Child dietary quality in rural Nepal: Effectiveness of a community-level development intervention

Nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions have the potential to improve child dietary quality in rural households, as evidenced by a growing body of work which concurrently measures agricultural and nutrition indicators. Our objective was to investigate whether children in rural farming communities of Nepal participating in a community-level, nutrition-sensitive development intervention had improved dietary quality compared with children living in non-participating matched rural communities. Six rural communities of Nepal where livelihoods were predominantly agricultural were selected to participate in the phased implementation of a community-level development intervention by Heifer International. Households and children in each community were surveyed at baseline, and follow-up surveys were implemented every six months for twenty-four months. Detailed data on food consumption for children older than 6 months of age were collected using a 24 h recall for 17 foods and food groups; parents responded for children. A difference-in-differences model with household fixed-effects and an analysis of covariance model were used to analyze the resulting panel data. Results indicated that the impacts of the intervention varied by agro-ecological region and by season. In the Hills region, which is poorer on average and more conducive to livestock production, children who had received the intervention for two years were 2.2 times as likely to have consumed food from an additional food group, 1.27 times as likely to have achieved minimum dietary diversity and 1.38 times as likely to have consumed animal source foods as children who received the intervention for only one year. In the Terai region, which is more conducive to crop production, there was no significant change in dietary quality attributable to the intervention. These results provide evidence that particularly vulnerable families can take advantage of community-level development activities. Given that the effects of community-level development activities were disparate across communities within the same country, we conclude that tailoring development activities for particular locations is necessary for success.     

Examining traditional restaurant diners’ intention: An application of the VBN theory

Prior research has demonstrated the significance of traditional food in the marketplace. However, there is a lack of studies that elucidate the consumer behavior of traditional restaurant patrons, particularly local residents. By utilizing the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, the current study develops a consumer behavior model to enhance our understanding of the effect of consumers’ attitudes toward traditional restaurants. To this end, the study examines the structural relationships among traditional values, beliefs, social norms, personal norms, and purchase intention. The results show that individuals’ value of cherishing traditional culture has a significant effect on their purchase intention through beliefs and norms. In addition, we find that age and gender serve as partial moderators. The results of this study provide traditional restaurateurs with insights for developing effective marketing strategies to attract and retain local customers.     

The role of perceived corporate social responsibility on providing healthful foods and nutrition information with health-consciousness as a moderator

As customers become more health conscious and governments create legislation requiring restaurants to provide nutrition information, the restaurant industry can no longer ignore demands for healthful eating environments. This study considers providing healthful food options and nutrition information as strategies for creating healthful eating environments at restaurants, and aims to develop a theoretical explanation of consumer reactions to such actions that incorporates perceived corporate social responsibility. Data were collected using a between-subjects experimental design with scenarios. The results show that customers perceive restaurants to be socially responsible when they are provided with healthful foods and nutrition information; highly health-conscious customers react more strongly to provision of healthful foods than their counterparts. Consequently, customers have favorable attitude toward and high willingness to visit restaurants providing healthful foods and nutrition information. Restaurateurs should consider taking such initiatives to entice more customers and develop a socially responsible image.     

Feasibility of risk‐based inspections in organic farming: results from a probabilistic model

A risk‐based inspection system might improve the efficiency of the organic farming certification system and ultimately provide a basis for increased competitiveness of this sector. This requires the definition of an effective inspection procedure that allows statistical evaluation of critical risk factors for noncompliance. In this article, we present a study based on data from selected control bodies in five European countries that is aimed at determining the feasibility of risk‐based inspections in the organic sector according to the data that are currently routinely recorded. Bayesian networks are used for identification of the factors that can affect the risk of noncompliance. The results show that previous/concurrent noncompliant behavior explains most of the risk, and that the risk increases with farm size and the complexity of their operations. The data currently recorded by control bodies appear to be insufficient to establish an effective risk‐based approach to these inspections.     

