal the strongest influences on intention to change dietary habits, whereas personal norms, knowledge, and awareness of health consequences exert the strongest influences on willingness to purchase salt-reduced food products. These results suggest that most consumers are willing to purchase salt-reduced food products, even without having a salt reduction goal. These results are relevant for stakeholders and policy makers, as evidence of how consumers respond to salt-reduced food products and their intention to lower their dietary salt intake., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This study has revealed the role of a new factor, perceived correspondence of health effects, in consumer acceptance of functional foods. Using a web survey of 1016 people, we hypothesized and verified the following: when an ingredient does not occur naturally in the carrier but the consumer assigns the same health effect to it as to the carrier, the product's acceptance will be more positive than it would be if an identical health effect was not associated with the carrier and the functional ingredient. Factors influencing consumer acceptance were examined via binary logistic regression models. According to the results, if a functional food developer fortifies the carrier with an ingredient that does not occur naturally in the carrier, the product can expect higher acceptance if the health effects perceived by consumers are properly matched. In general, it has been found that expected taste and awareness of the product were decisive in all demographic and income groups, whereas perceived correspondence of health effects had a lesser, but still positive influence on acceptance., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

International segmentation is defined as the identification of groups of consumers with similar needs and wants in the food domain across cultural units. Four criteria for such segmentations are discussed (theoretical support for the segmentation base, cross-cultural relevance of the segmentation base, cross-cultural validity of the measurement instrument, validation by measures of responses to marketing parameters). Three dominant approaches are identified in the literature: segmentation by importance of product benefits, by means-end chains, and by food-related lifestyles. Pros and cons of each are discussed and needs for future research are outlined., (Copyright © 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Foods with increased protein content have rapidly become one of the fastest-growing product categories targeting image- and health-focused consumers. However, it is not clear whether consumers really understand the difference between 'inherently rich in protein' and 'artificially increased protein'. This study used a qualitative focus group approach to investigate the consumer preferences and perceptions of foods with increased protein content among mixed-age and older population in four European countries. In total fifty-two participants were involved in the study. Understanding of the concept of foods with 'increased protein' content was limited. Both older and mixed-age participants could not differentiate between natural sources of protein and foods with increased protein content, no matter whether foods with animal or plant proteins were mentioned. Older participants expressed more scepticism towards foods with increased protein content than mixed-age participants. The combination of protein type and food carrier closer to conventional foods received more acceptance among both older and mixed-age participants. Future use and acceptance of foods with increased protein content will depend on the extent to which consumer concerns about incorporating additional protein into a diet can be responded., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The main purpose of this study is to identify consumer segments based on the importance of product attributes when buying seafood for homemade meals on weekdays. There is a particular focus on the relative importance of the packaging attributes of fresh seafood. The results are based on a representative survey of 840 Norwegian consumers between 18 and 80 years of age. This study found that taste, freshness, nutritional value and naturalness are the most important attributes for the home consumption of seafood. Except for the high importance of information about expiration date, most other packaging attributes have only medium importance. Three consumer segments are identified based on the importance of 33 attributes associated with seafood: Perfectionists, Quality Conscious and Careless Consumers. The Quality Conscious consumers feel more self-confident in their evaluation of quality, and are less concerned with packaging, branding, convenience and emotional benefits compared to the Perfectionists. Careless Consumers are important as regular consumers of convenient and pre-packed seafood products and value recipe information on the packaging. The seafood industry may use the results provided in this study to strengthen their positioning of seafood across three different consumer segments., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Since 2009, the green Keyhole symbol has been a joint Nordic initiative for signalling healthfulness of specific food products. In 2014, the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries carried out a campaign aimed mainly at men over 35 with a low level of education, encouraging them to use the Keyhole in their shopping process. The objective of the study is to evaluate the campaign by measuring its effect on consumer behaviour in the store., Methods: The impact of the Keyhole campaign was measured in selected retail stores. Sales data were analysed to ascertain whether sales of Keyhole labelled products changed during and after the campaign. Observations and interviews were conducted in the same stores., Results: The campaign had a positive effect on sales of Keyhole-labelled products in two out of three retail chains investigated. In these two retail chains, sales of Keyhole labelled products rose by about 20%. In the third chain, there was a slight decrease of sales of Keyhole labelled products. The effect differed considerably between product categories. Analysis of the interview data indicated that by the end of the campaign, shoppers with a short education had a higher likelihood of mentioning health as a purchase motive, and there was a higher general tendency to look for nutrition information., Conclusions: Results suggest that the campaign did have effects on shopper behaviour and that it is possible to address shoppers with a short education by a tailored campaign. However, long-term effect of the campaign was not ascertained.

