Intelligent Food Information and Communication for Sustainable Food Consumption

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Food Programme of the United Nations, about 1.3 billion tons of food per year (around one-third of food produced for human consumption) is lost or wasted globally. Unsustainable food production and consumption patterns are the root causes of planetary crises such as climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

In this context, food information and communication can play a significant role in promoting sustainable patterns for food consumption. Effective communication strategies can help raise awareness and educate consumers on the environmental, social, and economic impacts of their food choices, and encourage them to make more sustainable choices.

The challenges of food communication are complex due to the diversity of consumer interests, the large number of attributes associated with food products, and the various regulations to be complied with. The recent development of Information and Communication Technologies, such as the Internet of Things, social networking platforms, mobile devices, offers new opportunities to implement food effective food communication strategies, reduce information asymmetry and empower consumers in sustainable food consumption activities

This Special Issue aims to explore the ways in which food communication influences consumer behavior and how new technologies, such as the Internet of Food (IoF) and collaborative food consumption models, can be leveraged to provide consumers with the information they need to make informed choices about their food.

We aim to bring together contributions from a range of disciplines, including consumer behavior, food science and technology, sociology, psychology, marketing, and information technology, to explore these important topics and advance our understanding of the role of emerging technologies in providing effective food information and communication to promote sustainable food consumption.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. The role of emerging Information and Communication Technologies in empowering consumers towards sustainable food consumption patterns.
2. The impact of food information services on consumer-perceived food value.
3. Consumers’ behavior in sustainable food consumption patterns
4. Consumers' readiness towards emerging food information services and the challenges they face in accessing and using these services.
5. The role of digital technologies in supporting food literacy, education, and information for sustainable food consumption.
6. Food communication strategies for the promotion of sustainable food consumption behavior.
7. Policies, guidelines and strategies to support the development and implementation of intelligent food information systems for sustainable food consumption.

We welcome empirical and theoretical research, as well as case studies, review articles, and conceptual papers.

References:

• Ammirato, S.; Felicetti, A.M.; Ferrara, M.; Raso, C.; Violi, A. Collaborative organization models for sustainable development in the agri-food sector. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2301.
• Bigliardi, B.; Bottani, E.; Filippelli, S. A study on IoT application in the Food Industry using Keywords Analysis. Procedia Comput. Sci. 2022, 200, 1826–1835.
• Felicetti, A.M.; Volpentesta, A.P.; Linzalone, R.; Ammirato, S. Information behaviour of food consumers: A systematic literature review and a future research agenda. Sustainability 2023, 15, 3758.
• Felicetti, A.M.; Volpentesta, A.P.; Ammirato, S. Analyzing app-based food information services: The case of Olive Oil sector. VINE J. Inf. Knowl. Manag. Syst. 2020, 50, 427–453.
• Latino, M.E.; Menegoli, M.; Lazoi, M.; Corallo, A. Voluntary traceability in food supply chain: A framework leading its implementation in Agriculture 4.0. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Chang. 2022, 178, 121564.
• Recuero-Virto, N.; Valilla-Arrospide, C. Forecasting the next revolution: Food technology’s impact on consumers' acceptance and satisfaction. Br. Food J. 2022, 124, 4339–4353.
• Sumaedi, S.; Saleh, A.; Syukri, A.F. Factors influencing millennials' online healthy food information-sharing behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. Br. Food J. 2022, 124, 2772–2792.
• Van Loo, E.J.; Grebitus, C.; Nayga, R.M., Jr.; Verbeke, W.; Roosen, J. On the measurement of consumer preferences and food choice behavior: The relation between visual attention and choices. Appl. Econ. Perspect. Policy 2018, 40, 538–562.
• Volpentesta, A.P.; Felicetti, A.M.; Frega, N. Collaboration networks for information empowerment of food consumers. In Collaborative Networks and Digital Transformation: 20th IFIP WG 5.5 Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises, PRO-VE 2019, Turin, Italy, 23–25 September 2019, Proceedings 20; Springer International Publishing: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2019; pp. 457–466.

Dr. Antonio P. Volpentesta
Dr. Cinzia Raso
Guest Editors

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• internet of food
• intelligent food services
• food information
• sustainable food consumption