Consumer trust in animal farming practices – exploring the high trust of Finnish consumers

Trust in animal farming is a complex phenomenon and it is expressed in heterogeneous ways in different cultural contexts. Nordic countries are typically known as high‐trust societies in terms of food issues. Based on group interviews among Finnish consumers, this paper explores how citizen–consumers express trust and distrust regarding animal farming practices and whether it is possible to identify different forms of trust among different consumer groups. The foundations of emotional trust in animal farming have been weakening due to urbanization and the structural change in agriculture. Ordinary shoppers responded to this situation by transferring responsibility for farm animal welfare to public authorities, relying on habitual policy‐generated trust in animal farming. In contrast, gastronomes and organic consumers actively cultivated their emotional trust in livestock production by creating new kinds of contacts to farming. Gastronomes, organic consumers and vegetarians especially acknowledged the complexity of the claims made in farm animal welfare politics. As trust in food has arguably become a subject of active negotiation in Finland, the foundations for the habit‐based policy‐generated trust may be partly weakening, creating more space for the politicizing of food issues and the developing of alternative sources for regaining trust in food production.     

Linking Altruism and Organizational Learning Capability: A Study from Excellent Human Resources Management Organizations in Spain

Corporate reporting on climate change is of increasing academic interest but is often considered solely from the firm perspective. This article extends current knowledge by considering how institutional pressures influence the greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting practices of multinational oil and gas companies. The results show that regulation under the EU emissions trading scheme and reporting according to the global reporting initiative (GRI) guidelines leads to better quality and more extensive reporting. Although generally adopting proactive climate change strategies, European companies do not have superior GHG reporting practices. Corporate media visibility does not impact GHG reporting practices which may be a reflection of the obscure portrayal of climate change in the print media or the fact that coverage is generally positive. This article adds to the current literature on GHG reporting practices demonstrating that institutional theory along with stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory can give further insights into explaining the GHG reporting practices of multinational companies.     

Involving consumers in peer‐facilitated home‐based food hygiene training

A community‐based food hygiene initiative was piloted in the Toxteth–Granby area of Liverpool between December 2001 and March 2002. The project aimed to increase awareness and behaviour, related to poor food purchase, storage and handling practices, by actively involving members of the local community in home‐based peer‐facilitated training. Facilitators (23) were actively recruited from within the Toxteth–Granby community, and undertook a 4‐day induction and training programme, which included successful completion of the CIEH Basic Food Hygiene course. Facilitators subsequently recruited and visited nearly 1000 households (992) within the Toxteth–Granby electoral ward, undertook an observation sheet, a detailed questionnaire, and spent approximately 1 hour delivering food hygiene training. Facilitators returned to all households within an 8‐week period, and completed further observation sheets and questionnaires, for use in a comparative analysis. Facilitators and householders received incentives for their involvement in the project. Analysis of the data collected showed that general awareness of a range of food hygiene issues was high (such as hand washing before handling food), and most participants (73.8%) were able to recognise the main symptoms of food borne disease. As a result of the home‐based hygiene training there were significant changes in knowledge, attitudes, and food handling practices, including the use of refrigerators, purchase of chilled and frozen foods, washing or peeling of fruits and vegetables, and the cooking of meat‐based products. The project demonstrates that it is possible for communities to improve their food hygiene awareness and food handling behaviours through home‐based peer‐facilitated training programmes, with minimal input from professionals.     

Business responses to climate change: strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Vietnam

This study identifies the climate change strategies adopted by firms in developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. First, a framework is developed to classify and assess the GHG emission strategies of companies; second, it is then improved by using data on their implementation collected from 185 companies operating in 10 energy-intensive industries in Vietnam. We find that multinational subsidiaries engage in various climate change activities and have a higher level of implementation than those of domestic firms. Further, the most active and proactive companies are large in size and from Europe, the United States and Japan.     