Organic consumerism: A comparison between India and the USA

This study is an investigation of consumer perceptions relating to organic food products based on the factors of the theory of planned behaviour and protection motivation theory with consideration of the variances in culture and economic conditions in two different countries viz. India and the USA. The study also examines how these factors affect consumers purchase intention of organic food in developing (India) and developed (USA) countries. Results of multi-group moderation and multi-group moderated mediation analysis with the data collected from India (n = 714) and the United States (n = 656) using an Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) show the existence of significant difference in the proposed relationships viz. Responsive efficacy → Attitude, Responsive efficacy →Purchase intention, Responsive efficacy → Perceived behvioural control, Attitude → Purchase intention, and Perceived behvioural control → Attitude with respect to the country type (i.e. India and USA). Further, attitude and perceived behavioural control perfectly act as mediators for both the country samples. Outcomes of this study recommend for marketers and promoters of organic food products to consider the consumer culture and settings behind the landscape they live in.     

Non-compliance in organic farming: A cross-country comparison of Italy and Germany

This paper describes the Italian and German organic certification systems, including the institutions involved and the definitions of non-compliance and sanctions. Although they are both implementations of the same EU regulatory framework, these systems differ in many respects. Case study data from control bodies on non-compliance and sanctions are presented and analysed using binary choice models. This analysis shows that the occurrence of slight non-compliance and greater farm acreage are significant risk factors that explain severe non-compliance in both countries. However, to implement an efficient risk-based inspection system in the future, the data collection process must be improved and extended to examine personal attributes of farmers and operators.     

Slim by design: Menu strategies for promoting high-margin,healthy foods

In a world of rising obesity, restaurants have become a regulatory target. One profitable but overlooked solution may be for restaurants to focus on menu engineering strategies that could increase sales of relatively healthier, high margin appetizers and entrées and help diners become slim by design. Recent lab and field research in consumer psychology and behavioral economics offer promising solutions that responsible restaurants can use to profitably guide their customers to healthier decisions by using the three-step menu engineering process of (1) shifting attention, (2) enhancing taste expectations, and (3) increasing perception of value. A review of these studies provides key implications that can both increase the healthfulness of what customers order along with the profits of the restaurant.     

Drivers of and Barriers to Organic Purchase Behavior

Using a cost–benefit approach, this study is the first to jointly investigate supply-side factors and consumer characteristics that drive or hinder organic purchases. With scanner data that track actual purchase behavior in 28 product categories, the authors find that organic products are less popular in vice categories and categories with high promotional intensity and more popular in fresh versus processed categories. Biospheric values that reflect a person's concern for the environment and animal welfare increase organic purchases. Quality and health motives drive organic purchases only in certain categories, in particular categories with a low promotional intensity. Egoism and price consciousness act as barriers to organic purchases.     

Organic food consumption in Europe: International segmentation based on value system differences

In this paper, we analyze the market for organic products in eight European countries, based on differences in their respective value systems. With a significant sample of 8014 consumers, we first identify international segments in the European organic products market using the Values Theory. Then we apply the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine how European consumers use attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control to form their purchase intention for organic products. Results show that subjective norms are the main underlying factor driving consumer behavior concerning these products. This effect is higher for the group of countries whose citizens score higher on Schwartz's value scale. In this segment of countries, people are more likely to be affected by what others think, which means that the best approach is to increase social awareness of the relevance of purchasing organic products. Organic products represent a potentially profitable opportunity for companies with an international horizon. Results are also useful for consumers and public administrations.     

齐齐哈尔市绿色食品网络营销发展战略研究

网络营销是一种新兴的市场营销模式，它在互动性、广泛性、快捷性、可控性等方面来说，是传统营销无法比拟的；对齐齐哈尔市来说，绿色食品发展是新的经济增长点，而网络营销是实现经济发展战略的有效途径之一。应从牢固树立绿色食品网络营销理念、绿色食品网络营销策略、加大绿色食品网络营销的投入、在绿色食品网络营销中实施绿色管理等四个方面打造齐齐哈尔市绿色食品网络营销体系。