Qualitative and quantitative studies were conducted to explore the effect of front-of-pack nutrition labels on the perceived healthfulness of food products. Consumers were found to hold beliefs about colours and their fit to product categories that influence the assessment process. Consumers associate certain colours with product healthfulness. Yellow, blue, green and red were found to be evocative of health. Heather, pink and celadon suggested an artificial thus unhealthful product. The impact of labels on healthfulness assessment was observed only in the unhealthful category. The findings show the complexity of psychological processes in the perception of food healthfulness., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

Different front-of-pack (FOP) labelling systems have been developed in Europe by industry and organisations concerned with health promotion. A study (n 2068) was performed to establish the extent to which inclusion of the most prevalent FOP systems--guideline daily amounts (GDA), traffic lights (TL), GDA+TL hybrid (HYB) and health logos (HL)--impact consumer perceptions of healthiness over and above the provision of a FOP basic label (BL) containing numerical nutritional information alone. The design included within- and between-subjects factors. The within-subjects factors were: food (pizzas, yogurts and biscuits), healthiness of the food (high health, medium health and low health) and the repeated measurements under BL and test FOP label conditions. The between-subjects factors were: the system (GDA, TL, GDA+TL hybrid, HL), portion size (typical portion size and a 50% reduction of a typical portion) and country (the UK, Germany, Poland and Turkey). Although the FOP systems tested did result in small improvements for objective understanding under some conditions, there was little difference between the provision of an FOP label containing basic numerical nutritional information alone or between the various systems. Thus, any structured and legible presentation of key nutrient and energy information on the FOP label is sufficient to enable consumers to detect a healthier alternative within a food category when provided with foods that have distinctly different levels of healthiness. Future research should focus on developing greater understanding of the psychological and contextual factors that impact motivation and the opportunity to use the various FOP systems in real-world shopping settings.

This study aims to explore consumers' attitude toward a new preservation technique using herbs and berries in organic meat production, which enables to minimize the amount of chemical additives and to reduce the salt content in meat products. Consumer acceptance of the preservation technique using herbs and berries and intention to purchase products preserved with herbs and berries were investigated through a qualitative approach by means of three focus groups. In general, most participants were positive toward the preservation technique using herbs and berries and there were only few concerns related to the technique. Concerns were related not as much to the technique but more to the products. Four factors seem important in this relation: shelf life, taste, appearance and texture. The intention to purchase products preserved with herbs and berries is generally high, but is dependent on taste and appearance of the products, the price and information level., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this paper is the quantitative analysis of the change in quality perception of four new processed beef products from pre to post trial phases. Based on the Total Food Quality Model, differences in pre and post-trial phases were measured using repeated measures technique for cue evaluation, quality evaluation and purchase motive fulfillment. For two of the tested products, trial resulted in a decline of the evaluation of cues, quality and purchase motive fulfillment compared to pre-trial expectations. For these products, positive expectations were created by giving information about ingredients and ways of processing, which were not confirmed during trial. For the other two products, evaluations on key sensory dimensions based on trial exceeded expectations, whereas the other evaluations remained unchanged. Several demographic factors influenced the pattern of results, notably age and gender, which may be due to underlying differences in previous experience. The study gives useful insights for testing of new processed meat products before market introduction., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Successful new product development requires input from the market throughout the product development process, from identification of opportunities via screening of ideas, development of concepts, development of physical prototypes and to launch. Drawing on work done in the EU FP6 projects PROSAFEBEEF and Q-PORKCHAINS and a Danish project, all dealing with new product development in the meat sector, it is shown how the use of consumer insight techniques can a) support the identification of market opportunities, b) make sure that technologies applied are acceptable to consumers, c) aid the selection and optimisation of new product concepts and related communication, and d) be used to test product prototypes before final launch., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper investigates consumers' satisfaction level with pork meat and derived products in five European countries. Data were collected through a cross-sectional web-based survey in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Poland during January 2008 with a total sample of 2437 consumers. Data included socio-demographics and questions regarding satisfaction with 27 common pork-based products; classified into fresh pork, processed pork and pork meat products. Satisfaction was evaluated in terms of overall satisfaction, as well as satisfaction with health-giving qualities, price, convenience and taste. Logistic regression analyses showed taste as the main determinant of satisfaction, followed by convenience. Healthfulness is not a significant driver of overall satisfaction. Price influences satisfaction with fresh pork more than with processed products. Tasty pork, easy to prepare and consume, with adequate promotion of its healthfulness, and with a good price/quality relationship appears to be the key factor to satisfy pork consumers., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Consumer demand in relation to food is shifting towards products that are safe, nutritious, and of good eating quality. Beef consumers are demanding for experience quality that matches their expectations, particularly with respect to beef tenderness. The development of a beef quality grading and guarantee system obtained through muscle profiling research, can allow the beef industry to meet these demands. A qualitative consumer study has been carried out with beef consumers in France, Spain, United Kingdom and Germany to assess their opinions about beef muscle profiling and their interest in a beef eating-quality guarantee. Findings indicate that both concepts are well accepted by European beef consumers, although not unconditional. Participants express some reserve related to the possible upgrading of lower value cuts, too much standardisation, and the fact that tenderness is to some extent subjective. They further require the system to be simple, sufficiently documented and independent-party controlled. This study indicates good opportunities for the development of a beef eating-quality guarantee system in Europe. As an increase in consumers' satisfaction could lead to higher consumption rates and industry profitability, the introduction of an eating-quality guarantee system can contribute to market development and improved competitiveness of the European beef industry., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper presents the combined mid-term findings of the consumer research components of two EU Sixth Framework Programme integrated projects concerning meat, ProSafeBeef and Q-PorkChains. The consumer pillar of ProSafeBeef carried out eight focus group discussions in May 2008, in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Q-PorkChains conducted a large-scale, web-based, consumer survey in January 2008 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland. The first project provides a set of qualitative data from a small cohort of focus groups and the second a set of quantitative data from a larger consumer sample. This paper draws together the main findings of both projects and provides a comprehensive overview of European citizens' and consumers' attitudes towards and preferences regarding beef and pork. In general, consumers consider meat to be a healthy and important component of the diet. Consumers support the development of technologies that can improve the health attributes of meat products and guarantee eating quality, but they have a negative view of what they see to be excessive manipulation and lack of naturalness in the production and processing of beef products. In the Q-PorkChains study consumer and citizen segments are identified and profiled. Consumer segments were built upon the frequency and variety of pork consumption. The citizen segments were built upon their attitudes towards pig production systems. Overall, the relationship between individuals' views as citizens and their behaviour as consumers was found to be quite weak and did not appear to greatly or systematically influence meat-buying habits. Future studies in both projects will concentrate on consumers' acceptance of innovative meat product concepts and products, with the aim of boosting consumer trust and invigorating the European beef and pork industries.

