Labelling Assessment of Greek “Quality Label” Prepacked Cheeses as the Basis for a Branded Food Composition Database

A labelling assessment study of Greek prepacked “quality label” cheeses was conducted with a view to provide an overview of the whole category. In total, 158 prepacked products belonging to 19 “quality label” cheeses were identified in the Greek market. Among them, Feta had the highest share followed by Kasseri, Graviera Kritis, Kefalograviera and Ladotyri Mitilinis with 81, 16, 15, 11 and 9 products found in the market, respectively. For the rest of the 14 cheeses, the share was limited, ranging from 1 to 4. All labelling indications, nutritional information, claims and other labelling data were recorded and analysed in relation to their compliance against European food law requirements. The results of the analysis showed that for only 6 of the 19 cheeses, all products fully complied with EU labelling legislation. Among the 14 mandatory labelling requirements, the lowest overall compliance was observed for allergens declaration (65%). The analysis of the nutritional data showed a remarkable variability between cheeses and products. Differences in the nutritional characteristics were more pronounced among soft, semi-hard, hard and whey cheese. The above data were entered into an archival database. Application of global harmonisation and standardisation guidelines and tools lead to the initialisation of a branded food composition database (BFCD), conceptualising a specialised database for “quality label” foods.

Beef from Calves Finished with a Diet Based on Concentrate Rich in Agro-Industrial By-Products: Acceptability and Quality Label Preferences in Spanish Meat Consumers

Conjoint analysis was used to estimate the relative importance of some of the main extrinsic attributes and quality labels of beef in three Spanish cities (Córdoba, Marbella, and Santa Pola) in a study performed with 300 individuals. Consumers were segmented according to their frequency of consumption. Willingness to pay for different meats was also calculated from the conjoint analysis results. Consumer liking of beef that had been finished with an alternative concentrate rich in agro-industrial by-products and aged for three different durations as compared to conventionally finished beef was also evaluated using the same consumers. The most important attribute for Spanish consumers was the price (28%), followed by origin (25%), animal welfare certification (19%), protected geographical indication (14%), and organic agriculture certification (14%). Most consumers preferred beef from Spain at the lowest possible price and with the highest number of quality labels. Consumers were willing to pay a premium of 1.49, 3.61, and 5.53 EUR over 14 EUR/kg for organic certification, protected geographical indication, and animal welfare certification, respectively. Sensory analysis revealed that, for regular consumers, beef finished with an alternative concentrate rich in agro-industrial by-products offered several hedonic advantages (color, flavor, and tenderness) when compared to beef finished using a conventional diet, while occasional consumers did not find any difference between the two kinds of meat.

The Impact of the Environmental Quality Label on the Companies Operating Within the Porto Conte Marine Protected Area in Sardinia (Italy)

The Porto Conte Natural Park, an institution managing and developing the area surrounding the territory of Alghero in Sardinia, decided to join the Park and Protected Area Network Environmental Quality Label (“Marchio di Qualità della Rete dei Parchi e delle Aree Protette”). The label may be awarded to products and accommodation facilities taking special care of the protection of the environmental and local development. In order to evaluate the benefits of this initiative on the companies operating within the park, a survey was administered among the companies awarded with the label and the local community. The companies recognized the benefits thereof, mostly in terms of reputation, as a result of the adoption of responsible environmental behaviors by the members of the business organization. In addition, greater attention to environmental protection resulted in a decrease of waste production and a rigorous compliance with the applicable rules and regulations. Most of the companies interviewed were generally satisfied with the park's project but complained about the poor advertising initiatives by the Park's Managing Body. As a matter of fact, about the 50% of the residents interviewed were not aware of the label award and the product certification. Considering that the residents of the park area are sensitive to environmental issues, and they believe that the park is a major asset for the area, better communication, and a greater involvement of all stakeholders in the initiative undertaken by the Park's Managing Body may help companies expand their business also locally.

European framework standards for study programs in food science and engineering

The role of European documents in the development of learning outcomes is described in the paper. In addition to the main European documents describing the qualification level of graduates, the sectoral frameworks provide a benchmark for learning outcomes in the profile of the program. Compliance with the framework standard is the foundation for a study program to receive a quality label. As an example, the EQAS-Food and EUR-ACE® standards for study programs in the field of food science and engineering are considered. The focus on the framework standards ensure transparency and harmonization of study programs with European best practice.

