scholarly journals Choices in Sustainable Food Consumption: How Spanish Low Intake Organic Consumers Behave

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1125
Author(s):  
Teresa Madureira ◽  
Fernando Nunes ◽  
José Veiga ◽  
Pablo Saralegui-Diez

The consumption of organic products has consistently increased over the last decades, covering increasingly diversified consumers, both in the characteristics and the reasons associated with consumption. This heterogeneity evidences the need to examine in depth the reasons for the purchase and consumption of these products. The core aim of this study is related to the motivational drivers of organic consumption. The survey included 250 respondents from Andalusia (Spain) who completed an online questionnaire and personal interviews. A convenience sampling method was applied, and the best-worst scaling method allowed us to analyze ten attributes of organic purchasing behavior. Health benefits and environmental impact are the key attributes explaining the consumption of organic products. To deeply understand organic consumer motivations, we studied the influence of six classification variables over the studied attributes. Applying ordinal regressions, we found that having children under 18 at home and a consumer’s academic level contribute in a relevant way to explain the valorization of the health benefits attribute. Also, the place to purchase organic food and academic level correlates with the valuation of GMOs in food. Andalusia is one of the largest European regions for organic production but with minor relevance in consumption. Nevertheless, despite this apparent paradox, the results of the present study point to a consumer profile very similar to other European countries with consolidated organic consumption.

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1604
Author(s):  
Panmela Soares ◽  
Suellen Secchi Martinelli ◽  
Mari Carmen Davó-Blanes ◽  
Rafaela Karen Fabri ◽  
Vicente Clemente-Gómez ◽  
...  

This study aims to explore and compare Brazilian public institutional food services’ characteristics concerning the implementation of the government policy for the procurement of food from family farming (FF) and the opinions of food service managers on the benefits and difficulties of its implementation. We conducted a cross-sectional study employing an online questionnaire. The results were stratified by purchase. The Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests were applied. Five hundred forty-one food services’ managers participated in the study. Most claimed to buy food from FF, and this acquisition was more frequent among those working in institutions of municipalities <50,000 inhabitants, and educational and self-managed institutions. Those buying from FF developed more actions to promote healthy and sustainable food. Most recognized that the purchase could boost local farming and the economy and improve the institution’s food. However, the managers believe that the productive capacity of FF, the lack of technical assistance to farmers, production seasonality, and the bureaucratic procurement process hinder this type of purchase. The self-management of food services and the small size of the municipality might be associated with implementing the direct purchase policy from FF, which can contribute to building healthier and more sustainable food systems. However, the lack of public management support and the weak productive fabric may pose an obstacle to its maintenance or dissemination. The strengthening and consolidation of these policies require more significant government investments in productive infrastructure for family farming.


Author(s):  
Alexandria Brewer ◽  
Jose F. Alfaro ◽  
Tadeu Fabricio Malheiros

Abstract Aquaponics technology has recently been offered as a good option for sustainable food systems among small-scale farmers, particularly those seeking an organic production or dealing with land quality constraints, such as urban farmers. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence for the capacity of small farmers to adopt the technology. The unique requirements of aquaponics may create technical, economic and even cultural constraints and opportunities. This paper uses empirical evidence gathered with small-scale farmers in São Carlos, State of São Paulo, Brazil, to present the capacity of adoption for the technology, including possible limiting factors and incentives for farmers. The study conducted interviews with owners of ‘agriculturas familiares’ (Portuguese for small family owned farms) within 30 km of São Carlos. The interviews revealed that there is widespread interest in the potential profitability of aquaponics systems, significant interest in environmentally friendly practices, familiarity with organic production and hydroponics and a large base of agricultural knowledge in the community that can drive adoption. However, lack of initial financing, limited human power and concerns about product placement were significant barriers to adoption. For settlement farmers (those working on land formerly abandoned) poor soil quality and water scarcity are key issues that could be alleviated by the technology. The city of Sao Carlos present program for purchasing specific types of products from these farms could be used as a model for increasing aquaponics adoption and relieving success concerns.


Author(s):  
N.N. Novikov ◽  
◽  
S.V. Mitrofanov ◽  
N.N. Grachev ◽  
M.M. Varfolomeeva ◽  
...  

Based on the analysis of statistical yearbooks "state of contamination of soils and objects of the natural environment of the Russian Federation with pesticides and toxicants of industrial origin", analysis of the incidence of workers and the population from exposure to residual pesticides and heavy metals, the need to assess soil contamination for organic farming purposes in accordance with the requirements of article 9 of the Federal law of 03.08.2018 No. 280-FZ "on organic products and amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation"is justified. For evaluation, a digital technology is proposed in the management of environmental safety and labor protection in agriculture, developed by scientists of the ITOSH-branch of the FGBNU FNAC VIM. It is proposed to solve the problems of detoxification of soils contaminated with heavy metals and residual pesticides identified during the assessment using the available domestic and foreign experience by various methods: physical, physical-chemical, and biological.