This study investigated the differences in the consumers' quality perception of national branded, national store branded, and imported store branded beef. Partial Least Squares analysis is used for modelling the quality perception process. Results show that consumers perceived national branded Carnalentejana beef, as better on all quality cues and quality aspects than the other two store branded beefs. Preference for Carnalentejana beef stayed highly consistent even after the blind test, where consumers differentiated this beef from the other two beef brands on all sensory dimensions: taste, tenderness, and juiciness, and chose it as the preferred one. Consumers utilized more perceived intrinsic cues to infer expected eating quality of store branded beefs.

The success of new food processing technologies is highly dependent on consumers' acceptance. The purpose of this paper is to study consumers' perceptions of two new processing technologies and food products produced by means of these novel technologies. To accomplish this, a qualitative study on consumer attitudes towards high-pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric field (PEF) processing of food was carried out. In all 97 adults between 20 and 71 years of age participated in 12 focus groups conducted in Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Norway and Denmark using a common guideline. Participants were introduced to the HPP and PEF technologies and then to the effect of the two new technologies on two specific product categories: juice and baby food. The transcribed data was content analysed and the coded data was transformed into diagrams using UCINET 5 and NETDRAW. The results show that consumers perceived the main advantages of HPP and PEF products to be the products' naturalness, improved taste and their high nutritional value, whereas the main disadvantage was the lack of information about the PEF and HPP products. The results of the participants' evaluation of the PEF and HPP processes showed that environmental friendliness and the more natural products were seen as the main advantages, while they were concerned about body and health, the higher price of the products, the lack of information about the technologies and a general scepticism. The study also shows that North European participants were a bit more sceptical towards PEF and HPP products than the East European participants.

What are consumers aiming to get when they buy fresh meat? Is it the emotional pleasure, the nutritional quality and functionality, or the status that goes with it? We examine this question for Chinese consumers buying fresh pork. In order to understand the driving forces for pork purchases, we use the concept of perceived value of a product, and distinguish emotional value, quality/performance and social value, together with price/value for money. We look at how perceived value of pork products in China is related to consumers’ attitude to these products and to their repeated purchase of these products. In addition, we look at how value perception and its role in determining attitude and purchase behavior differ between different consumer segments, distinguished based on their shopping behavior. An online survey was carried out in 5 Chinese 1st and 2nd tier cities. Respondents were segmented based on their usage of different ways of shopping for pork using latent class cluster analysis. Relationships between constructs were estimated using PLS. Quality/functional value was the strongest determinant of attitude, but emotional value was both the strongest direct determinant of purchase behavioral and the strongest determinant overall when taking effects mediated by attitude into account. Customer journey segments differed in their pattern of determinants of attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. We conclude that buying fresh meat is, for Chinese consumers, mostly driven by the expected pleasure and to a lesser degree by quality and functional properties like safety and healthiness. The latter do have an impact on consumers’ attitude to the product, but less so on their buying behavior, suggesting that attitude and purchase are driven by different mental processes. We discuss implications for future demand for fresh pork in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Qualifications of animal welfare claims can both increase or reduce the perception of the degree of animal welfare. • Effects of qualifications on purchase intentions depend on the time available during processing. • Processing under a time constraints focusses processes on the claim. • Dual processing theories can explain effects of animal welfare claim qualifications. • Testing effects of qualifications before implementing them is advisable. Claims about animal welfare and other sustainability characteristics are often used in market communication to promote food products. When such claims are suspected to be deceptive, accusations of greenwashing may appear. One method to counteract greenwashing is to substantiate the claims with additional information, i.e., with qualifications. However, the effectiveness of such qualifications has been critically debated. Based on two experimental surveys carried out in Denmark on animal welfare claims for pork and chicken and their qualifications, we show that such qualifications can both reduce and enhance consumers' evaluation of the degree of animal welfare of the product advertised. In addition, we show that the effect of such qualifications on consumers' purchase intentions depends on whether they process the information under a time constraint – as would be typical in everyday purchasing – or not. Contrary to common assumptions, we provide evidence that a time constraint can lead to consumer information processing becoming more focussed on the qualified claim, and that this claim then has more impact on purchase intention. We interpret these effects based on dual processing theory. The results have implications for the regulation of animal welfare claims and their qualifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copycats or "me‐too" brands imitate prominent features of market leaders with the intention to benefit from consumers' positive associations of the imitated brand. However, the imitated market leader can be perceived as being local (=in‐group) or global (=out‐group). Employing social identity theory, Study 1 examined the interaction between copycat strategy and perceived globalness of the brand, showing that consumers have higher purchase intentions for global copycats versus a local counterpart. Study 2 shows that the interacting effect of copycat strategy and perceived globalness is moderated by consumer ethnocentrism. Further, authors demonstrate that a global copycat elicit greater schadenfreude (vs. local brand), which in turn increases consumers' purchase intentions. Subsequent mediation analysis shows that ethnocentric consumers experience schadenfreude upon encountering copycats of global brands, which in turn increases purchase intention, whereas low ethnocentric consumers show higher purchase intentions for local differentiated brands