Changing the layout of farmers markets can affect cross-contamination

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla M. Acosta ◽  
Zahra H. Mohammad ◽  
Heyao Yu ◽  
Kristen Kirkwood ◽  
Kristen Gibson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Contamination Level ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Fluorescent Compound ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether the layout has an effect on cross-contaminations levels at farmers markets.Design/methodology/approachWe used social cognitive theory's triadic reciprocity model to investigate how influencing the environment could change the behaviors of farmers’ market consumers and reduce the risk of microbial cross-contamination using a Fluorescent Compound (FC). For this purpose, a 3 × 2 experimental between-subject factorial design was utilized in this study: three farmers market layouts (i.e. U-shaped [U-S], L-shaped [L-S] and square-shaped [S–S]) and two different set-ups per market (i.e. produce and non-produce vendors completely separated, and alternating produce and non-produce vendors). FC was utilized to simulate microbial contamination on the participants (n = 54) hands. The participants were allowed to walk through the layout for 3 min and touch items after which a total of 475 swab samples were processed and recorded for absorbance levels.FindingsThe results indicated that the cross-contamination level of the U-S market was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than those of the L-S and S–S markets. The best market layout and set-up based on the average levels of simulated cross-contamination were the U-S market, particularly with the A set-up, where produce and non-produce booths were scattered.Originality/valueThis study is the first to use the quantification of FC to identify the impact of a farmers’ market layout/design on cross-contamination levels. These results can be used to provide guidance to market managers on layout and design from a safety standpoint to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

Exploring farmers markets as a temporary cluster to improve local food economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (8) ◽  
pp. 1844-1858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahsa Kassai ◽  
Jacob Kaspar ◽  
Ahmed Deif ◽  
Heather Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Central Coast ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Economy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Coast Region

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how to improve the contribution of farmers markets (FMs) to the local food economy and improve their management through a new temporary clustering management approach. Design/methodology/approach The research encompasses 78 structured interviews with farmers’ market vendors in the central coast region of California. A descriptive statistical and exploratory analysis to capture and evaluate the extent of various clustering activities currently existing in FMs is presented. Findings Analysis suggested an existing clustering behavior in FMs with different degrees that would enhance the role of these markets in local food economy. The improved social capital and financial performance of these markets shown in this study outperformed other cluster metrics monitored. Furthermore, there were some positive relationships between knowledge sharing (as a cluster activity) and both integration and financial activities among FMs vendors, highlighting interesting dynamics generated by the temporary nature of these clusters. Research limitations/implications The study was based on an exploratory research design, investigating a selected number of vendors in the central coast region of California. The research does not claim to provide a comprehensive survey of all FMs. Practical implications The analysis resulted in recommendations to improve efficiency of FMs’ practices at both the management level and the strategic level. These recommendations will enhance the contribution of these markets to the local food economy. The results also expand the practical knowledge bodies of regional and local food business development. Finally, the study highlights the social role of FMs through showing social capital as one of the main clustering drivers. Originality/value This study contributes to theoretical knowledge concerning the impact of clusters on operation performance by exploring a new temporary proximity that can be added to the existing geographical and digital proximity enriching the clustering approaches debate. Furthermore, the analysis provides specific novel insights into potential operational improvements for current farmers’ market management to enhance their economic and social roles.

scholarly journals Exploring producers' motivations and challenges within a farmers' market

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (7) ◽  
pp. 2089-2103
Author(s):  
Rosario Michel-Villarreal ◽  
Eliseo Luis Vilalta-Perdomo ◽  
Martin Hingley
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Short Food Supply Chains

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore food producers' motivations and challenges whilst participating in short food supply chains (SFSCs). This paper compares findings with previous literature and investigates the topic in the context of producers' motivations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes a literature review concerning producers' motivations to engage in SFSCs. A case study was designed to investigate motivations underlying producers' engagement in SFSCs, as well as the challenges that they face. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a farmers' market located in Mexico. Thematic analysis is used to identify the principal issues for producers'. Propositions based on findings are presented.FindingsFindings suggest that small, large, part-time and full-time producers are willing to engage with farmers' markets for diverse primary economic and non-economic motivations. Individual and collective challenges were also identified.Originality/valueThis research helps to explain producers' motivations and challenges within SFSCs in an under-researched context, namely a focus on producers' and in the Global South.