Supranational Assessment of the Quality of Probiotics: Collaborative Initiative between Independent Accredited Testing Laboratories

Recent acquisitions about the role of the microbiota in the functioning of the human body make it possible to envisage an increasing use of beneficial microbes, and more particularly of probiotics as well as their metabolites, as nutritional supplements. National and EU authorities are engaged in assuring the safety and quality of food supplements and in defining rules to assess and communicate their efficacy on human health. The quality of probiotics, intended as strains’ identification, viability, and stability over time, is a crucial factor of credibility with consumers and health professionals. Analytical technologies for the quality control of probiotics must also be adapted to new preparations, such as those including new multistrains complex combinations. Accredited laboratories face this relevant challenge on a daily basis. Through its close collaboration with the laboratory commissioned to produce the specifications for its ESLP quality label (identification and quantitative analyses) together with its scientific committee, the ESLP has been focusing on this issue for 10 years. Recently, as part of the internationalization of the ESLP quality label, a new and unique initiative in Europe for the evaluation of the quality of probiotic preparations has been carried out. The collaboration between two accredited laboratories in Belgium and in Italy represented a concrete example of supranational collaboration in the assessment of the quality of probiotic preparations. Results show that both laboratories are in line as expected in terms of performance. Common approaches to the qualitative assessment of probiotic preparations, especially for complex and composite recipes, in terms of number of strains and included substances, should be encouraged and promoted all over the EU.

Consumer Profile and Product Knowledge Affect the Usefulness of a Quality Label as a Tool to Differentiate a Product: A Chilean Survey

Quality labels are useful tools to differentiate food products, but only if consumers recognise them and associate them with specific characteristics. An online survey was conducted to investigate whether Chilean consumers knew about Novillo de Osorno, for which a quality label is being developed. The survey was divided into five blocks: lifestyles, meat consumption and purchase habits, meat choice behaviour, knowledge about Novillo de Osorno, and consumers’ socio-demographic information. The place of residence and consumer gender, age, or income were important cues in defining consumers’ lifestyles, meat consumption and purchase habits. Respondents could be grouped into three main groups: 1. Younger people: urban with medium-high incomes, which search only for pleasure; 2. Foodies uninvolved and Females uninvolved: females with the highest income level that chose food for nutritional reasons; and 3. Traditional people: men older than 55 with low incomes, living in the Northern areas and interested in taste and in the meat’s origin. Nearly 60% of respondents had never heard about Novillo de Osorno. Hence, the supply chain has an opportunity to extend the market. Since price and confidence in the origin are important cues, they must be considered in the design of promotion strategies.

Integrating child’s health promotion in schools – local mechanisms and strategies

Background Evidence shows the importance of promoting awareness towards healthy nutrition; sports and health literacy in childhood, as early-incorporated behaviour often shape life-long behaviour patterns. Despite the legally formulated mission by the Austrian government to promote children's health, the available support for this purpose is still disproportionate and does not meet the expectations and demands of health care experts, insurances, and teaching staff regarding the pace and consistency of implementing necessary measures. Thus, local and regional stakeholders (e.g., insurances or education departments) are indispensable to accelerate implementation in the federal province of Tyrol. One measure is the “Quality Label Healthy School Program” which contains a strict set of requirements (e.g. healthy snacks/drinks; psychosocial health, sports and so forth) to promote the overall health of children. Methods We conducted 11 focus groups with five Participants on average to explore enabling and restricting factors, which may determine the successful implementation of the healthy school program. We recruited schools who joined the quality label and invited directly involved teachers as a source to provide insights into the practices, restricting and enabling factors for various health promotion measures. For processing the data, we used partially content analytical tools and the documentary method. Results Influencing factors include: a) lack of resource provision b) creativity in devising strategies for health promotion c) decision-making sovereignty d) support from local authorities & parents e) collaboration & networks f) school-specific needs & circumstances g) Workload & capacity and h) professional ethics. Conclusions Despite the lack of national support for required efforts, local authorities, health insurances and education departments developed own mechanisms and creative strategies to implement child health promotion. Key messages Local authorities, health insurances and education departments developed own mechanisms to promote child’s health and the teaching staff established creative strategies for its implementation. Despite the existing legally formulated mission to promote children's health in Austria, the national support made available for this purpose is still disproportionate to the required efforts.

Developing quality label awareness index of helmet users

PurposeThis research aims to develop an index for measuring Indonesian quality label awareness among motorcycle helmet users. The index measures quality label awareness and its antecedent variables, which are the variables that represent marketing effort on promoting the quality label.Design/methodology/approachThe indicators of the index were derived from a literature review. A survey was performed. The respondents are 487 motorcycle drivers and passengers helmet users in Jakarta. The authors conducted some statistical analyses, namely, exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s α analysis, and multiple regression analysis.FindingsA quality label awareness index was developed and tested. The index consists of quality label awareness and its determinants. The determinants are label marketing clarity and label marketing credibility. The research result showed that the index is valid and reliable.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors performed the survey only at Jakarta using convenience sampling technique. Thus, the findings may not be generalized to other contexts. Given this, replication research is important to be performed in the future in order to test the stability of the findings in other contexts.Practical implicationsThe index can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of quality label and quality label marketing programs.Originality/valueThis study is believed to be the first to develop and test consumers' quality label awareness index.