because they deem a copycat strategy as unacceptable. Finally, Study 3 examines whether the results from Studies 1 and 2 continue to hold for theme copycats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review research on eye movements in decision making and show that decision makers are subject to several visual biases such as the size, salience, position, emotional valence, predictability, and number of information elements. These biases lead decision makers to allocate their attention in ways that are arbitrary to their goals and sometimes bias their choices. We show that while some visual biases can be minimized, others are unavoidable. Consequently, it is impossible to present information in a completely neutral way. Any presentation format will bias decision makers to attend or ignore different information and thereby influence their choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making benefit cues explicitly available to consumers can mitigate the impacts of added product attributes, such as nutrition claims, from which consumers often infer negative meaning. Yet, food products also vary in the benefits that consumers value most; they regard taste as most important for hedonic foods, but performance as pertinent for utilitarian foods. This article presents three studies that examine how making perceived product benefits explicit affects consumers’ purchase intentions toward hedonic and utilitarian food products that feature nutrition claims. Self-health awareness may moderate this effect (Study 1), which also depends on the prime, whether of the product’s underlying goal (hedonic vs. utilitarian) (Study 2) or of consumers’ own health motivations (Study 3). The results show that participants with high primed health motivation purchase hedonic food products with nutrition claims only if the product benefit is explicit. For utilitarian food products, the negative effect of the nutrition claim can be mitigated by making the perceived benefit explicit but only among participants with low self-health awareness. Priming thus can facilitate healthier food choices, though its outcomes depend on the type of food and self-health awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advances in precision fermentation hold great potential for transformative changes in the agri-food system, addressing crucial environmental and food security challenges. However, the successful adoption of this technology hinges on consumer acceptance, which plays a pivotal role in determining its market success. To shed light on consumer acceptance of precision fermentation technology, three studies were conducted. Study 1 found that adopting natural (vs. sustainable) framing positively influenced acceptance (N = 308). Study 2 revealed that the information supporting use of representative heuristic can effectively enhance technology acceptance (N = 300). Furthermore, Study 3 proposed and tested the technology acceptance model in a cross-cultural setting (N = 3032), indicating that when prompting similarity to traditional fermentation positively influenced consumer perceptions. This further fosters higher levels of trust and perceived benefits, significantly impacting consumer acceptance and intention to purchase new products derived from precision fermentation technology. These insights emphasize the critical role of consumer acceptance in driving the adoption and market success of precision fermentation. • Natural (vs. sustainable) framing evokes more positive attitude towards technology. • Representative heuristic, supress framing effects, act as a standalone strategy. • Technology acceptance model shows robustness in a cross-cultural context. • Perceived benefits and technology neophobia important determinants of acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health claims communicate the health benefits of food products. The use of health claims is regulated and the regulation requires that the average consumer is able to understand the health claims, as means to protect consumers from misleading claims. Due to the technical terms used in the authorised health claims and the potential of such claims to mislead consumers, attempts to improve consumer understanding of health claims are relevant. The aim of this study was to elicit the inferences that consumers make from different variations of a beta-glucans health claim in order to gain an understanding of how consumers’ understanding of health claims can be improved. Two methods for elicitation of inferences, the Consumer Understanding Test (CUT) and laddering interviews, were applied in a study conducted among consumers (N = 295) in Denmark. Re-wording an authorised health claim or adding information did not improve understanding and could even decrease consumers’ understanding of the claim. Several implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU promotes three types of food quality labels, PDO, PGI and TSG in order to protect producers of food with special qualities and to aid consumers in their decision-making. This papers reviews published research on how these labels affect consumers. 35 studies were identified and are reviewed based on a hierarchy of effects framework. While results are conflicting, some overall themes emerge, suggesting that the role of these quality labels in consumer decision-making at present is still relatively low. Suggestions for research are made that would provide a better basis for evidence-based policy formulation with regard to food quality labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a requirement that health claims be scientifically founded. However, their phrasing is criticised for being unappealing and cumbersome to communicate to consumers. Instead, it has been found that consumers respond favourably to non-scientifically phrased ‘soft’ health information. We aimed to explore to what extent health claims presented in the context of (thus framed) scientific phrasing of health information impacts health inferences and attitudes towards a product when compared to ‘soft’ health-related information framing. Different versions of mock resveratrol food supplement descriptions were presented in a between subjects experimental design conducted in the US and Denmark. Furthermore, respondents were shown mock-up media reports contradicting the earlier information and asked to repeat their assessment of health inferences and their attitude. This was done to assess how robust consumers’ health inferences and attitudes are in an environment of contradictory information. Results show that the soft information positively influences health inferences and attitudes in Denmark, while in the US, scientific information positively influences health inferences but not attitudes. Faced with contradictory information, US consumers reduce their favourable attitude towards the product to a lesser extent in the presence of scientific information. The findings underline the crucial role of the informational context as well as the country background for consumer perception of health claims. Non-scientific information can be potentially more powerful in communication, but a product assessment