Consumer demands about food origin and methods of production has significantly increased in recent years, with a growing appeal for local foods.   A growing number of studies are investigating consumers’ preferences for local and organic foods, with results suggesting that consumers tend to value locally produced over organic food products.  This study conducted a field experiment in Italy, using a real choice experiment (RCE), to explore consumers’ valuation for locally produced and organic applesauce and investigates consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for both local and organic foods attributes.  Specifically, it explores the role of personality traits on consumers’ valuation of specific product attributes, especially those concerning origins and production methods.  Implementing the MIDI (Midlife Development Inventory) scale to capture respondents’ personalities, we focused on the “Big Five” personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, often referred to with the acronym OCEAN.   Results suggest that consumers are willing to pay a premium for both the local and organic attributes; with a willingness to pay the highest price for organic applesauce.  It was also observed that personality traits can influence individual's choice behaviors concerning local or organic products.   Respondents with more caring personalities tend to choose with a higher probability the applesauce locally produced, while it is less preferred by more extraverted personalities.  This result has implications for practitioners who craft marketing strategies.  Future research areas are suggested. 

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Interest in food products with eco-friendly characteristics and certifications has grown in industrialised countries. So-called ‘green’ products like organic, are perceived by most consumers to be low-processed, naturally grown, and healthier than conventional food products. Consumers are also increasingly demanding ready-to-eat products, especially in urban environments, where modern lifestyles tend to limit their available time. Understanding the pro-environmental behaviour of convenience food consumers is particularly challenging because there is often a contradiction between eco-friendly behavioural intent and time constraints imposed by modern lifestyles in large cities. This study aims at investigating the determinants influencing consumer purchase intention, focusing on the role consumer trust plays in consumer intention to buy minimally processed produce and “green”. Results confirm the importance of consumer trust, which positively affects the purchase of convenience food with eco-friendly attributes, and negatively affects consumer concerns around agricultural practices in relation to environmental and health impacts.

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Public concern about environmental and social aspects of food production, including fishery, emerged recently. This led to initiatives of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), whereby companies voluntarily integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and nowadays most food producers and processors are engaged in some forms of CSR.Seafood consumers are increasingly sensitive to factors like environmental conservation, product origin, preservation of rural communities and workers’ rights. This study analyzes consumer preferences in relation to environmental and social responsibility and investigates the different existing labeled standards on canned tuna fish, evaluating the effects of CSR-labeled information on market price and consumer choice.Results show that consumers are preferring environmentally and socially sustainable products. The findings indicate that products with environmental certifications are priced higher than noncertified products, while those with social certifications are priced similarly to regular products. For consumer choice, canned tuna with certifications is preferred to non-certified products, with similar willingness to pay for both types of certifications. The willingness to pay seems to increase with income and decrease with age. From these findings, managerial and policy implications can be drawn, such as the importance of product attributes for market strategies and pricing, and the role of certifications in consumers choice and the importance of increasing consumer understanding of the CSR-related certifications. 

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The world population continues to grow rapidly, and so does the demand for agricultural products, with an increased use of technology to boost plant productivity. One technology that is being increasingly utilized is the hydroponic technique, where plants are raised without soil and nutrients are delivered through water. Well-managed hydroponic operations can have several advantages: reduced water use, locating units even in harsh climates, reduced transit time and nutrient loss during shipment, and no need for pesticides.  Recent controversy about the inclusion of hydroponics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic program has highlighted uncertainty about marketing hydroponic crops, however, it is still unclear how consumers perceive and value hydroponic production.   This study used a non-hypothetical choice experiment to estimate consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for hydroponic and traditional lettuce both with and without organic certification; and to provide perspective for policy and marketing decisions about the inclusion of hydroponics in the organic program. Results suggest that consumer opinion about hydroponics is still relatively new and can be easily influenced. From a policy perspective, results suggest that most consumers are undecided regarding hydroponics in the organic program.   Exposing consumers to different kinds of information about hydroponics significantly affected consumers’ preference formation. While opinions regarding organic hydroponics shifted positively when given extra information, the actual WTP for hydroponics remained neutral, with the interaction between organic and hydroponic attributes remaining nonsignificant. Findings suggest that the National Organic Program should consider ways to ensure the stability of organic premiums as perceptions about hydroponics evolve.  Future research paths are suggested.  

