Is an Increase in Organic Consumption Accompanied by A Healthier Diet? A Comparison of Changes in Eating Habits among Danish Consumers

Several studies have shown that consumers with a high organic consumption often have dietary habits that include more fruit and vegetables but less red meat. This paper takes a novel approach by investigating whether changes in consumption of organics and improvements in dietary habits also are related. The results show that many consumers seem to improve their diet while increasing the organic consumption. Further, the study suggests that some households already have a relatively healthy diet in terms of fruit, vegetables, and meat consumption, when they start buying organic food. When organic consumption reaches a certain level, further increases in organic consumption are more likely to take place at the same time as dietary habits are improved. References to health and climate considerations seem to be the most important motivations for reducing meat consumption, while higher availability of organics is the most important reason for increasing organic consumption.     

Changes in food provision in Russian households experiencing perestroika

The purpose of this article is to describe how households in Novgorod the Great, Russia, deal with food provision in everyday life. The study focuses on changes experienced in food provision and consumption in Russian society, in order to illustrate how households respond to the transformation towards a market economy. The study reflects women's perspective on food provision. Students from Novgorod the Great visited 105 households and asked the women in the household to answer a questionnaire. Results from the study show that in order to cope with changes in society related to economic reforms, Russian households had changed both their food consumption and food production patterns. There was no big difference between urban and rural households. Nearly all of the households were self‐sufficient in the provision of vegetables and potatoes. Many households had a ‘dacha’ (plot), where they produced most of what they needed. Among the changes experienced during recent years (i.e. during the end of the 1990s), a decade after perestroika was initiated, households mentioned the rise in food prices and the decrease of income. Households reported that they consumed less fruit and/or meat. Some households also mentioned that the quality of nourishment had decreased, thereby indicating lower general quality, lower nutrition value, or less healthy foodstuffs.     

近红外光谱技术在食品检测与质量控制中的应用

随着人们生活水平的提高,食品安全问题受到广泛的重视,食品检测方法成为近年来食品质量控制中的研究热点。近红外光谱分析技术凭借快速、无损、方便可靠等优点,在食品检测领域获得了广泛的应用,成为食品质量检测的新手段。基于此,重点分析近红外光谱分析技术在肉质食品、乳制品和水果蔬菜中的应用。     

Socioeconomic Effects of Reducing Household Carbon Footprints Through Meat Consumption Taxes

Beef and sheep products represent the largest emitters of greenhouse gases within the meat group. One way of encouraging Scottish households to substitute purchasing lower carbon footprint meat products such as chicken is through a carbon consumption tax. In this article, the effects of such a tax were studied using a dynamic per capita error correction version of the almost ideal demand system (AIDS). The data used in the analysis were from a Scottish household panel dataset for the years 2006–2011, which allowed disaggregation by three socioeconomic groups. The results suggest that the net application of meat taxes is likely to reduce demand for beef and sheep products irrespective of socioeconomic group. Application of all meat carbon consumption taxes has the potential to reduce household demand for meat products, resulting in a likely 10.5% reduction in Scottish meat emissions.     

Effects of socio‐demographic factors on laundry behaviours in Europe and their implications on sustainability

The continuing rise of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is leading to catastrophic damage in many parts of the world over the coming decades unless GHG emissions can be controlled quickly. The objective of reducing GHG emissions can only be accomplished when all the sectors contributing to GHG emission act responsibly. The contribution of the household to GHG emission was 19.6% in the European Union (EU) in 2013. The energy consumption for laundry washing in the EU, estimated at 24.2 TWh/year, is a substantial share of household energy use. As the use phase of the washing machine is the dominant stage where the environmental impact occurs, this paper addresses some of the EU consumers’ washing and drying behaviour in the laundry process. Information on consumers’ behaviour regarding the laundry process was collected by a semi‐representative survey in eleven EU countries in 2015, including more than 5,000 participants. The main outcome of the study is that consumers’ behaviour regarding the laundry process differs substantially between the EU countries. Moreover, socio‐demographic characteristics of households affect the overall sustainability profile of the laundry process.     

Segmentation of Malaysian shoppers by store choice behaviour in their purchase of fresh meat and fresh produce

Differences in retail store choice behaviour are examined for the purchase of fresh meat and fresh fruit and vegetables in Malaysia. In purchasing fresh meat, cluster analysis identified two groups of respondents who purchased the majority of the fresh meat they consumed from either modern retail stores or the traditional market. However, with regard to the purchase of fresh fruit and vegetables, cluster analysis identified three groups of respondents (modern retail shoppers, transient shoppers and traditional market shoppers). Although the clusters were labelled using similar terms, several similarities and differences were identified in the respective clusters for each food item. The findings indicate that store choice preference was based on the food product that the consumer intended to purchase.     

Swedish food retailers promoting climate smarter food choices—Trapped between visions and reality?