based on scientific information might be more robust to the detrimental impact of contradictory information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ongoing changes from traditional open markets to Western style supermarkets in China, Chinese consumers have the opportunity to base their decisions increasingly on extrinsic quality cues like brand, safety certification and origin, in addition to the traditional intrinsic quality cues like color and fat. This study investigates choice of fresh pork by Chinese consumers employing a pairwise choice methodology. Latent class analysis shows that for the majority of consumers intrinsic cues are still dominating the choice, and only for a small segment did information on brand, origin and quality certification have a major role. Also, there was a segment of consumers that did seem to make random choices. The results indicate that Chinese consumers are still in a transitory phase, where they are building up competencies in handling product information while the sector struggles to build credibility and trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a qualitative research approach, the present paper aims to explore the range and type of ‘values’ and ‘costs’ in formulating overall Consumer Value (CV) perceptions, in association with two emerging processing technologies that at the outset are neither distinctly positive nor negative in the eyes of consumers, in two culturally variant contexts, namely a Western society where technology is often met with skepticism (i.e., the UK); and a non-Western society where technology plays a reassuring role regarding concerns about food safety and quality (i.e., China). Results reveal that the most important value and cost dimensions that define CV perceptions are reasoned and utility-related, in particular ‘functional (i.e., economic) value’ and ‘performance (i.e., taste-related) cost’. Moreover, additional value and cost types of affective nature play an important role, such as ‘emotional value’, ‘(dis)trust’ and ‘(un)familiarity’. Furthermore, a number of differences emerge when CV perceptions are related to participants’ differences in attitude to technological progress (i.e., pro- or counter-technology individuals), lending support to the assumption that consumers with different general attitudes towards technological progress would differ in the number and type of value–cost dimensions that define their CV trade-offs. Finally, a between-countries comparison revealed that counter-technology consumers in both cultural contexts share more value and cost perceptions than their pro-technology counterparts, who ‘allow’ more room for cultural discrepancies to impact on their CV perceptions. Overall, findings support the view that CV perceptions in the context of food produced by means of emerging processing technologies can be successfully analyzed using a multidimensional conceptualization, where CV is seen as the outcome of a trade-off among a number of ‘competing’ value and cost dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The role of information context on consumers attention to food labels is explored. [•] Density of nutrition information presented front-of-pack emerged to be crucial. [•] We suggest four measures for enhancing attention to nutrition information. [•] Implications for policy makers and food producers are discussed. [•] To optimize package design and help consumers make well informed healthful choices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Consumers have, through their food choices, a major role in bringing about more sustainable food production. However, this presupposes that differences in sustainability are communicated to consumers. Even if food products are eco-labelled and consumers are motivated to support sustainability, a number of potential barriers may prevent consumers from using the information to make sustainable choices. Six such barriers are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers worldwide are increasingly concerned with sustainable production and consumption. Recently, a comprehensive study ranked 17 countries in regard to their environmentally friendly behaviour among consumers. Brazil was one of the top countries in the list. Yet, several studies highlight significant differences between consumers' intentions to consume ethically, and their actual purchase behaviour: the so-called 'Attitude-Behaviour Gap'. In developing countries, few studies have been conducted on this issue. The objective of this study is therefore to investigate the gap between citizens' sustainability-related attitudes and food purchasing behaviour using empirical data from Brazil. To this end, Brazilian citizens' attitudes towards pig production systems were mapped through conjoint analysis and their coexistence with relevant pork product-related purchasing behaviour of consumers was investigated through cluster analysis. The conjoint experiment was carried out with empirical data collected from 475 respondents surveyed in the South and Center-West regions of Brazil. The results of the conjoint analysis were used for a subsequent cluster analysis in order to identify clusters of Brazilian citizens with diversified attitudes towards pig production systems, using socio-demographics, attitudes towards sustainability-related themes that are expected to influence the way they evaluate pig production systems, and consumption frequency of various pork products as clusters' background information. Three clusters were identified as 'indifferent', 'environmental conscious' and 'sustainability-oriented' citizens. Although attitudes towards environment and nature had indeed an influence on citizens' specific attitudes towards pig farming at the cluster level, the relationship between 'citizenship' and consumption behaviour was found to be weak. This finding is similar to previous research conducted with European consumers: what people (in their role of citizens) think about pig production systems does not appear to significantly influence their pork consumption choices. Improvements in the integrated management of this chain would better meet consumers' sustainability-related expectations towards pig production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Scientific research that can support the consumer-oriented development of functional food products is still scarce. Up until now, only few studies have investigated consumer acceptance of different carrier–ingredient combinations in food products. The present study aims to identify which functional ingredients are accepted by consumers in selected food product categories such as yoghurt, muesli bars, fish balls, tuna salad, baby meals, rye bread and bacon liver pâté. Intentions to purchase different carrier–ingredient combinations are explained by perceived fit of a particular carrier–ingredient combination, as well as respondents’ general attitudes towards functional foods and their health concerns. A sample of Danish consumers (n =959) participated in a survey. Results show that perceived carrier–ingredient fit is strongly related to purchase intentions. In addition, small