Regional tourism at the farmers’ market: consumers’ preferences for local food products

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Garner ◽  
Cesar Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Area ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Regional Brand ◽  
Consumer Habits ◽  
Food Identity ◽  
Number Of Customers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine farmers’ market consumer behavior through a regional food and culinary tourism lens to see the ways these festive and atmospheric markets can be used to develop a regional brand or identity surrounding food production. Design/methodology/approach This study was based on a survey of 270 participants in a farmers’ market in the USA. A combination of descriptive and statistical analyses was used to analyze consumer habits and spending. Findings The findings in this study suggest that while most of the customers live in a town where the market is located, a significant number of customers come from other locations, with some traveling significant distances, to participate in this market, particularly for the Saturday market. Many of the customers come to purchase organic and local foods. Research limitations/implications This work is limited, in that it is a case study at one farmers’ market in the USA, and the work is exploratory in nature. Practical implications This work has implications for market managers seeking to increase their consumer base. Markets that want to increase their reach would do well to promote their events to a wider geographic area. The results presented here showed that consumers are willing to drive upward of 40 miles to attend a high-quality market. Originality/value This work expands our conceptualization of farmers’ markets by suggesting that these markets have the potential to form the backbone of a region is food identity through the creation of a food destination.

Research from China finds no significant difference in impact of public service motivation (PSM) in public and private sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The authors assumed PSM would be higher in the public sector, but they set up a trial to find out if this was the case. Design/methodology/approach To test their theories, the authors conducted two independent surveys. The first consisted of 220 usable responses from public sector employees in Changsha, China. The second survey involved 260 usable responses from private sector employees taking an MBA course at a university in the Changsha district. A questionnaire was used to assess attitudes. Findings The results found no significant difference between the impact of public sector motivation (PSM) on employee performance across the public and private sectors. The data showed that PSM had a significant impact on self-reported employee performance, but the relationship did not differ much between sectors. Meanwhile, it was in the private sector that PSM had the greatest impact on intention to leave. Originality/value The authors said the research project was one of the first to test if the concept of PSM operated in the same way across sectors. It also contributed, they said, to the ongoing debate about PSM in China.

An ethnographic analysis of consumer information processing and decision-making at farmers’ markets

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Garner
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Ethnographic Methods ◽  
Process Information ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Messages

Purpose Farmers’ markets have grown rapidly in recent years and at the same time consumers increasingly desire to eat healthfully and sustainably. This research aims to analyze the way consumers process information regarding local food claims such as sustainability and organics when shopping for local foods at farmers’ markets. Design/methodology/approach This research uses ethnographic methods that included interviews with 36 participants, more than 100 hours of participant observation and prolonged engagement over a two and half-year period. Findings The findings indicate that there are two dominant types of consumers at the farmers’ market, hedonistic and utilitarian consumers. Hedonistic consumers rely on heuristic cues such as aesthetics, their relationship with the farmer and other peripheral sources of information when making purchase decisions. Utilitarian consumers, by contrast, carefully analyze marketing messages using central route cues and tend to be more conscious of their purchase choices. Practical implications This study will help farmers more effectively position their marketing messages and help consumers be aware how they process information in this space. Originality/value Unlike previous studies of consumer behavior at farmers’ markets that primarily use survey methods, this study uses observational and ethnographic methods to capture in situ interactions in this complex buying context. Further, while much work has been done on broad concepts of local food and organic preferences, this study provides a more in-depth look at consumer information processing in the farmers’ market space that reflects a mixture of organic and non-organic food.

Consumer supply-chain demands and challenges at farmers’ markets

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 2734-2747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Garner ◽  
Cesar Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Local Foods ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Patterns ◽  
Needed Information ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Consumer Demands ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Work And Life

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer demands for local foods at a farmers’ market. This includes examining both what products consumers want more of at the market and also what factors influence consumers’ attendance for a weekday farmers’ market. Design/methodology/approach This study was based on open-ended comments from a market survey of 270 participants in a farmers’ market in the USA. Findings This study revealed that consumers want more products at the farmers’ market that require significant resources and time to grow, such as meat and fruit. Consumers reported that they would be more likely to attend a weekday market if it had better hours of operation and better selection. Consumer comments also revealed that consumers often perceive the market to run out of products and not have the full supply that they want to purchase. Research limitations/implications This research represents qualitative insights at one farmers’ market in the USA. While there are observations that may transfer to other markets, caution should be used when generalizing these findings. Practical implications This research is informative for farmers in providing them a list of consumer demands and also highlights the ways farmers need to make their market convenient to consumer work and life patterns. Originality/value This work adds value to the literature by expanding our understanding of specific foods customers see as limited in the farmers’ market, and it also provides much needed information regarding consumer behavior and weekday market attendance, which is not discussed as often in the literature.

scholarly journals Behavior of Yersinia enterocolitica in the Presence of the Bacterivorous Acanthamoeba castellanii

