Information and consumer perception of the “organic” attribute in fresh fruits and vegetables

Using a double hurdle model on panel data from 3,200 Danish households (monthly observations for 2002–2007), we study the effects of health‐related media information on the demand for organic fruit and vegetables. We find that “negative” information about pesticides contained in conventional fruit and vegetables mainly influences the probability of a consumer entering the organic market, not the quantities consumed by households that are already active on the organic market. “Positive” information that links health and the consumption of organic food influences both steps of the decision process. Our dataset includes information about consumers’ media habits, which allows us to disentangle the direct effects of media information from the indirect effects of this information as it is disseminated through the population. Our results suggest that directly obtained information is the main type of information influencing consumers, while information loadings by dissemination through the population have almost no effect on consumption.     

蔬菜批发市场与蔬菜产业集群的形成与发展——以诸城市龙都街道市场为例

产业集群是一个新的研究领域,但是研究主要是集中在工业集群,对农业集群研究较少,农业集群有一定的特点,决定其有一定的特殊性。本文以山东诸城龙都街道市场为例,从博弈的角度来分析当地的＂怪＂现象,得出交通条件、工业化程度、不同种类的蔬菜、蔬菜品质对蔬菜批发市场的影响并提出了相应的建议。     

Maximum residual levels of pesticides and public health: best friends or faux amis?

The purpose of this article is to analyze the relation between public health and the regulations of Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of pesticides. Many authors underline the role of trade protectionism in fixing these limits, whereas these regulations should be intended for public health protection. We first establish the link between the MRL for a given chemical in plant products and its level of toxicity. In order to perform this analysis, we cross the FAS USDA MRL database and the classification of the long‐term toxicological effects (LTE) for active substances provided by SAgE pesticide. We then compute a synthetic and polyvalent tool, namely, “Health Score,” which provides a first overview of the link between LTE and MRL by country. Then this score is regressed in a logit model in order to identify the relationship between the countries’ Health Score and the socioeconomic and political characteristics of such areas. Results highlight the importance of public health expenditures in determining the settings of MRL toward stricter levels.     

用电子商务手段构建新型的蔬菜流通体系

北京市是一个人口过千万的特大城市,蔬菜供应是日常生活中非常重要的一部分,建立一个适合中国国情的现代化蔬菜流通体系,不仅能提高北京市场的蔬菜供应水平,降低蔬菜价格,提高流通效率,对我国其他城市的蔬菜供应也有借鉴意义.文章通过分析北京市目前的蔬菜供应状态,对比一些发达国家蔬菜供应的做法,结合现代信息化手段,提出了用电子商务手段构建新型蔬菜流通体系的建议.     

Key influencing factors of green vegetable consumption in Beijing,China

Green-certified vegetables are nutritious, attractive to the senses, and in line with the principles of sustainable development. The objectives of this study are to reveal the mechanism of green-certified vegetable consumption; that is, to explore the key influencing factors behind consumers' purchase intentions, purchase behavior, and willingness to pay for green-certified vegetables. Based on the Theory of Multi-attribute Attitudes and the Theory of Planned Behavior, a research framework of the consumption mechanism oriented to consumers' preferences regarding green-certified vegetable quality was established. By collecting 520 questionnaires from Beijing, China, the model was confirmed by the ordered logistic regression and interval linear regression method. The results showed that consumers have heterogeneous quality preferences, and their purchase intentions and purchase behavior levels are relatively high, with an average willingness to pay (WTP) of 138.58%. The key influencing factors driving consumers' purchase intentions, purchase behavior, and WTP include protein content belief, mineral content belief, vitamin content belief, organic vegetable safety belief, freshness belief, and taste belief. In addition, color belief and packaging quality belief significantly influenced consumers' WTP, while origin reputation belief and brand reputation belief significantly influenced consumers' purchase intention and purchase behavior. The findings of this study can guide the supply side of green-certified vegetables to improve product quality according to consumer demand, so as to promote the sustainable development of green-certified vegetables.     