effects of attitudes towards functional food were found. Perceived carrier–ingredient fit was related to familiarity with the combination and healthiness of the carrier food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between satisfaction and consumer behaviour by proposing and testing a model of how moral and social influences interact with individual satisfaction and conflict to explain and understand consumer behaviour in a family context, using consumption of fish for the family as an example. Design/methodology/approach - Survey data from a sample of 452 Norwegian respondents are used. The target behaviour was eating fish as a family meal. The constructs of behaviour, satisfaction, social norm, preference conflict and personal norm were measured by multiple-item measures. After checking for reliability and validity of the data by confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling in Lisrel was used to estimate relationships between the constructs and their measures. Findings - While satisfaction, social norm and preference conflict had an influence on behaviour, the impact of satisfaction was least among the three constructs. In turn, these three constructs were influenced by personal norm. Also, social norm and preference conflict were mutually related. Research limitations/implications - The study is based on self-reported data and does not include observational data. It is also based on cross-sectional data. The results underline the importance of social factors when dealing with the relationship between satisfaction and behaviour in a family context. Practical implications - The role of satisfaction as a strategic variable in establishing customer loyalty should be put in context whenever consumption decisions are made in a social situation, since social variables may be more important for establishing loyalty than individual satisfaction of one person whenever decisions are made jointly in a family household. Originality/value - The results highlighted here have important managerial implications for the use of satisfaction data in marketing and will be of use to those working in that field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food industry continuously develops new products and new processing techniques. While food scientists may focus on the technical novelty and applaud the progress of science, consumers are often conservative and sceptical towards changes. The advantages that a new processing technology has to offer, do not necessarily guarantee the success of a product in the market place. Consumer acceptance depends on whether they perceive any specific benefits associated with the product. This review focuses specifically on how high-pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed-electric field (PEF) technologies and products produced by means of these novel technologies are perceived by consumers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Willingness to pay (WTP) for a basic chilled soup product and for an improved, self-heating version was measured by methods experimentally varied according to a 2×3 design, varying the basic measurement approach (contingent valuation, experimental auction, conjoint analysis) and the use of real vs. game money. Measurement protocols for each approach were adapted in order to allow uniform methods factors across the design. WTP was measured for 551 shoppers recruited in a shopping centre, using personal interviewing and closed questioning. Shoppers in the real money condition received an endowment at the beginning of the task. Drawing on constructs derived from research in consumer price information processing, subject’s reference price, price involvement, and price thought style were also measured. Results showed no differences between use of contingent valuation and experimental auction, and between the use of real vs. game money. Conjoint analysis led to lower WTP estimates for the product improvement than the other two methods Reference price and one dimensions of price involvement – value consciousness – were related to WTP estimates for the base product. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - The objective of this article is to conduct a case study of the Supermalt brand of malt beer, which has become the preferred beverage of Afro-Caribbean consumers in Brixton on a very limited marketing budget. Design/methodology/approach - The article uses the concepts of personal identity and brand identity in a qualitative study to explore how Brixton-based Afro-Caribbean consumers construct their self-identities and the brand identity of Supermalt. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Afro-Caribbean consumers. Each interview was divided into three parts. The first part focused on consumers' self-identities. The second part explored the role of food and beverage products in the construction of self-identities. The final part focused on the construction of brand identity for Supermalt. Findings - The article provides information on the self-identities constructed by Afro-Caribbean informants. The food and beverage consumption of informants reflects their mixed cultural identity. The brand identity Supermalt appears to be malleable, with ample room for consumer co-construction. Perceptions of brand identity differ markedly among informants, who are all able to construct Supermalt as one of their own. Research limitations/implications - The findings are based solely on semi-structured interviews with a small sample of Afro-Caribbean consumers. The findings are therefore not generalizable. Practical implications - The Supermalt brand represents an interesting case for companies aiming to develop strong brands with a limited marketing budget. Based on the Supermalt case, suggestions are made regarding branding in relation to ethnic minorities. Originality/value - This article provides a study of a brand that has become strong within a narrowly defined group of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate how three dimensions of retailer brand architecture - share or retailer brands, quality of retailer brands and visibility of retailer brands - affect consumer intention to shop at stores Design/methodology/approach - A conjoint analysis is conducted with a sample of 599 Danish consumers, which rated intention to shop at hypothetical new shops based on profiles derived from an orthogonal design Findings - Two segments of consumers emerge, one price conscious and one more differentiated. Consumers prefer shops with lower price levels, with dominantly manufacturer brands, with quality of retailer brands at the same level as manufacturer brands, and with good visibility of retailer brands. Research limitations/implications - The results are based on the evaluation of hypothetical stores, and many additional factors affect store choice in the real world. Practical implications - Results suggest that we may be heading towards a polarized retail market, mainly divided between discount concepts and high quality retailer brand concepts. Originality/value - The paper is innovative in isolating the effect of dimensions of retailer brand architecture on