Transparency in the food aisle: the influence of procedural justice on views about labeling GM foods

Issues of transparency lay at the center of the debate surrounding the labeling of genetically modified (GM) food products in the USA. These issues include not only the argument that consumers should be allowed to make purchasing choices based on full disclosure of product ingredients but also that they should have access to the process that makes decisions about labeling. This study examines the influence of procedural justice on perceived decision legitimacy and decision support regarding GM food labeling decisions. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, participants recruited from an online Qualtrics panel (N = 450) were randomly assigned to read a fictitious news article about an agricultural company’s decision about whether to label their food products as having GM ingredients. Articles varied by the company’s labeling decision (label versus no label) and whether the company listened to public input prior to making the decision (public input versus no public input). The results showed significant main effects on decision support and perceived legitimacy for articles that mentioned public input. Specifically, when participants read articles stating that the company made its decision after listening to public input, they were more supportive of the decision and perceived the decision as more legitimate. Moreover, this main effect occurred irrespective of whether or not the company’s decision was to label GM foods. Our results confirm the influence of procedural justice perceptions in fostering support and perceived legitimacy for controversial risk-related decisions.     

Trust orientations in the organic food distribution channels: A comparative study of the Canadian and French markets

The objectives of this research are to (i) identify supply side factors that determine trust/mistrust in OF products, and (ii) determine the distribution channel strategies to increase trust in OF products. A total of 80 individual in-depth interviews were conducted in Canada and France with managers from superstores, specialty stores, farmers, markets, producers and certification bodies. Results show a clear distinction between the Canadian and French OF distribution structures in terms of trust. Consequently, distributors have to adapt their strategies and tools in order to enhance trust in OF, in their distribution channel and in the overall food supply chain.     

Quest for the eco‐apparel market: a study of mothers' willingness to purchase organic cotton clothing for their children

The purpose of this study was to examine what consumer characteristics are related to willingness to purchase and selection of children's organic cotton clothing (OCC). A survey was conducted on mothers of pre‐schoolers to collect data on mothers' environmental characteristics, involvement with OCC and children's clothing, children's clothing purchasing behaviour and willingness to purchase OCC. A buying scenario experiment was used to examine whether price and other product characteristics influenced the participants' selection of OCC. It was found that a mother's environmental concerns, environmental purchasing behaviour and recycling behaviour significantly affected their involvement in OCC, which further significantly determined mother's willingness to purchase OCC. However, mothers were not willing to pay a premium for purchasing children's OCC. A majority (59.5%) of the mothers who selected OCC in the buying scenario indicated fabric softness was the main reason for their selection. Preparing environmental education materials for consumers and producing OCC with high quality and good performance would help improve the acceptance of OCC in the market.     

青豆检测机的设计

以透明皮带为载体将被检测的青豆送入具有透射作用的冷光源与成像箱之间,使冷光源对青豆进行透射,经过冷光源透射的青豆在相机内成像,使青豆的内容物清晰的显现在图像中,通过图像识别将不合格青豆清除,达到检测目的。     

城市居民对转基因食品的认知与消费:鲁省调查

根据城市居民入户调查数据,辅之以访谈的形式,对山东省城市消费者进行问卷调查。研究结果显示,城市消费者对转基因食品的了解程度一般,其接受程度较高,但购买意愿不高,实际购买行为和人们的想象有出入。为提升城市消费者对转基因食品的认知度,应加强对转基因技术和转基因食品相关知识的宣传,加强对转基因食品标识制度的管理,强化对转基因食品的安全监管。     

Production Risk and Technical Efficiency in Organic and Conventional Agriculture – The Case of Arable Farms in Germany

This paper quantifies the importance of production risk and technical efficiency as two possible sources of production variability in German organic and conventional farming. Determinants of production risk and inefficiency are investigated based on a combination of Just and Pope’s stochastic production framework and a Stochastic Frontier Analysis. The empirical analysis is conducted using a balanced panel of farm records from 1999/2000 to 2006/2007 on 37 organic and conventional arable farms, respectively. Euclidian‐Distance‐Matching is used to identify for each organic farm a conventional counterpart with similar structural features. Results indicate that output variability in both production technologies is mainly caused by production risk. Land and labour are identified as risk‐increasing inputs in both farm types whereas higher capital endowment, seed costs and soil quality have risk‐reducing effects.     

Perceived attributes of Asian foods: From the perspective of the American customers

The objectives of this study were to examine and compare the attributes of six types of Asian foods (Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese) as they are perceived by American customers. To achieve these objectives, a questionnaire examining the attributes of Asian foods was developed. The data was collected through a web survey completed by 424 American customers of the six types of Asian food. Importance-performance analyses showed that across the six types of Asian foods some common attributes were perceived. However, the analyses also indicated that each type of Asian food was perceived to have its own particular characteristics, signifying each cuisine's uniqueness when compared to other types of Asian foods. The results suggested basic information pertinent to marketing strategies for positioning and product development for Asian food restaurants.     

Fair Trade organic coffee production in Nicaragua — Sustainable development or a poverty trap?

This article assesses the impact of Fair Trade organic coffee production on the well-being of small-scale farmers in Nicaragua. Studying the results of organic management is crucial for evaluating the advantages of Fair Trade because approximately half of all Fair Trade coffee is also organically certified. A wide range of farmers, representatives of cooperatives and export companies in Nicaragua were interviewed during seven months of field work between 2005 and 2008. Fair Trade organic production raises farmer income when low-intensity organic farming is an alternative to low-intensity conventional farming. However, low-intensity farming produces very little coffee in the case of the most marginalized farmers, keeping these farmers in poverty. With higher intensities of management, the economic advantages of Fair Trade organic production largely depend on prices in the mainstream market.     

Billion Dollar Baby: Local Foods and U.S. Grocery

This study reviews consumer purchasing of locally produced foods in retail grocery stores. A U.S. sample of 590 consumers was drawn via an online survey, with structural equation modeling used to assess hypothesized relationships of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intention to purchase, extent of purchase, and the moderating effects of shopping channel type. Results from structural model testing suggested that all hypothesized relationships except that of purchase intention and extent of purchase were found to be significant, with group differences existing between supercenters/warehouses and farmers’ market shopping channels. Implications and future research directions are provided.