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (20) ◽  
pp. 6407-6413 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Lambrecht ◽  
J. Baré ◽  
I. Van Damme ◽  
W. Bert ◽  
K. Sabbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yersinia Enterocolitica ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Acanthamoeba Castellanii ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTFree-living protozoa play an important role in the ecology and epidemiology of human-pathogenic bacteria. In the present study, the interaction betweenYersinia enterocolitica, an important food-borne pathogen, and the free-living amoebaAcanthamoeba castellaniiwas studied. Several cocultivation assays were set up to assess the resistance ofY. enterocoliticatoA. castellaniipredation and the impact of environmental factors and bacterial strain-specific characteristics. Results showed that allY. enterocoliticastrains persist in association withA. castellaniifor at least 14 days, and associations withA. castellaniienhanced survival ofYersiniaunder nutrient-rich conditions at 25°C and under nutrient-poor conditions at 37°C. Amoebae cultivated in the supernatant of oneYersiniastrain showed temperature- and time-dependent permeabilization. Intraprotozoan survival ofY. enterocoliticadepended on nutrient availability and temperature, with up to 2.8 log CFU/ml bacteria displaying intracellular survival at 7°C for at least 4 days in nutrient-rich medium. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to locate theYersiniacells inside the amoebae. AsYersiniaandAcanthamoebashare similar ecological niches, this interaction identifies a role of free-living protozoa in the ecology and epidemiology ofY. enterocolitica.

Enhancing team performance through transactive memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srabasti Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Team Performance ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Transactive Memory ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The major focus in the current scenario in organizational settings has shifted from individual performance to team performance. The current study investigates team performance and its antecedents from both social and cognitive dimensions and hence provides a qualitative and synopsis of the same. There is one such antecedent transactive memory which collectively looks into both the facets. For more than a decade after the very emergence of this concept, a plethora of work has been done to relate team performance and transactive memory. In an attempt to understand both these multi-dimensional constructs, and to comprehend the interrelationships in a better way, this paper aims to analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance and how to improve it in organizations. Design/methodology/approach The paper is purely conceptual. So it uses other earlier studies to make necessary propositions. Findings The present study tries to qualitatively analyze the impact of transactive memory on team performance with respect to the various dimensions of team performance both task process and relational performance. The results of the study show a positive relationship between the three dimensions of transactive memory – credibility, consensus and specilaization and team performance. The study also provides recommendations to improvise transactive memory in organizations. Research limitations/implications The paper is not empirical, so further empirical analysis could enrich the results. Originality/value The paper is original in terms of giving solutions to increase transactive memory in organizational set up.

scholarly journals Impact of Ceftiofur Injection on Gut Microbiota and Escherichia coli Resistance in Pigs

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (9) ◽  
pp. 5171-5180 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Fleury ◽  
G. Mourand ◽  
E. Jouy ◽  
F. Touzain ◽  
L. Le Devendec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Contamination Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTResistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) is an important health concern. Here, we studied the impact of the administration of a long-acting form of ceftiofur on the pig gut microbiota and ESC resistance inEscherichia coli. Pigs were orally inoculated with an ESC-resistantE. coliM63 strain harboring a conjugative plasmid carrying a gene conferring resistance,blaCTX-M-1. On the same day, they were given or not a unique injection of ceftiofur. Fecal microbiota were studied using quantitative PCR analysis of the main bacterial groups and quantification of short-chain fatty acids.E. coliand ESC-resistantE. coliwere determined by culture methods, and the ESC-resistantE. coliisolates were characterized. The copies of theblaCTX-M-1gene were quantified. After ceftiofur injection, the main change in gut microbiota was the significant but transitory decrease in theE. colipopulation. Acetate and butyrate levels were significantly lower in the treated group. In all inoculated groups,E. coliM63 persisted in most pigs, and theblaCTX-M-1gene was transferred to otherE. coli. Culture and PCR results showed that the ceftiofur-treated group shed significantly more resistant strains 1 and 3 days after ESC injection. Thereafter, on most dates, there were no differences between the groups, but notably, one pig in the nontreated group regularly excreted very high numbers of ESC-resistantE. coli, probably leading to a higher contamination level in its pen. In conclusion, the use of ESCs, and also the presence of high-shedding animals, are important features in the spread of ESC resistance.

Managing, tracking and evaluating coaching part 2: where could you be?

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty Yates
Keyword(s):  
Return On Investment ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Evaluation Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Valuable Data ◽  
Easy Task ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Robust Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a number of recommendations that will enable you to get your hands around the coaching that is taking place inside your organisation so that you can manage it better and, moreover, calculate the commercial and cultural returns your organisation is achieving from the coaching in light of research presented in the author's previous article. Design/methodology/approach – This research is based on a case study. Findings – Although not an easy task, it is possible to evaluate the impact of coaching and, in turn, calculate the return on investment (ROI). Key to doing this is that each relationship should be set up correctly; the coach should be fully qualified, experienced and in supervision and information regarding the volume, status and expenditure of each coaching contract must be kept up to date and, along with evaluation data for each contract, used to measure the impact of coaching to the organisation and to calculate the ROI. Originality/value – The case study included shows how coaching has been transformed in E.ON UK since outsourcing all aspects of its coaching, resulting in a clear and robust process generating valuable data on the impact of individual contracts and the programme as a whole, as well as an ROI.

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