consumer store preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Environmental and ethical concerns influence young consumers' deselection of pork. • Automatic and dispositional factors help explain consumer behavior on pork meat. • Pork consumption is primarily determined by attitudes and habits. • Behavior-change interventions should focus on attitudinal and habitual factors. In order to achieve a better understanding of young consumers' deselection of pork, the objective of the present study was to get insight into the influence of attitudes, perceived social norms, abilities, and other psychological factors on pork consumption among young consumers in Denmark and Sweden. Using data collected through questionnaire surveys within a Theory of Planned Behavior framework the study explored the extent to which different psychological factors influence young consumers' intention to buy and consume pork. Multi-group structural equation modelling revealed that young Danish and Swedish consumers' intention to buy pork and consumption of pork were primarily influenced by attitudes and habit strength, while social norms and perceived abilities played a minor role. The results further indicated that especially concerns about animals and the environment had a negative impact on attitudes towards pork. The results suggest that actors within the pork meat industry need to focus on both the attitudinal and habitual qualities in order to make effective strategies for food behavior change interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers in central planning economies have developed different skills from consumers in market economies: while the former have developed skills in locating products, the latter have developed skills in comparing and deciding between products. In the food area, the former East Germany was characterised by a range of products that was quantitatively sufficient, but offered little variety and had low to medium quality. Products were sold at uniform prices in the whole country. Now, the variety and quality range of products is the same as in the West, and there are considerable price differences. Differences between East and West German consumer were analysed by comparing samples of consumers in Kiel and Rostock. It was analysed how they perceive food products (frozen ready meals and cheese), and how they relate them to values (using a means-end approach). While product perceptions are more focused in the West and more fuzzy in the East, the basic perceptual dimensions are the same: they are based on concrete product attributes. An analysis of the fundamental life values of East and West German consumers (using the Schwartz Value Inventory) showed that the East German sample scored higher on individualistic values. An analysis of how consumers link concrete product attributes to fundamental life values showed that (1) there are slight differences in values, (2) West German respondents got to the value level more quickly, (3) West German respondents started with more abstract attributes. These differences indicate that East German consumers, compared to West German consumers, are at a lower level of habitualisation of their shopping behaviour. While the purchase of food products in West Germany is to a large extent characterised by low involvement and inertia, the same purchases in East Germany seem to be characterised by high involvement and real decision making. These differences have implications for appropriate marketing communication. The West German food consumer will generally be difficult to influence, because s/he is not highly interested in the product, and communication therefore requires media and messages that attract attention, are based on peripheral (e.g. emotional) cues, and are highly repetitive. East German food consumers will be interested in the product and in information about the product, and communication should therefore be more informative, based on functional product attributes. Les consommateurs des economies planifiees ont developpe des savoir-faire differents de ceux adoptes par les consommateurs des economies de marche. Alors que les premiers ont appris a localiser les produits, les seconds se sont exerces a comparer et a choisir entre les produits proposes. Dans le domaine alimentaire, l'ancienne Allemagne de l'Est offrait une serie de produits quantitativement suffisants mais peu varies et de qualite mediocre ou moyenne. Les produits etaient vendus dans tout le pays a des prix imposes. Desormais, la variete et la diversite des qualites est la meme qu'a l'Ouest et l'on constate des variations de prix considerables. On a etudie les differences entre les consommateurs de l'Est et de l'Ouest en comparant des echantillons de consommateurs de Kiel et de Rostock. On a analyse leur perception des produits alimentaires (du fromage et des plats surgeles) et comment ils les rattachaient a des valeurs (a partir d'une approche moyens-fins). Les dimensions perceptives de base, qui emanent des caracteristiques concretes des produits, sont les memes partout, quoique la perception soit plus precise a l'Ouest qu'a l'Est. L'analyse des valeurs fondamentales de l'existence chez les consommateurs allemands de l'Est et de l'Ouest (grace au Schwartz Value Inventory) a montre que ceux de l'Est se portaient sur les valeurs collectives et ceux de l'Ouest sur les valeurs individuelles. L'analyse du lien que les consommateurs etablissent entre les caracteristiques concretes des produits et les valeurs fondamentales de la vie montra qu'il y avait de legeres differences dans les valeurs, que les repondants de l'Ouest determinaient le niveau des valeurs plus rapidement et qu'ils s'interessaient tout de suite a des attributs plus abstraits. Ces differences suggerent que les consommateurs de l'Est sont, compares a ceux de l'Ouest, a un niveau plus faible d' habituation de leur comportement d'achat. Se procurer des produits alimentaires en Allemagne de l'Ouest est dans une grande mesure caracterise par de l'inertie et une implication mediocre, alors qu'a l'Est l'implication est forte et la prise de decision motivee. Ces differences ont un impact en marketing sur le choix des communications. L'Allemand de l'Ouest sera generalement difficile a influencer dans ses choix de nourriture car il (elle) n'est pas tres interesse(e) par le produit et la communication, par suite, exigera des medias et des messages qui attireront l'attention, qui exploiteront des indices peripheriques (c'est-a-dire emotionnels) et qui seront fortement repetitifs. Les Allemands de l'Est s'interesseront au produit alimentaire et a l'information sur le produit, et la communication devra donc etre plus informative, basee sur les attributs fonctionnels du produit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents three models to explain consumer attitudes, buying behavior and attitude change with regard to genetically engineered food products. Deviation from Fishbein's model for consumer attitudes; Use of Ajzen's Theory in a behavioral intention model for consumer buying behavior; Integration of the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Social Judgment Theory.

