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

PurposeThe objective of this study is to investigate the role of mothers in administering afternoon snacks to children aged between 6 and 10. Through an exploratory analysis, this study aims at identifying how sociodemographic characteristics of mothers and children and objective and subjective nutritional awareness of the parent influences healthy or unhealthy food choices for the children.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was submitted to 242 mothers of children attending primary school. Non-parametric correlation using Spearman's coefficient was adopted as an exploratory analysis tool.FindingsThe analysis shows that the mothers' level of education and income influence the purchase of snack products. More permissive parents tend to be less well-off, have more than one child and also purchase sweet treats, salty snacks, and sugary drinks more frequently. Furthermore, the results show that parents' perceived subjective awareness is actually lower than their objective awareness, but also that both types of knowledge positively influence the purchase of healthy snacks.Originality/valueThere is extensive research documenting the importance of parents in reducing the risk of obesity; however, their influence on snack intake has not been widely discussed. Furthermore, the association between the occurrence of obesity and parents' behaviour regarding their children's snacking remains unclear. To bridge this gap, this study focuses on a meal which is often linked to poor eating habits: the afternoon snack.

The current study assesses consumer preferences toward different production methods of clementines (Citrus clementina). Based on a survey of Italian urban individuals (N = 345), responsible for household food purchases, it investigates whether clementines produced by means of integrated farming system are perceived as a desirable alternative to organic and conventional fruits. A conjoint analysis was applied to estimate the mean relative importance of three different clementine attributes (namely, price, production method and presence of a geographical indication) and consumer utility attached to the different attribute levels. Results revealed price as the most important attribute; while only organic farming provided positive utility to consumers. Subsequently, the sample was clustered into four distinct market segments based on part-worth estimates, offering useful insights for practitioners and policy makers to design tailor-made interventions aimed at fostering sustainable clementines consumption.

In recent years, honey consumption has attracted an increasing interest among consumers, due to its beneficial properties for health and to the multiplicity of its use. Given the high importance th...

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

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

The present study provides some preliminary reflections of the honey market and explores Italian consumer attitude towards the “mountain” quality term. Moreover, it also takes the organic and PDO labels into consideration, in addition to the generic “local” label, evaluating the relationships that exist between mountain honey and other products. Data were obtained through questionnaires using a face-to-face method and the econometric study was carried out using correlation analysis as a first step and then the one-way ANOVA and t-test, based on the socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics; moreover, interactions among the characteristics mentioned above were evaluated using a two-way ANOVA with interaction. The results show that Italian consumers have a positive attitude towards “mountain” honey; however, their response changes according to the socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics. An appreciable relationship was observed between mountain product and local product, suggesting that the mountain quality label could be a useful tool for the valorisation of honey.

The existence of a clearly defined hierarchical order in consumer preferences for attributes of dry-cured ham was found. The study highlighted the importance attached to the absence of nitrites; the first attribute in terms of positive utility. Price was considered by many consumers as a signal of product quality. Men show for first time an increasing attention to low-salt content product. High-educated consumers accord their preference to healthy and PDO labelled ham with fewer nitrites.