2020 ◽  
pp. 48-59
Author(s):  
A.M. Agapkin

The state of the problem of processing agricultural waste as a newly forming industry for the disposal of such waste in conjunction with the development of the emerging industry of organic production and the market of organic fertilizers is considered. The issue is regarded in the interrelation of the regulatory, economic and technological components in their dynamics from the current state to the target (desired).


Author(s):  
Saurav Kumar ◽  
Shiv Prakash ◽  
Mona Srivastava

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the attitude of the school and college-going students towards online classes. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted on 228 school and college-going students fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria selected through purposive sampling methods. A semi-structured online questionnaire consisting of a socio-demographic questionnaire and Attitude towards online classes (ATOC) questionnaire was prepared by the researcher using Google form. The link of the questionnaire was sent to all the selected respondents through WhatsApp messages and emails. The data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 20 software. The reliability of the attitude questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha test. The association between categorical variables was assessed using Chi-square tests. The comparison between variables was assessed using the students independent t-test.Results: More than half of the respondents (51.32%) were found with a positive attitude towards online classes. There was a significant association found between attitude towards online classes and socio-demographic variables such as age (p<0.05), academic level (p<0.05), and family income (p<0.01). The respondents who attended online classes (p<0.05), have technical knowledge (p<0.01), and got supported by their parents in the study (p<0.05) were found significantly high positive attitudes towards online classes. There was a significant difference found in the attitude of the respondents who faced psychological disturbances such as a decline in attention-concentration (p<0.05), irritation-anger (p<0.01), and tension (p<0.05) due to online classes.Conclusions: Although, online classes are more beneficial for the students and teachers in their academic activities during the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it can’t take place of traditional face-to-face classes. 


Author(s):  
Olha KHAIETSKA

The article describes the current state of development of the world and domestic market of organic products, countries where there are the highest rates of development of certified production, countries with the highest consumption of organic products per capita and countries with the largest areas of organic agricultural land. The organic products market in Ukraine has been analyzed from the beginnings to the present state, indicating all stages of development and the problems that have arisen, as well as the basic laws on organic production, certified organic products, countries and companies operating on the domestic market. The area of land with organic status, the total number of certification bodies, the number of operators in this market in the regions of Ukraine is indicated. In the article a comparative analysis of Ukrainian organic production with world production is conducted, the countries-leaders for the areas occupied by organic production are specified. The list of certified in Ukraine types of organic products, which are consumed both on the domestic market and exported to different countries of the world, is determined. The article deals with the dynamics of the internal market of organic products for 2002-2017 years. The basic principles of organic agriculture, which focus on the preservation of the environment and natural resources, are presented and a mechanism for promoting organic production by agricultural enterprise. The benefits of this production are also described, including: health benefits, environmental, social and economic benefits. The urgent problems of the organic products market are determined, directions of state policy in the field of organic production are proposed, which will promote the development of organic production in Ukraine and the circulation of domestic organic products in the world.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1898
Author(s):  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Zein Kallas ◽  
Djamel Rahmani ◽  
José Maria Gil

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to global food security, and it changes consumers’ food buying and consumption behavior. This research not only investigates trends in Spanish consumers’ general food shopping and consumption habits during the lockdown, but also investigates these trends from the perspective of sustainable purchasing. Specifically, total food consumption (C), food expenditure (E), and purchase of food with sustainable attributes (S) were measured. Data were collected from a semi-structured questionnaire which was distributed online among 1203 participants. The logit models showed that gender, age, employment status, and consumers’ experiences were associated with total food consumption and expenditure during the lockdown. In addition, consumers’ risk perceptions, shopping places, trust level in information sources, and risk preference were highly essential factors influencing consumers’ preferences and sustainable behavior. Consumers’ objective knowledge regarding COVID-19 was related to expenditure. Furthermore, family structure only affected expenditure, while income and place of residence influenced food consumption. Mood was associated with expenditure and the purchase of sustainable food. Household size affected purchasing behavior towards food with sustainable attributes. This research provides references for stakeholders that help them to adapt to the new COVID-19 situation.


