Search Results (9)

Even though organic farming is perceived worldwide as the most eco-friendly agricultural method, its significantly lower yield compared to conventional farming poses a major challenge in ensuring food security for the ever-increasing world population. On the other hand, the adverse environmental impacts of conventional agriculture due to the uncontrolled use of key farm inputs like fertilizer and irrigation water cannot be overlooked. In this context, we develop a new eco-label to promote an efficient agricultural method that provides the right balance between yield and environmental impacts through the optimal use of these farm inputs. The proposed eco-label is applied to a game-theoretic model of a farmer-retailer supply chain under demand and yield uncertainties. We consider the demand as a function of the product’s retail price, greenness, and quality; and model yield using a crop-response function. The analytical results derived help optimize the farm inputs, retail prices, and order quantity so that the stakeholders’ profits are maximized. We also investigate the effects of yield information sharing in this supply chain and find that the stakeholders must share yield information when environmentally conscious consumers dominate the market. Full article

Online shopping has intensified in the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed circulation limitations and more restrictive behaviors on consumers due to fears of contracting the virus, boosting online grocery shopping. This study aims to assess the relationship between the online food purchasing experience during the pandemic and the intention to purchase food online after the pandemic. The sample of this quantitative study is composed of 358 Portuguese consumers who carried out grocery shopping online during the pandemic and was collected through an online questionnaire. First, a cross-sectional description of the variables was applied to this sample and then an analytical cross-sectional survey was carried out using the partial least squares method. Due to health concerns, food and beverage consumption behaviors changed positively during the pandemic compared to before. Healthier consumer behavior towards food and beverages during the pandemic, compared to before the pandemic, may influence a greater propensity for online grocery shopping. Sociodemographic characteristics (age, education, income) were also determinants of the propensity to shop online during the pandemic. Specifically, the results of this study demonstrate a positive influence of young male consumers, with higher levels of education and income, regarding the online supermarket shopping experience. The results also demonstrate that a good online shopping experience during the pandemic can positively influence online shopping intentions after the pandemic. This study makes it possible to identify determinants of the online food shopping experience, serving as guidance and preparation for strategic marketing for retail grocery companies that wish to position themselves online. It also helps marketers and policymakers understand the potential influence of sociodemographic characteristics such as age, income, and education on building a relationship with consumers. Finally, the relationship between personal characteristics and the online grocery shopping experience requires further substantiation and this study contributes to this gap in the literature. Full article

Listeriosis is currently the fifth most common foodborne disease in Europe. Most cases are sporadic; however, outbreaks have also been reported. Compared to other foodborne infections, listeriosis has a modest incidence but can cause life-threatening complications, especially in elderly or immunocompromised people and pregnant women. In the latter case, the pathology can be the cause of premature birth or spontaneous abortion, especially if the fetus is affected during the first months of gestation. The causative agent of listeriosis, Listeria monocytogenes, is characterized by the innate ability to survive in the environment and in food, even in adverse conditions and for long periods. Ready-to-eat food represents the category most at risk for contracting listeriosis. This study presents the result of an investigation carried out on a case of maternal-fetal transmission of listeriosis which occurred in 2020 in central Italy and which was linked, with a retrospective approach, to other cases residing in the same city of the pregnant woman. Thanks to the use of next-generation sequencing methodologies, it was possible to identify an outbreak of infection, linked to the consumption of ready-to-eat sliced products sold in a supermarket in the investigated city. Full article

Specialized suppliers to supermarkets in rural Java showed that smallholder farmers could engage in contract farming with the rise of retail modernization. This paper examines whether they have sustained contract farming with the recent decline of modernized stores. Our field survey, based on cases reported by the World Bank in 2006, provides the following findings: (1) Some suppliers failed to sustain contract farming due to growers’ hold-up problems; (2) The suppliers could prevent contract breaching by either undertaking contract-specific investments to train growers or provide inputs. Moreover, they selected growers based on their social reputation to avoid contract breaching; (3) We found that farmers in breach of contract farming on the modern channel begin to arrange farmers’ groups by themselves and return to the traditional channel as a new type of intermediaries. This indicates an evolution of the traditional marketing channel with the supermarket revolution. Full article

Every consumer’s buying decision at the supermarket influences food brands to make first party claims of sustainability and socially responsible farming methods on their agro-product labels. Fine wines are often subject to counterfeit along the supply chain to the consumer. This paper presents a method for efficient unrestricted publicity to third party certification (TPC) of plant agricultural products, starting at harvest, using smart contracts and blockchain tokens. The method is capable of providing economic incentives to the actors along the supply chain. A proof-of-concept using a modified Ethereum IGR token set of smart contracts using the ERC-1155 standard NFTs was deployed on the Rinkeby test net and evaluated. The main findings include (a) allowing immediate access to TPC by the public for any desired authority by using token smart contracts. (b) Food safety can be enhanced through TPC visible to consumers through mobile application and blockchain technology, thus reducing counterfeiting and green washing. (c) The framework is structured and maintained because participants obtain economic incentives thus leveraging it´s practical usage. In summary, this implementation of TPC broadcasting through tokens can improve transparency and sustainable conscientious consumer behaviour, thus enabling a more trustworthy supply chain transparency. Full article

