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Improving Information about the Agri-Food Chain: Sustainability Perception and Consumer’s Behavior towards Food of Animal Origin

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this Special Issue is to analyze how the presence of claims or information about the different links of the agri-food chain influence (i) consumer’s perception of sustainability and/or (ii) consumer’s behavior towards foods of animal origin.

As such claims have the power to convey positive aspects related to farms sustainability to customers, this issue will serve as a bridge between agricultural/technical studies about farm sustainability and those related to consumer behavior. This topic is timely for farmers due to the increasing negative perception of animal farming and its impacts on sustainability. In this sense, the publications of this Special issue are expected to be useful for farmers to design their marketing and communication strategies and implement technical changes in order to adapt their companies to the abovementioned market scenario, and thus, increase their chances of success.

Dr. Alfredo J. Escribano
Dr. Isabel Blanco-Penedo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

agri-food chain
food system
sustainability
consumer behaviour
marketing
food
animal production
livestock

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 3700 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Stated Preferences for Plant-Based and Cultured Meat: A Choice Experiment Study of Spanish Consumers

by Alfredo J. Escribano, Maria Belen Peña, Carlos Díaz-Caro, Ahmed Elghannam, Eva Crespo-Cebada and Francisco J. Mesías

Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8235; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158235 - 23 Jul 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4594

Abstract

Meat production and consumption have been claimed to have negative impacts on the environment, and even on the consumer’s health. In this sense, alternative sources of protein, mainly meat substitutes and cultured meat, have emerged due to those perceived negative effects. Our paper carries out a choice experiment to analyze the preferences of 444 Spanish consumers and their willingness to pay for plant-based and cultured meats, as compared to conventional meat. Spain was considered of interest for this study due to its significant gastronomic culture, with high-quality meat products that make a great contribution to the economy, meaning that this could be a suitable and also challenging market in which to test alternative sources of protein. The findings show that consumers’ motivations and their interactions with these products are complex. Additionally, a cluster analysis allowed us to identify three types of consumers in terms of preference for these products: price-sensitive millennials, conscious/concerned consumers, and indifferent consumers. Only one group showed some level of acceptance of these alternative products meats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Information about the Agri-Food Chain: Sustainability Perception and Consumer’s Behavior towards Food of Animal Origin)

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18 pages, 642 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Exploring Sustainable Food Choices Factors and Purchasing Behavior in the Sustainable Development Goals Era in Spain

by Isabel Blanco-Penedo, Javier García-Gudiño, Elena Angón, José Manuel Perea, Alfredo J. Escribano and Maria Font-i-Furnols

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7397; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137397 - 1 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3776

Abstract

The aim of the present study was (1) to investigate what consumers include within the concept of food sustainability and its link with sustainable consumption, by identifying meaningful consumer typologies from the concept of food sustainability and food choice factors framed by SDG 12, and (2) to know how different farm systems attributes affecting purchase behavior are associated with such typologies. Consumers from two Spanish regions (n = 403) answered a paper questionnaire to know their degree of knowledge of sustainability, and beliefs, behavior, attitudes and preferences towards food sustainability, and the importance given to product characteristics and shopping practices. A principal component analysis was conducted to identify groups with similar answers, to average some of the questions before the final analysis of variance, which includes demographic classes as fixed effects. A cluster analysis using the most representative questions identified two clusters. cluster 1 (68.4%) responded to more sustainability-related attributes, and cluster 2 (31.5%) presented a less-expanded concept of sustainability. The origin of the product and quality certification (local, organic) was important for food purchase practices. The place of residence and gender differences of the consumers were the most influential factors. In the conjoint study, regarding the purchase of Iberian pork, cluster 1 remained unwilling to sacrifice outdoor systems and local breed at the expense of the price, in the case of the Iberian pig production. The most important demographic differentiator was the region of residence of the consumer. In conclusion, consumers are not aware of the wider aspects included in the sustainability concept. Moreover, the concept of sustainability elicits different meanings to the segments of the consumers identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Information about the Agri-Food Chain: Sustainability Perception and Consumer’s Behavior towards Food of Animal Origin)

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