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Online reviews have emerged as crucial marketing tools for the hospitality and tourism sectors, significantly influencing room occupancy rates, average booking values, and consumer willingness to pay, therefore, they play a critical role in terms of selling services and products. This paper explores the intersection of online reviews and corporate social responsibility (CSR), particularly how consumers perceive and evaluate CSR elements in their service experiences, since consumers use reviews as a tool to interact with peers, not only to evaluate their accommodation experience, but also to express opinions about a hotel’s attention to environmental and social issues.    Analyzing over 480,000 TripAdvisor hotel reviews from 2006 to 2016 across six major European destinations, the findings reveal that while consumers are increasingly attentive to social issues, they express more positive emotions towards environmental topics in their reviews. Reviews emphasizing environmental aspects correlate with higher ratings, whereas those focusing on social dimensions tend to elicit negative sentiments and poor ratings. This suggests that guests prioritize environmental considerations when evaluating their overall experience, even if social issues are more frequently reported in negative reviews.  The research indicates that hotel managers must enhance their strategies regarding social responsibility and improve communication about CSR initiatives. Although consumer awareness of CSR activities has grown since 2006, it remains limited, highlighting a need for better engagement with guests on these topics. Hoteliers should leverage online reviews not only as feedback mechanisms but also as insights into consumer perceptions of CSR, ultimately guiding improvements in service delivery and sustainability practices.    

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Agricultural production significantly contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Consequently, several policy interventions have been developed to promote sustainable behaviour, such as environmental taxes (e.g., carbon taxes), or product labelling, such as “organic” or “animal friendly”, or even carbon footprint labels although relatively less explored. Both measures are aimed at incentivizing consumers to prefer less carbon-intensive products to promote environmentally sustainable consumer behaviour. To test the responsiveness of wine consumers to carbon footprint stimuli an experiment was conducted in a restaurant focusing on wine decisions. Wine cards were modified to provide different information and price incentives to test the effects of carbon footprint information and additional price for carbon emissions.  Results show that carbon footprint information alone is not enough to affect wine choices, but it becomes significant when combined with a price change. Showing the carbon footprint of wine bottles and proportionally higher wine prices was leading to lower carbon emissions wine choices. However, when information about the additional price to offset wine carbon emissions was made explicit, an increase in the choice of higher carbon-emitting wines was observed. This finding indicates that how the price increase is presented can affect wine choices, highlighting the importance of careful information policy design.

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Research suggests that people use their overall feeling towards objects to make inferences about their objective characteristics, without being necessarily aware of the origin of these inferences. Commonly, the halo effect is positive (i.e., the presence of a positive characteristic leads to the attribution of other positive features) whereas the horn effect occurs when the evaluation of an object is influenced by a negative attribute.Regarding food, simply presenting food using a label has been shown to influence the ratings of unrelated food characteristics and that many of the factors determining food choices are related to how the food has been produced and processed. When a product is produced traditionally, individuals attach to it positive attributes, such as health and taste, that go beyond objective production-specific properties, while some consumers show negative attitudes towards processed and industrialized food and skepticism toward new technologies for food processing.This contribution investigates the role of food product attributes on consumer choices focusing on different production processes of cheese, labeled as ‘traditional’ or ‘industrial’, and aims at documenting a novel halo (positive) effect of the Tradition label versus a horn (negative) effect of the Industrial label on the implicit and explicit perceptions of healthiness and tastiness of a food product. Results showed a Tradition halo effect and an Industrial horn effect on explicit perceptions of tastiness and healthiness. Implicit perceptions of healthiness seem to depend to some extent on pro-environmental beliefs. Results suggest that tradition-labeled food should be introduced in conventional supermarkets instead of investing in the opening of new specialized stores.