Analyzes consumer information need and information supply and their impact on buying behavior. Definition of information need and supply; Information content of sales talks; Required improvements of the information content of sales brochures.

Consumer behavior is crucial in the transition towards circular food systems. Studies so far investigate isolated circular food behaviors, but it is still unclear how the literature comprehensively addresses these behaviors. This paper provides an overview of the literature on circular food behaviors. Following a semi-systematic literature review, we analyze 46 papers related to circular food behaviors. We summarize their main features, categorize the behaviors, and propose a future research agenda. Results show the novelty and quick popularity of the topic, a dispersion across sustainability and agri-food journals, the manuscripts' goals related to consumption, a predominance of empirical data collection in Europe, a focus on behaviors related to protein alternatives, food waste, and upcycled foods, and the importance of communication and consumers' education. We categorize and characterize three types of circular food behaviors: linear, transitioning, and circular behaviors. Circular behaviors (i) are part of a systemic circular economy view, (ii) define consumers as "doers" or "prosumers", (iii) pursue long-term sustainability goals, (iv) show a high engagement of skilled consumers, and (v) are supported by technologies. Future research should consider the social dimension of sustainability and pursue a systemic view of circular food behaviors. We suggest that a circular food-related lifestyle may incorporate the recommended directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various papers published within the issue, including one on cross-cultural study of advertising campaigns for the Danonino yoghurt brand, and another on a study on how consumers respond to health claims on various food categories and brands.

The already many and further increasing number of label elements make food labels progressively "busy". The question is whether all these label elements are useful, and impactful, in conveying information to consumers, to help them making easier, safer, and healthier food choices. The scope of this review is food safety and nutrition labelling information. Diverse perspectives are considered on the importance of the label on food and on what type of information finds its mandatory or voluntary way onto the food label. How the information on the food label is read and understood by consumers and how this impacts their purchasing decisions and – eventually – their health, is discussed. It is recommended to do further research on the inferences that consumers make from the use of allergen symbols on food labels; Increase the understanding of the health impact of nutrition-related label elements on the key targets obesity prevalence and NCD (risk factors); Closely monitor the consumer understanding and true health impact of mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling schemes; The food industry to enable "healthier" food choices and (to continue) to reduce levels of added sugars, salt and saturated fats in foods, and discontinue the use of partially hydrogenated oils and fats; Increase the nutrition knowledge of consumers (of all ages), preferably by using e-learning for skill development; and increase the global harmonisation in the use of label elements on foods. • Increasing number of label elements may not help consumer understanding. • Further research is needed on consumer comprehension of using allergen symbols. • Consumer understanding and health impact of FoPNL schemes should be monitored. • Nutrition knowledge of consumers should be increased preferably through e-learning. • Global harmonisation in the use of label elements on foods should be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that front-of-pack nutrition labels such as health claims and symbols have received growing attention in consumer behavior research, comprehensive conclusions could not yet be drawn to develop concrete policy actions, owing to the complexity of the subject and a constantly changing market environment. In this study, evidence-based policy recommendations and communication guidelines have been derived from the findings of the EU FP7 project CLYMBOL ("Role of health-related CLaims and sYMBOLs in consumer behavior", Grant Agreement 311963), and have been evaluated and prioritized by European stakeholders using a three-round Delphi method. A moderate level of consensus was achieved and results suggest that policy priority should focus on ways to improve consumer motivation and interest in healthy eating. Consumers' interest in healthy eating could be increased by adopting appropriate communication strategies such as using innovative ways to communicate the importance of healthy eating, which may aim to change the possible negative association between healthiness and tastiness. The highest-rated finding was related to consumers' favorable attitude towards health claims with shorter and less complex messages and health symbols with a visible endorsement. Meanwhile, there was a clear consensus that health claims need to be scientifically substantiated and credible but phrased without using overly complex scientific wordings, in order to be meaningful for consumers. Furthermore, stakeholders from academia and industry believe that consumer awareness about existing health claims should be increased. The identified policy recommendations and communication guidelines stem from recent empirical evidence and provide useful insights that guide future policy development aligning consumer protection issues as well as public health and food marketing communication interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses John Liefeld's disapproval of the predominance of verbal methods applied in surveys and experiments. Mental processes can't be easily determined unless special techniques are used. The keys to the mind are small in number and asking consumers to describe their thoughts has been an approach that many consumer researchers find natural to use. The author points out that asking consumers to describe their thoughts can be a key to the human mind, but it can't access all mental processes. It needs to complement verbal measures with other measures that fits unconscious mental processes.

Consumer buying decisions for food reflect considerations about food production. However, consumers’ interest in process-related product characteristics does not always translate into buying intentions. The present study investigates how situational factors affect the use of process-related considerations when consumers select food products. A conjoint study provides estimated part worth utilities for product alternatives that differ on five product attributes (including four process-related factors) across two products (bread and sports drink) that differ on perceived naturalness. The investigation of the utilities of the process-related attributes features both an internal (priming of environmental values/value centrality) and an external (time pressure) situational factor. The results indicate that the importance of process-related attributes is product specific and also depends on situational factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]