The Garden of the Self-Service Store

Abstract

As a result of the increased competition between self-service chains, retail managers to an increasing degree try to strengthen store identity and customer loyalty. Based on a broad range of consumer choice and environmental psychology theories, this article discusses a number of reasons why the fruit and vegetable department can be one of the keys to differentiating retail chains and creating positive store image. The article describes the results of two empirical studies (a focus group and a survey) which explore customer-perceived quality dimensions of the fruit and vegetable department and the extent to which these dimensions influence customer attitudes towards the fruit and vegetable department and store image in general.     

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Organic Fruits and Vegetables: Empirical Evidence from a Consumer Survey in India

Numerous consumers confronted with increasing environmental problems, food safety issues, and augmentative health problems increasingly desire to have healthier and more natural foods grown in an eco-friendly manner. Hitherto organic foods only partly benefit from this increasing market environment, and their market share stays rather low despite high growth rates. This article aims to investigate consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for organic fruits and vegetables and relevant factors affecting consumers WTP. The contingent valuation method was selected to estimate WTP. Empirical data was drawn from a 250-consumer survey conducted in Bangalore during February 2013. A binomial logistic regression model was applied to obtain the value of WTP and determine the factors influencing it. The results indicated that about 90% of the consumers were willing to pay a premium price ranging between 5% to more than 100% in order to acquire better-quality fruits and vegetables; factors such as family income, size of the family, gender, and other opinion variables such as chemical residue in conventional foods, trust on retailers, taste, and environmental concerns significantly influence consumers’ WTP. More than 87% of the consumers indicated that high price, lack of availability, narrow range, and irregular supply are the major barriers for them to buy these products. The results provide useful evidence to pertinent governmental agencies in terms of assisting in the design of policies for the promotion of organic food production and marketing and reaching the target public. Furthermore, firms involved in the organic foods business may also see benefits when drawing information in order to calibrate marketing strategies.     

“移动互联网+”蔬菜供应链社群经济创新模式的提质增效*——基于陕西3个蔬菜基地的实证分析

［目的］论证“移动互联网+”蔬菜供应链社群经济创新模式有以往传统电商蔬菜供应链模式无法比拟的优势。［方法］在提出“移动互联网+”蔬菜供应链社群经济创新模式之后,以对陕西省3个蔬菜基地的293个青椒农户的调研数据为基础,运用系统动力学理论构建蔬菜供应链因果关系图和蔬菜供应链模式的系统动力学模型,并对其进行系统仿真,分析比较“移动互联网+”蔬菜供应链社群经济创新模式和传统电商蔬菜供应链模式的农户收益和蔬菜安全情况。［结果］“互联网+”蔬菜供应链社群经济模式在减少农户的种植总成本,增加农户利润收益、保障蔬菜安全方面都优于传统电商蔬菜供应链模式。［结论］要完全实现“移动互联网+”蔬菜供应链社群经济创新模式的价值,社区平台运营商（即蔬菜销售商）必须精准定位目标群体、增强线下消费体验; 物流企业必须提高冷链效率、普及农产品质量安全可追溯; 政府必须加大扶持力度。     

甘肃省蔬菜产业化龙头企业融资现状调查

甘肃省农业产业化龙头企业多数完成了初步的基础设施建设和固定资产投资,进入了正常经营阶段,但同时也面临一系列问题,其中资金缺乏是制约企业发展的瓶颈之一.本文选取甘肃省具有代表性的蔬菜加工企业作为调查样本,分别从企业层面、金融机构层面和政府层面,了解甘肃省农业企业的融资困境,并提出拓宽企业融资渠道、改进企业管理制度、金融机构应简化审贷手续及政府应加强财政扶持等对策建议.     

蔬菜中重金属汞的快速测定及方法评估

为研究快检试剂盒在检测蔬菜中重金属汞含量中的适应性,随机选取阿克苏市当地市售蔬菜为检测样品,实验采用国家标准《食品安全国家标准食品中总汞及有机汞的测定》(GB 5009.17—2014)第一法原子荧光光谱分析法作为参比方法,选取重金属汞快速检测试剂盒,根据《食品快速检测方法评价技术规范》对其快检适应性进行评估.结果表明...