Food retailers are important actors in the development of a more environmentally sustainable food system. They are powerful in their procurement role and have the potential to promote and encourage consumers to buy climate smarter food. While food retailers have developed environmental visions, policies and goals, a major question is to what extent these commitments translate into action in the products sourced and promoted. This paper aims to explore the ways and extent to which food retailers assist consumers to make climate smarter food choices, more specific to reduce their meat consumption, and to identify potential and perceived difficulties towards doing this. The empirical data is based on interviews with 17 Swedish food retail representatives. The findings indicate that food retailers address climate change in their environmental policy statements and have environmental targets for retail operations, such as energy and transport efficiency and recycling of waste. Moreover, retailers promote and encourage consumers to buy organic, local, and seasonal food and to minimize food waste. No initiatives are taken to help consumers reduce their meat consumption. Yet, there is a growing consensus among scientists that meat production is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Food retailers seem reluctant to guide consumers to climate smarter food choices if it means reducing the meat range or the promotion of meat. To broaden the range of high quality and more expensive meat is seen as a more feasible option. The meat category is perceived as important to attract new and keep loyal customers.     

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.     

我国城乡居民食用农产品消费需求弹性比较——基于2003-2012年省级面板数据

文章利用AIDS模型,采用省级面板数据,对城乡居民主要食用农产品消费支出弹性及需求价格弹性进行估算,分析预算支出和价格变动对食用农产品消费的影响。结果表明：城乡居民对水产品和肉禽的消费支出均富有弹性,对粮食、植物油、蛋类和鲜瓜果的消费支出均缺乏弹性。农村居民对肉禽和蔬菜的支出弹性明显高于城镇居民。城乡居民对水产品的需求量对价格波动很敏感,但对粮食、肉禽、植物油、蔬菜和鲜瓜果的自价格弹性均为缺乏弹性。价格波动对城镇居民食用农产品消费的影响更大,而收入变动对农村居民食用农产品消费的影响更大。以上发现可为政府采取差别化政策引导居民改善食品消费结构及促进农业结构升级提供借鉴。     

Analyzing Price Premiums for Foods in Japan: Measuring Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Quality-Related Attributes

This study attempts to elucidate the characteristics of price premiums for food products from the consumers' viewpoint. After conducting a survey, consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for 13 important food elements is analyzed for 10 food categories. The main findings were first, the categories that can easiest achieve a price premium are fruit and vegetables and meat and fish with the hardest being snacks and sweets and frozen foods. Second, the food element most related to price premiums is safety while the least related is convenience. Finally, an appropriate level for price premiums for food products is generally about 20%.     

Immigration and Chinese food preferences in the Greater Toronto Area

This paper presents important socio‐economic characteristics of Chinese Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the impact of these characteristics and acculturation on their expenditure on and consumption of ethnic vegetables. These consumers purchase ethnic vegetables based on attributes such as quality, traceable production, versatility and language. The factors that predict expenditure on ethnic vegetables among Chinese Canadians are as follows: the percentage spent on food out of total monthly income, years spent in Canada and acculturation. The estimated demand per month for Chinese ethnic vegetables in the GTA is $CAD21 million. Meeting this demand with ever more locally produced vegetables will reduce ‘food miles’, enhance niche market production and facilitate greater agricultural sustainability in Ontario.     

Food patterns of two-parent,two-child households of urban South Louisiana

Food patterns of 105 two-parent, two-child households in South Louisiana were studied. A survey questionnaire was used for data collection. Age of youngest child was a highly significant factor in determining nutritional adequacy of family dietaries as measured by servings from the basic four food groups. Families with young children prepared more fruit and vegetables. Educational level of the spouse was an important factor in breakfast patterns; those with partial college educations served more meat. Part-time employed homemakers served more breakfast meals and used more convience feeds.     

Comparison of fruit and vegetable consumption among Native and non‐Native American populations in rural communities

Fruit and vegetable consumption of Native Americans was compared with that of non‐Native Americans and determinants of fruit and vegetable intake for both populations were found based upon the Theory of Planned Behavior. A one‐time survey was conducted as part of a larger research project funded by the South Dakota Department of Health. The survey was administered in local grocery stores and supermarkets in six South Dakota communities, including two located on Native American reservations. Of the 1000 distributed surveys, 499 were returned with 230 being usable, resulting in a response rate of 49.9%. Wilcoxon signed‐rank test and two regression models were tested using SAS 9.2 software. Dependent variables were fruit and vegetable intake. Attitudes towards health, fruit and vegetable consumption, perceived difficulty, subjective norm and intention were also measured. Community size, family income, employment status and participation in food assistance programmes [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Women, Infants, and Children (SNAP or WIC)] were socio‐demographic control variables. Overall, Native American participants consumed more fruit and vegetables at home and had a more positive attitude towards healthy diets than non‐Native American participants. SNAP or WIC participation, family health, exercise, intention to live healthier than parents, buying healthy food, and fruit and vegetable consumption when eating out were positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption among Native Americans, while participation in the SNAP or WIC programme had a negative influence on consumption among non‐Native American participants. Family health, exercise, buying healthy food, fruit and vegetable when eating out, and intention to buy healthy food were positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption among the non‐Native American population. Theory of Planned Behavior variables (e.g. attitude towards healthy food) significantly contributed to the model explaining fruit and vegetable consumption. The fact that SNAP and WIC participation had an opposite influence on the two populations warrants further research.     