To What Extent is Business Responding to Climate Change? Evidence from a Global Wine Producer

Most studies on climate change response have examined reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet these studies do not take into account ecosystem services constraints and biophysical disruptions wrought by climate change that may require broader types of response. By studying a firm in the wine industry and using a research approach not constrained by structured methodologies or biased toward GHG emissions, the findings suggest that both “inside out” and “outside in” actions are taken in response to climate change. While attempts are made by the firm to curtail and reverse climate change through management of carbon emissions, evidence suggests a clear pattern of actions designed to adjust to the adverse consequences of climate change as well. The results both confirm and extend previous findings and suggest that the level and breadth of response to climate change is shaped by situated attention, structural controls, and industry type.     

Sustainability and dietary change: the implications of Swedish food consumption patterns 1960–2006

This article focuses on the changing food consumption pattern in Sweden between 1960 and 2006, and the implications of those changes for sustainability. National statistical data on the consumption of different food groups such as meat, milk, dairy products, eggs, fruit, vegetables, cereal, potatoes and sugar were compared. Overall, an increase in the consumption of meat, cheese, cream, fruit and vegetables was observed, while the consumption of milk, butter and potatoes decreased. For the sustainability assessment, three parameters were chosen: land requirement, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use. It was shown that the Swedish diet in 2006 required more resources and produced more GHG emissions than in 1960, mainly due to the increase in the consumption of animal products.     

Consumers' perceptions and awareness of safe food preparation practices at homes in Trinidad,West Indies

The objectives were to evaluate consumer perception and awareness of safe food preparation practices at homes. A questionnaire was self‐administered to 124 consumers who were primarily responsible for preparation of foods and owned a refrigerator at home. Data were analysed by frequencies and chi‐square. Most (97.6%) consumers considered safe food practices as ‘very important’. Few (8.9%) related Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point to safe food preparation practices. Microbiological hazard was ranked as a most serious threat to food safety (80.5%). Salmonella was most well known (79.8%). Diarrhoea (23.7%) was a common symptom of food‐borne illness. More than 50% would ‘always’ check for expiry dates on labels, seals and would never purchase swollen cans. Only 48.4% consumers used separate cutting boards for meats and vegetables ‘always’. Some (6.5%) felt it was appropriate to give unfit food to someone else. The study identified critical points in safe food preparation practices for effective public health education.     

Food Miles: Starving the Poor?

Food miles measure the distance food travels to reach consumers’ plates. Although substituting local food for imported produce will not necessarily reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the food miles movement is widely supported by consumers and import‐competing producers, especially in some parts of Western Europe. We investigate the economic implications of food miles preference changes in the UK, France and Germany on other nations using an economy‐wide model. Among the regions we consider, New Zealand is the most distant from Western Europe and Madagascar and Malawi export the most agro‐food products relative to GDP, so food miles movements have the largest impacts on these regions. When there is a linear relationship between distance and preference changes, food miles campaigns decrease welfare in New Zealand, Madagascar and Malawi by 0.30, 0.12 and 0.28 per cent, respectively. When there is a preference shift away from imported food unrelated to distance, proportional welfare losses in the three countries are, respectively, 0.11, 0.08 and 0.24 per cent. With the exception of New Zealand, these findings indicate that some of the world’s poorest nations will suffer the most from European food miles lobbying. We conclude that food miles campaigns will increase global inequality without necessarily improving environmental outcomes.     

Consumer food safety perceptions and self‐reported practices in Greece

A substantial proportion of foodborne illness is associated with food prepared in households. The primary understanding of how foods are handled in private homes comes mostly from questionnaire based studies and direct observation. The aim of this survey was to examine consumers' perceptions and knowledge of safe food handling practices in Greece. More specifically, their attitudes, opinions and self‐reported practices were studied. Data were collected from a total of 399 consumers living in Greece by the use of a self‐administered on‐line survey. The questionnaire consisted of four positive and five negative statements according to the 5‐point Likert scale, which grouped into three constructions using principal component analysis in order to investigate food safety perceptions of consumers. Furthermore, the survey included 11 demographic questions, two close‐ended questions (type yes/no) and four questions that are related to self‐reported food‐handling practices. The results showed that the most commonly known bacterium causing food‐related illness according to respondents' knowledge is Salmonella (99.7%), followed by Escherichia coli (73.9%) and Listeria (58.4%). The overall consumers' score concerning food safety was 32.8 ± 5.37 (full score was 45). No significant differences to the mean score of food safety knowledge were found according to gender, age or the incidence of foodborne illness over the past 12 months. Knowledge and awareness of safe food handling practices was enhanced at higher education levels, while homemakers were found to have deficiencies at this level. Information obtained from consumers can be used to shape educational programs and determine where food safety educational efforts would be most effective and the needed content of the messages.     