Purpose The initial hypothesis of the exploratory paper lies in the fact that there exists a demand for healthier wines due to the higher presence of natural compound which potentially bring benefits to the consumer’s health. To satisfy this hypothesis, the research questions that paper tried to answer are the following: Do there exist a demand for naturally resveratrol-enhanced wine? What variables do influence the preference of consumers toward a naturally resveratrol-enhanced wine? As a consequence, the purpose of this paper is to explore what variables naturally influence resveratrol-enhanced wine consumption. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews to a sample of 250 regular wine consumers which were randomly selected to achieve balanced socio-demographic characteristics. Subsequently, an econometric analysis was performed to estimate the effects that selected attributes, extrapolated from the literature, have on resveratrol-enriched wine consumption. With this aim, a logistic regression model was developed through the assessment of willingness to consume naturally resveratrol-enhanced wine. Findings The findings of this paper suggest that respondents consider wine as source of beneficial and healthy properties and they are willing to consume enriched-resveratrol wine. The study found a direct correlation between resveratrol and wine extrinsic attributes (organic label, brand) as well as any intrinsic attributes (tannins content). In addition, solely female consumers expressed to consider label information in their preference for resveratrol-enhanced wine. Among socio-demographic factors, only age and gender have an interaction effect on the consumption of these wines. Research limitations/implications Since this study has some limitations due to the limited number of observations and to the specific regional geographical context, the findings should be generalized in theoretical terms with a certain caution. Before to extend the results to all Italian consumers, future research should test the robustness of the findings by assessing the effect of the attributes that the authors have examined in this study in other environmental contexts, e.g. in other wine regions. Practical implications The results have important implications for wine producers, since the adoption of production practices explicitly related to the higher natural content of resveratrol can lead to a value augmentation and enhance business income of companies. Moreover, there exists implication also for wine managers, given the knowledge of factors affecting consumers’ attitudes toward naturally resveratrol-enhanced wines can lead to an increase in wine demand that should allow to reach a focused differentiation strategy in specified market segments. This suggests the need to indicate on the label the content of resveratrol as a distinctive signal of the “additional health information” of a wine. Originality/value While a substantial body of research has analyzed the healthy attributes that affect purchasing process of wine, no other known study has examined the effects of attributes on consumers’ willingness to purchase naturally resveratrol-enhanced wine. The study is the first that explores the consumers’ willingness to buy wine naturally enriched with resveratrol. Previous works took into account only resveratrol-enriched wines. The authors believe that in the eye of consumers there are significant differences between a natural enhancement and a simply technological enrichment, since the concepts and the technological aspects behind the two processes are strongly different. To fill this gap, the authors explored for the first time what variables can influence the preference of a naturally resveratrol-enhanced wine.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the importance that different intrinsic and extrinsic attributes represent for young Italian consumers of honey, analysing how these aspects influence the quality perceived during consumption. In addition, demographic and lifestyle aspects have been considered as possible discriminants influencing millennial generation honey consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a non-parametric rank-based test (Mann–WhitneyUtest) to analyse which attributes millennials value most, relating these to gender, sports activity or rural and urban origin. Then, to identify consumption patterns, principal component analysis, applying Kaiser normalisation and varimax rotation, was used.FindingsThis study confirms the remarkable sensitivity of the millennials towards environmental sustainability aspects. This attribute of choice seems particularly important for a clearly identifiable segment of the sample examined, represented by women who regularly practice sports and who come from urban areas. This result makes it possible to identify a type of consumer who, from early adulthood, is mindful of their lifestyle and ecological footprint. Moreover, it emerges that the most important attributes during purchasing are those related to label information, local product and origin, highlighting the awareness of young people and their maturity in the consumption of agro-food products.Originality/valueThe authors identified a trend in consumption that diverges from the classic patterns based on brand and the intrinsic characteristics of honey, but which forges new pathways more closely intertwined with the aspects of sustainability and the relationship with the territory, in addition to food safety.

This paper aims to identify the hierarchical relationship in a consumer’s mind with respect to the three main and different quality schemes. With this purpose, we decided to analyse the role that local, organic, and traditional attributes have on consumers’ preferences. The survey on the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil was carried out in Italy, through direct face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was carried out by first conducting a conjoint experiment, followed by a clusterization through Ward’s method. In this hypothetical scale evaluating the quality of olive oil the three attributes provide consumers with different utilities in the following decreasing order: organic, local, and Protected Geographical Indication label. In addition, we observed the existence of trade-offs between these three quality signals conveying information that is selectively interpretable by consumers. Thanks to this methodological approach, four groups, differing in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and hierarchical preferences towards the certification scheme, were observed.

PurposeUrban metropolitan consumers react to the different qualitative categorizations of the product thus creating homogeneous market segments. The aim of this paper is to identify specific market segments which allow for the definition of homogeneous olive oil consumer targets.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on the stated preferences of consumers and emphasizes the role that different quality scales of olive oil have in the eye of the consumer. The data, collected through a questionnaire, were analysed by means of inferential and multivariate statistics techniques, that is, the study specifically entailed a factorial and cluster analysis.FindingsThis paper explores olive oil market segments broken down by the different quality levels of existing products, thus trying to identify main consumer preferences. Our outcomes suggest the existence of three main quality classes of olive oil consumer: basic, popular and premium.Research limitations/implicationsEven though we gathered data and information from a broad sample, the study does not fully reflect the average Italian population since we based our study on a convenience sample of northern Italian consumers. A more extended sample is needed to test our hypothesis in other regional areas.Practical implicationsThe outcomes derived from this study provide useful insights both for marketers and olive oil producers by allowing more efficient strategic decisions in terms of product segmentation.Originality/valueThis study, aimed at matching olive oil market segments and consumer preferences, shows the existence of three well-defined quality classes of olive oil consumer: basic, popular and premium. In addition, this study ascertains for the first time how the attitude towards local products is positively influenced by family origin as a result of an inter-generational attitude.