Food-shopping behaviour in countries that are becoming industrialized

Gulf states, including Bahrain, have experienced rapid social and economic changes, with the result that a great alteration in food-shopping practices has occurred. This study was conducted to determine the food-shopping behaviour in Bahrain, and its association with nationality. A sample of 207 adults was interviewed on the spot in 18 mojor supermarkets. The findings revealed that the main reason for purchasing from a supermarket was the location (27%). Bahraini consumers were less likely than non-Bahrainis to purchase meat products, fruit and vegetables from a supermarket. Production and expiry date were the most important information read on the label of food products (40.3%). Wives made the major food-shopping decision in 64% of non-Bahraini consumers compared to 37% of Bahriainis. The study suggested that investigations on food-shopping behaviour in this region are urgently needed for understanding the current situation of food marketing.     

Meat labels: consumer attitude and meat consumption pattern

This paper addressed consumers’ attitude towards food labels and the influence of different aspects of meat labels on beef, poultry and seafood consumption using data from a national survey in the USA. Approximately 70% of the respondents reported that food labels helped in the purchases of beef and other meat products. While 50% thought that the present level of information on meat labels was about right, about 30% thought that it was insufficient. Similarly, 80, 81, 60, and 80% of the respondents thought that it was very important that meat labels contain information regarding nutrition, ingredients, health claim, and production process respectively. Those respondents who thought that nutrition and ingredient information on food labels were very important also thought that meat labels helped them select beef and other meat products. Consumer preferences for nutrition and ingredient information on food labels were positively related with meat consumption frequency.     

Demand Analysis of Meat in Malaysia

One distinct change in Malaysians' food consumption behavior has been the preference toward meat products. Thus it is meaningful to gain insight of meat consumption patterns. As the market becomes increasingly market-led, information on current meat consumption patterns is required to assess how they are likely to change as prices and incomes change. This study attempts to provide a better understanding of demand for meat products in Malaysia. By utilizing data from Household Expenditure Survey 2004/2005, Engel curve analysis was conducted to derive income elasticities of meat products from QUAIDS model. The estimated income elasticities show that current food consumption patterns are showing signs of convergence toward a Western diet, exhibiting tendency for preference toward red meats (mutton and beef) over white meats (poultry and pork). The estimated elastic own-price elasticities indicate that Malaysian consumers are sensitive to the change in prices of the meat products, with other things remain constant.     

Consumers’ Grouping of Organic and Conventional Food Products—Implications for the Marketing of Organics

A detailed account of the way consumers choose to group different varieties of organic and conventional food produce might have practical implications in terms of improved space management in supermarkets and better targeted promotions of organic products. The results presented here were obtained in a case study using a web-based questionnaire and 849 Danish consumers. The consumers were asked to group the contents of a virtual basket of organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables into two smaller baskets. A significant share of the consumers grouped the food products according to whether or not they were organic. These consumers were found to have significantly higher levels of confidence in the benefits of organic produce, to state significantly higher levels of organic consumption and higher willingness to pay for organoleptic attributes of fresh milk, than consumers who placed fruits in one basket and vegetables in the other.     

Emu

Abstract

People are making food choices based on fat, calories, and cholesterol, while demanding products that are appetizing. Due to such health issues and the convenience of alternative meat products, consumption of beef has declined among American consumers. In this study emu meat and US Select grade beef ribeye steaks were compared for palatability by a 10-member trained sensory panel. Tests for fat (ether) and moisture (vacuum dry) were performed, along with Warner-Bratzler shear tests. Emu meat was rated as more tender, juicier, and more flavorful than the beef ribeye steaks. Wamer-Bratzler shear measurements were consistent with sensory panel findings. Proximate analysis showed the emu steaks contained less fat and more moisture than the beef ribeye steaks. Emu meat is a “red meat” that may ease consumers' concerns about the consumption of red meat. Its potential as a red meat alternative is due to its tender, juicy, flavorful, and lean qualities.     

The Allocation of Food Expenditure in Married‐ and Single‐Parent Families

Differences in food expenditures in married‐ and single‐parent families are examined using the Consumer Expenditure Survey Diary Component (1990–2003). Single parents, compared to married parents, allocate a greater share of their food budget to alcohol and food purchased away from home; conversely, they spend a smaller share of their food budget on vegetables and fruits. Compared to married parents, single fathers spend a greater share on alcohol and food purchased away from home and a lesser share on vegetables, fruits, meat and beans, desserts and snacks, and prepared foods. Single mothers, compared to married parents, spend a greater share on grains and nonalcoholic beverages and a lesser share on vegetables and alcohol. Single mothers and fathers differ from each other in almost all categories of food and beverage expenditure. We also find important differences based on the employment status of parents in the household: families where all parents are employed, irrespective of family structure, spend a greater share of their food budgets on food purchased away from home and a lesser share on vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat and beans compared with married‐couple families in which the mother is not employed. We discuss ways in which family structure and parental employment status may be associated with food purchasing decisions.