Domestic spaces and beyond: Consumer food waste in the context of shopping and storing routines

To significantly reduce the volumes of food currently wasted in industrialized countries, tackling food waste on the household level is paramount. While awareness campaigns and economic incentives are important measures, it is crucial to look beyond individual decision making and scrutinize how contextual factors frame consumer lifestyles in ways that intensify the issue of food going to waste. This paper addresses the role of material contexts—in particular, infrastructures and technologies—in the shaping of food shopping and storing practices and thus consumer food waste. It presents an in‐depth, qualitative study with 24 Austrian households, conducted from November 2016 to February 2017. Data were collected through food waste diaries, semi‐structured interviews and a total of 16 focus group discussions. In line with other studies, we find that food waste is a largely unintended outcome of entangled daily routines revolving around food, such as meal planning, grocery shopping and food storing. The characteristics of food retail infrastructures—in terms of accessibility, density and type—shape these routines and thus potentially influence excess food purchases. Food storing practices as well depend on the characteristics of domestic infrastructures and co‐evolve with technologies used for storing food. Unraveling the interconnectivity between material contexts and household food practices can inform policy, product design and food retail development and thus has implications for reducing consumer food waste.     

Determinants of environmentally responsible behaviours for greenhouse gas reduction

Canadian household consumption and driving behaviours are responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced across Canada. This paper examines and characterizes two sets of consumer behaviours, indoor GHG reduction behaviours and automobile GHG emissions, using data from a 2006 telephone survey of a representative random sample of 1002 Canadian households with cars. Two statistical models are used to analyse the impact of four groups of variables (environmental attitudes, policy opinions, automobile‐related indices and socio‐demographics) on GHG reduction at the household level. Results were obtained using ordered probit and Ordinary Least Squares regressions. Indoor GHG reduction behaviours were not correlated with automobile GHG emissions. Dominant factors increasing consumer GHG reduction behaviours both indoors and on the road were sense of personal responsibility and previous environmental activism. Canadians who least actively participate in GHG reduction activities were more likely to be living in the Prairie provinces and to be male.     

Climate change policy, market structure, and carbon leakage

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change obliges the industrialized countries to initiate the international effort of abating anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If such an initiative is to be taken, the associated competitive effects may lead to significant relocation of developed countries' energy-intensive production. This paper examines this issue. I adopt an oligopolistic structure combined with increasing returns to scale production technologies to represent the strategic interaction among the firms producing energy-intensive products. This representation is then embedded within a multi-regional computable general equilibrium model, which in turn is used for quantifying these relocational effects. The results suggest that significant relocation of energy-intensive industries away from the OECD may occur, depending on the type of market structure, with leakage rates as high as 130%, in which case GHG control policies in the industrialized countries actually lead to higher global emissions.     

Consumers’ everyday food choice strategies in Finland

In developed countries, choosing and purchasing food is today perhaps more complex than ever. In recent years, European consumers have experienced several food crises. We face a rapidly expanding range of novel food products, the food chain has become longer, and the origin of food more anonymous. At the same time, consumers confront increasing amounts of information on food every day. Consumers build their conceptions of modern food‐related risks on the basis of their everyday knowledge and coping strategies. Hence, the focus of this paper is on consumers’ food choices and everyday practices in relation to food safety and quality as well as food‐related risks. The paper is based on a Finnish study 1 examining consumers’ food choices. The data for the study were collected in September 2004 using an Internet‐based food diary accompanied by open‐ended questions on food‐related views and strategies. Altogether, 92 consumers completed the diary. The method combining the tradition of dietary intake and food consumption surveys with open‐ended questions was developed in order to gain an insight both on the types of foods purchased and on consumers’ conceptions of food‐related issues. In this paper, we focus on the key findings of the study as regards to consumers’ notions on food quality and safety issues and the practices they use in their everyday lives. We found eight everyday strategies consumers use. We suggest, first, that the strategies are important in simplifying food choice and making daily life easier, and second, that consumers use food‐related information flexibly in creating these strategies.     