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In the wine sector, consumer attitudes and preferences are continuously evolving, developing trends. When it comes to wine choice, consumers are increasingly considering a multitude of attributes such as different occasions or respecting personal values.  In this context, two aspects are playing a growing role in consumer’s choice: sustainability-related initiatives and the origin specificities of wine.  The present study investigates consumers’ preferences towards these two main sets of attributes related to sustainability - when expressed through carbon-related claims - and terroir.   The research uses a choice experiment on 982 Italian young consumers, to better explain consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for wines with labels with indications of carbon claims and terroir.  The results show that, even if younger generations tend to be more ‘green’, environmental protection is not the main driver of its choice, which is mainly influenced by the social environment and product attributes like price.   The sustainability claim does not seem to have enough strength to inform consumer wine choice, and it is more attractive only for specific groups.  The analysis highlighted that the carbon reduction label was the least preferred quality label, whereas the terroir claims on the label enhanced consumer decisions.  Respondents were driven in their choices by terroir cues expressed through both textual information and visual content. Low importance was accorded to brand names.  These findings suggest that Italian wine businesses, when they tailor marketing and communication strategies, should enhance their link with origin. Understanding the preferences of their targets of consumers is a pivotal step in ensuring effective marketing strategies.   Further research opportunities are suggested. 

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Research is paying increasing attention to the consumer side of sustainability efforts, particularly to sustainable food, due to its recognized importance for sustainable development and high level of emissions created by the food sector.  It is important to understand how knowledge about sustainable food contributes to shaping consumer attitudes. Mass media for example performs a role of gatekeeper by selecting and disseminating information to raise public awareness of specific issues and can thus shape opinions and people’s behavior. Thus, analyzing how the media selects and presents information is extremely important for understanding consumer behavior in relation to sustainable food.  This study investigates the discourse on sustainable food consumption in major national newspapers in four European countries (Italy, Germany, Norway and Romania, which all differ for economic and ecological development) and attempts to answer questions regarding the main issues in sustainable food discourse and any differences among these countries.  To do this, the three most influential mainstream national newspapers from each country were selected, conducting a longitudinal study of the articles published in a five-year period.  The analysis revealed an evolution of the media debate for four sustainability dimensions (human, society, environment, economy) in all four countries.  Results show that despite the differences between the media discourses on sustainable food, there is a common understanding of it across the analyzed countries.   The media coverage on the topic should be considered as a useful mean of communicating to the mass and responding to their concerns. For businesses, better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of sustainable food can help to develop marketing and communication strategies, while policymakers can use the media trends to guide public opinion and develop food policies towards a more sustainable direction. 

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The study investigates the relationship between online reviews with “green” content and ratings (i.e., customer satisfaction), considering the moderation of consumers' environmental culture. The research employs linear and logistic regression analysis on a dataset of 45,000 TripAdvisor reviews posted by consumers from more than 150 countries. The results show that reviews where customers discuss environmental issues (i.e., green eWOM) are associated with higher ratings, and thus more satisfied consumers. Consumers' environmental culture also positively moderates this relationship, highlighting the role of consumers' country of origin in shaping green eWOM.  

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Customer involvement in the Circular Economy philosophy is recognized as a determinant factor affecting the transition from a linear to a circular paradigm. Circular products (Cps) are those specifically designed and manufactured encouraging their longevity, their reuse, and the recirculation of resources.Particularly young consumers (i.e. Gen Z) are increasingly informed about and sensitive to environmental and social responsibility and thus more careful about resources waste.While Gen Z behaviors and their particular sensitivity and propensity for green products have been explored by recent literature, research exploring Gen Z-specific behaviors toward Cps remains scant. This research explores Gen Z consumers in the context of the circular economy (Ce). Building on generational cohort theory (Gct), the study investigates to what extent Gen Z perceptions of circular products (Cps) and the level of their environmental consciousness influence their propensity to adopt circular behaviors. The study analyses responses to web surveys from social media platforms,The results exhibit a positive relationship between Gen Z perceptions of Cps and the slowing and intensifying loops, while environmental consciousness is positively related to dematerializing and slowing loops.