Background: Food quality and safety concerns in low- and middle-income countries are often addressed using stringent standards and formal contracts between farmers and buyers. Many studies have investigated the welfare implications of these control mechanisms for small-scale farmers in modern value chains, including exports and supermarkets. Conversely, few studies have focused on the potential of certification and contracts to tackle food safety issues within local traditional value chains. Methods: This study uses a discrete choice experiment to explore the preferences of vegetable farmers (n = 301) in northern Vietnam for different types of certification schemes–including third-party certification and participatory guarantee systems–and contracts. Results: Farmers are willing to accept a 49% lower price per kilogram for their vegetables to enter into a contract with a buyer, provided that pesticide use restrictions are feasible and the buyer is fully committed and trustworthy. However, they are strongly averse to organic farming, as they would require a 40% premium per kilogram to produce organically. They would also request a 21% premium to accept selling to an unknown buyer. Farmers highly value contracts that entail large purchase quantities, long duration and pesticide provision. Although the estimated willingness-to-accept values may seem very large, they make sense in the context of highly perishable produce. Conclusion: Our findings urge both policy makers and researchers to not only focus on modern value chains but also on local traditional value chains to tackle food safety issues in low- and middle-income countries, as we show that farmers are willing to produce safe vegetables for the local market when trading with buyers under beneficial conditions. Full article

Prior to the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19, 70% of Australians’ food purchases were from supermarkets. Rural communities experience challenges accessing healthy food, which drives health inequalities. This study explores the impact of COVID-19 on food supply and purchasing behaviour in a rural supermarket. Group model building workshops explored food supply experiences during COVID-19 in a rural Australian community with one supermarket. We asked three supermarket retailers “What are the current drivers of food supply into this supermarket environment?” and, separately, 33 customers: “What are the current drivers of purchases in this supermarket environment?” Causal loop diagrams were co-created with participants in real time with themes drawn afterwards from coded transcripts. Retailers’ experience of COVID-19 included ‘empty shelves’ attributed to media and government messaging, product unavailability, and community fear. Customers reported fear of contracting COVID-19, unavailability of food, and government restrictions resulting in cooking more meals at home, as influences on purchasing behaviour. Supermarket management and customers demonstrated adaptability and resilience to normalise demand and combat reduced supply. Full article

One of the debates in the literature of contract farming concerns contracting firms’ preferences over large growers and if contract farming is inclusive of smallholders. The empirical evidence was mixed, which may be due to ignoring the stylized fact that modern food supply chain is characterized by large organized retailers who often contract with farmers. The present study aims at addressing this issue by incorporating sales to supermarket and hypermarket chains as one of the determinants of contract farming participation. Based on a nationally-representative farm household data set in Taiwan, this study presents empirical evidence to support the positive effects of selling farm produce to supermarkets and/or hypermarkets on the probability of contract farming participation. However, the increase in the share of chain stores, convenience stores, as well as local grocers was found to lower the probability of contract farming participation. The results suggest the effect of organized retailing on the participation of contract farming varies with different food retailers in the modern supply chain. Moreover, based on the predicted probability from the participation-determining model, contracting firms in Taiwan are found to exhibit preferences towards large-scale growers. A further analysis of the interaction between grower’s scale and membership of farmer organizations indicates participation in the farmer organizations can effectively mitigate contracting firms’ scale bias. The significance of the moderating effect of farmer organizations suggests their important role in the inclusion of smallholders into modern food supply chain. Full article

The paper analyses characteristics of vertical relationships of organic supply chains with a specific focus on the processing and retailing sectors. The analysis takes into account different regions of the EU Mediterranean area. Data were collected through interviews using an ad hoc questionnaire. The survey was based on a sample of 306 firms, including processors and retailers. The analysis revealed that a relevant aspect for the processing firms of organic products concerns the guaranteeing of safety and quality levels for the products. The main tools to implement the quality management are based on the adoption of specific production regulations and quality controls. The premium price most frequently applied by processors ranges from 10% to 40% and similar values are revealed for retailers. The diffusion of supply contracts allows the vertical coordination between agriculture and processing firms in the organic supply chains. The main distribution channels for the processing firms are represented by specialised shops in organic products, direct sales and supermarkets. Full article