A monitoring and feedback service as a way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of consumption

This paper explores and assesses the acceptability of an Internet‐based greenhouse gas emission monitoring and feedback service and its possibilities for motivating households to voluntary change their consumption behaviour towards a more climate‐friendly direction. We studied consumers' experiences and assessments of the acceptability of such a service and its potential to promote the desired behaviour in a Finnish Climate Bonus research project wherein a demonstration version of the service was developed and tested. In total, 35 pre‐selected consumers tried out and evaluated the service in day‐to‐day life for a period of 4 weeks. Online questionnaires, focus groups and an online discussion forum were used to collect their feedback. The results indicated that the service was well received among the participating consumers. Above all, the consumers regarded the service interesting and useful because it offered concrete feedback on the emissions caused by their own household consumption. All in all, the study indicated that a well‐designed, easy‐to‐use and consumer‐empowering monitoring and feedback service might be a potential tool to motivate people to reduce their consumption‐based emissions voluntarily.     

Green Microfinance in Europe

As global warming continues to attract growing levels of attention, various stakeholders (states, general public, investors, and lobbyists) have put climate change on corporate agendas and expect firms to disclose relevant greenhouse gas (GHG) information. In this paper, we investigate the consistency of the GHG information voluntarily disclosed by French listed firms through two different communication channels: corporate reports (CR) and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). More precisely, we contrast the amounts of GHG emissions reported and the methodological explanations provided (named ‘traceability’) in each channel. Consistent with a stakeholder theory perspective, we find that GHG amounts are significantly lower in the CR than in the CDP. We also find that firms increase the CR figures’ traceability when there is a discrepancy between disclosures in the two channels. We suggest that the aim of this greater traceability is to enhance information credibility across the different channels used.     

Fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour: The moderating role of consumer social responsibility

This study aims to understand the drivers of fast‐food addiction and the role of consumer social responsibility (CSR) on the relationship between fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption. Due to growing health concerns, an increasing number of consumers have been avoiding the consumption of fast food. Based on a sample of 539 respondents, all pertaining to generation Y in Pakistan, this study tests a model including addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour. Empirical results provide strong evidence that individual and sociocultural factors together with advertising practices influence consumers’ fast‐food addiction. Results also reveal that CSR moderates the relationship between fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour. Interestingly, the present study pioneers the discussion on how addiction can drive anti‐consumption. The findings can help public policy makers and managers to understand consumers’ anti‐consumption tendencies and help promote healthier consumption habits.     

The Drivers of Climate Change Innovations: Evidence from the Australian Wine Industry

This study examined the drivers of climate change innovations and the effects of these innovations on firm outcomes in a sample of 203 firms in the South Australian wine cluster. The results of structural equation modeling analysis suggest that absorptive capacity has a direct effect on climate change innovations, and stimulates knowledge exchanges (KEs) between firms in the cluster. KEs between firms in the cluster in turn directly affect the climate change innovations. The findings suggest a perhaps counterintuitive interrelationship between firm- and cluster-level impacts, in which KEs between firms in the cluster play a partial mediating role in the innovation process. The study further finds that climate change innovations are related to firm performance (FP) and reductions in greenhouse gases (GHGs): mitigative innovations lead to greater GHG reductions while adaptive innovations impact on FP. Contributions of the findings are discussed, as are future research directions.     

Vendor Hygienic Practices and Consumer Perception of Food Safety during the Carnival festival on the island of Tobago,West Indies