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The increasing global demand for livestock products and its large environmental impact ask for urgent policy and managerial strategies. The demand for livestock products will double by 2050 and the contribution of the related sector toward anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions counts for 14.5% of global emissions. Also, livestock production has the largest carbon, nitrogen and water footprints in the food sector.Concerning meat consumption, feasible actions include its reduction and orienting consumers toward more sustainable meat choices. The aim of the study is to investigate the determinants affecting meat consumers in their intention to buy beef clearly labelled environmentally friendly. Results highlight that beef consumers are likely to change their habits, in favor of more sustainable beef choices. Moreover, together with consumer attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioral control, institutional trust and food shopping habits play an important role in activating the consumer's cognitive decision-making process toward more sustainable beef. Results add to the literature on the determinants of green food-choices and introduce new insights on the role of institutional trust in the intention to buy beef labeled with a public standard. Findings highlight that particular attention should be devoted to build trust for public institutions to promote sustainable food consumption behavior.

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Not just national governments and global institutions but all businesses are called to integrate sustainability into their management practices, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).   This research examines the crucial role of SMEs in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through strategic partnerships. SMEs, which account for 90% of global businesses and a significant portion of employment, often lack the resources to pursue SDGs independently. Instead, they leverage multistakeholder collaborations to enhance their sustainability efforts. The study investigates the characteristics of effective partners that enable SMEs to contribute meaningfully to the SDGs, revealing that the success of a partnership largely depends on the characteristics of the partners.  Utilizing a qualitative methodology, this research employs a case study approach focused on the fashion industry, known for its substantial negative social and environmental impacts. The case study of the fashion brand WRAD, in collaboration with various partners, shows that the companies involved pursue the objective of sustainability in every aspect of their processes. Their collective contribution to the generation of sustainable value is outlined in terms of economic, environmental, social and purpose dimensions.  Key findings highlight the importance of proactive leadership, stakeholder engagement, and integrated communication strategies in fostering successful partnerships.  The paper suggests further research on partnership dynamics to optimize SMEs' contributions to the SDGs. 

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Online reviews in which consumers discuss environmental practices (i.e., green eWOM) are associated with higher ratings, and thus more satisfied consumers. But what is the profile of consumers who share green eWOM online? The study investigates how consumers' socio-demographic characteristics, tourism product type (hotel, airline, attraction) and travel motivation (business vs. leisure) relate to online green review sharing behavior. The methodology combines text analytics and linear regression analysis (OLS) based on three datasets of 500k hotel reviews, 130k airline reviews, and 22k tourist attraction reviews, respectively. The results show that business, Asian, male, Generation Z customers and those staying at hotel chains are more associated with online green eWOM sharing behaviors. In addition, consumers more often share green eWOM when reviewing tourist attractions, rather than hotels or airlines, and country of origin influences green eWOM differently in the various service contexts analyzed.  

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A growing number of consumers demand natural foods, and this is also the case for wine.   Although wine consumers are increasingly interested in natural wine, what defines natural wine is still unclear, with a lack of universal standards regulating the production of this type of wine.   Scholars argue that natural wine characteristics might be vague and, therefore, natural wine perception can be heterogeneous among consumers. This study questions whether the perception of what is natural or not may affect consumer wine choice behaviour, by focusing on those attributes consumers may use to infer its naturalness.   A survey conducted in Italy on 340 red wine consumers, allowed to determine drivers of wine consumption frequency and wine preference structure.   By means of a choice experiment, this research investigate the effect of a natural wine claim (‘objective naturalness’) and the effect of personal perceptions of naturalness (‘subjective naturalness’) on consumer evaluation for attributes that are generally linked to natural wine production, and their marginal willingness to pay for those attributes.   Results show that consumers mostly associate natural wine with “artisanal” wine-making techniques and that wine choice behaviour can be affected by whether a wine is perceived as natural or not. However, there are contrasting results when controlling for the effect of ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ wine naturalness.   Finally, results show that respondents are willing to pay a price premium for the attributes linked to natural wine production, such as ecological certifications and wine-making techniques, but not for the “natural wine” claim.   Further research topics are suggested. 

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