Author(s):  
A. V. Salnikova ◽  
◽  
N. A. Makarenko ◽  

Organizational production of agricultural products is used to preserve the natural environment and to preserve the quality of the products. The development of organic wines in the light of 100 years and over the course of the period has become insane, as for the correct organization of it, you can preserve ecological, social, and commercial transfers. The organizational structure has become a warehouse part of the bio-economy and circular economy, which is a priority for the economic development of the European Union, the USA, Great Britain, the Great Britain, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the United States of America. For determining the prospects and problems of organic production of agricultural products, general scientific methods were used such as publicity, systematization, analysis, and synthesis, of the scientific literature and normative documents. For an additional analysis of regulatory documents, a procedure for certifying the authorities of the United States, the European Union and Ukraine has been established. Ukraine, in turn, began to take the first steps towards organic production in the late 1990s. It was at this time that she began to grow organic grain and opened export lines for its transportation to other countries, mainly Europe. Ukraine remains a leader in the production and export of organic cereals. Export competitive advantages of national agar products are lower production costs and logistics support. Ukraine continues to increase its organic production capacity - an increasing number of operators are appearing in this sector of agricultural production. As of 2019, the share of organic production of crop products in Ukraine is 1.4% (5th place in the world in terms of growth rate of organic agriculture), which is 467.9 thousand hectares of the total area of agricultural land in 32, 7 million hectares, as well as 470 operators of organic production. The dynamics of changes in organic agricultural production in Ukraine indicates a general trend of increasing their number, but in some periods, there is a decrease due to the economic and political situation in the country and changes in legislation in this area. Ukraine has significant advantages of organic production, which include a high level of soil fertility, favorable climatic conditions, traditional orientation as an agrarian state. Also, the price of Ukrainian products is lower than the minimum price of organic products of European countries. In the organic production of crops use methods that optimize the biological activity of soils, provide a balanced supply of nutrients to plants. At the same time, there are problems in Ukraine that hinder the development of organic production. In particular, the diversity of the territory in terms of the level of pollution of environmental components, lack of practical application of innovations and modern technologies of agricultural production. The lack of state support for organic producers and state certification system (including qualified specialists for its implementation). Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of October 21, 2020, № 1032 "On approval of the Procedure for certification of organic production and / or circulation of organic products and amendments to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of October 23, 2019, № 970" approved the stages of certification. Was made the comparison of approaches to the certification of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine shows that they meet European and American standards. However, the absence of a state certification body that certifies organic producers and accredits private certification bodies makes it impossible for state control over organic market operators and the functioning of state certification. The current certification system in Ukraine does not cover the issue of soil contamination or other components of environment, which may affect the quality and safety of organic products. In Ukraine, enterprises in various sectors of the economy use outdated technologies, which can cause soil contamination of agricultural lands, and, accordingly, affect the quality of organic products. Currently, the Laws of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers do not require: the location of the organic agricultural enterprise; content of harmful substances in the soil (including the content of radionuclides and pesticide residues); content in the soil of nutrients that can ensure the production of quality agricultural products and confirm the activities of the farm aimed at maintaining soil fertility. To guarantee the quality of organic products, it is advisable in the certification procedure to consider the level of fertility and soil contamination of agricultural lands, as well as the availability of sources of environmental pollution in the location of the organic producer. Given the above, it is advisable to introduce criteria for assessing the compliance of soils with the requirements of organic production. This approach can guarantee the safety and quality of organic products. During the organization of organic production of agricultural products in Ukraine, the issues of criteria for assessing compliance with regulatory requirements, documentation to be kept by the operator of organic production, etc.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1303-1327
Author(s):  
Ángel F. Agudo-Peregrina ◽  
Julián Chaparro-Peláez ◽  
Ángel Hernández-García

The purpose of this chapter is to offer a better understanding of online shoppers' behaviour, so that virtual shops may improve and adapt their product offering to effectively reach their target segments. In order to achieve this goal, a characterization of motivations to shop online is proposed as a basis for motivation-based customer segmentation. Building upon this segmentation, acceptance models—namely, an adaptation of UTAUT2 to e-commerce—have been used to look further into the purchasing behavior of each identified segment. The results from the empirical study based on responses to an online questionnaire from a sample of 718 Spanish shoppers shows seven different groups of motivations and five different customer segments, and confirms different behavioral patterns in the adoption of e-commerce for different segments of customers, with special influence of effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and perceived risk in the online shopping behaviour of individuals.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 225-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Roos ◽  
A. van Huis

How healthy are insects? This is a highly relevant question in view of the global interest in the potential of insects as a sustainable food source in food systems and diets. Edible insects, like other foods, can provide nutrients and dietary energy to meet the requirements of the human body as a part of a varied diet. They also have the potential to provide bioactive compounds that have health benefits beyond simple nutritional values, as is the case for other food groups such as fruits and vegetables. Various recent studies have indicated such bioactivity in different insect species. The enormous number of edible insect species may be a source of novel bioactive compounds with health benefits addressing global health challenges. However, any identified health benefits need to be confirmed in human studies or in standardised assays accepted in health research prior to making health claims.


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