Local festivals are usually the highlights on the small island, Tobago, West Indies. The street vendors capitalized on the Carnival season where they provide a variety of foods and beverages on‐demand for masqueraders and spectators. Therefore, this study examined food safety and hygienic practices by vendors and consumer perception of such practices at the Carnival festivals in Tobago. Standard structured questionnaires and observational checklists were compiled and administered to 50 vendors and 150 consumers at five Carnival events. Each vendor was observed for frequency of practices for 15–20 min. Consumers were sampled systematically (every fifth person encountered) at each event. The vendors examined were generally female (70.0%), 41–50 years old (34.0%), possessed less than primary education (36.0%), acquired more than 5 years of experience (44.0%) and were stationary (78.0%). The most common food prepared and sold was hot dog (36.0% of all sold foods). Educated vendors practised good personal hygiene and on‐site food handling, whereas the others performed improper practices such as absence of aprons and hair covering, wearing of jewellery and handling money while serving. Also, vendors displaying valid food badges generally practised more proper personal hygiene and food handling than those without badges. The majority of the consumers examined were residents of Tobago (80.0%), female (74.7%), 21–30 years old (39.3%) and possessed secondary education (53.3%). More than half of the consumers purchased foods at Carnival events (57.3%). Most (82.7%) who did not purchase stored foods in coolers. More than half (58.0%) had seen or read Carnival food safety articles in the local newspapers and most (96.0%) were aware that illnesses can be transmitted via consumption of food. Additionally, 42 out of 74 respondents (56.8%), who indicated that they were affected by foodborne illness, sought medical help when foodborne illness was suspected. However, a mere 13 out of 74 consumers (17.6%), who indicated that they were affected by foodborne illness, lodged reports of suspected foodborne illness with the local health authority. Younger consumers (21–30 years old) mostly read food safety articles and were conscious of illness being transmitted via consumption of food. In addition, the more educated consumers (tertiary education) indicated awareness as well as formal reporting of foodborne illness. Some gaps in vendor practices included handling of money while serving (78.0%), failure to clean utensils (68.0%) and access to water (48.0%). Noteworthy, only visual observation and interviews were utilized in the study.     

Food consumption patterns,dietary quality and health status of expectant mothers: case studies in suburban and rural communities in Ghana

The study was conducted to determine the food consumption patterns, dietary quality and health status of expectant women and also to assess their level of awareness of nutritional requirements during pregnancy. Food beliefs, taboos and superstitions held by the women were also investigated. Using the purposive sampling technique, 30 pregnant women attending the Maternal and Child Health Clinic at Dodowa (rural) and University Hospital, Legon (suburban), were selected for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the respondents’ nutritional knowledge, beliefs, taboos and superstitions and health status. A food frequency questionnaire and the 24‐h dietary recall method were used to obtain information on food consumption patterns and dietary quality. The study revealed that, although the majority of the respondents (83.3%) had some knowledge of nutrition, not all were applying it in their feeding practices because of financial constraints. With regard to consumption patterns, most of the women (83.3%) were having three meals a day, while the rest either ate twice a day or anytime they were hungry. Seventy‐three per cent of the respondents also increased their food intake during pregnancy. Foods eaten were based mainly on starchy roots and tubers, cereals and vegetables. Legumes, oilseeds and fruits were often lacking in the main meals of respondents. Although animal products were consumed daily, the quantities taken were very small to provide for adequate protein, especially in the rural area. Various types of food were avoided by some of the expectant mothers for reasons such as nausea, loss of appetite, taboos and superstition. With regard to dietary quality, respondents from the rural area had diets of poorer quality in terms of nutrient intake compared with those from the suburban area. In both communities, iron contents of diets were quite low. Forty‐seven per cent of the women interviewed were anaemic, with a higher prevalence of anaemia being observed in the rural community. Common ailments reported by the women were dizziness, headache, waist pains and malaria. Based on the results of the study, it was recommended that nutrition education for pregnant women should be stepped up at antenatal clinics especially in rural areas.     

Nostalgia and consumer preference for indulgent foods: The role of social connectedness

Prior qualitative research suggests a strong association between nostalgia and indulgent food consumption. Nonetheless, these qualitative findings do not explain the causal relationship between nostalgia and indulgent food consumption, or the mechanism underlying this relationship. To this end, the authors conduct four studies and show that highly nostalgic consumers have greater preference for indulgent foods. This relationship is mediated by social connectedness, whereby high (low) nostalgia works through high (low) social connectedness to increase (decrease) consumers’ preference for indulgent foods. This effect is moderated by eating companions, such that the effect of nostalgia on consumers’ preference for indulgent foods would be strengthened (vs. weakened) when eating with friends (vs. with strangers or alone). These findings have significant implications on consumer well‐being and policy‐making pertaining to consumer health.