Thèses sur le sujet « Food values, Choice experiment »

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Os alimentos orgânicos têm sido alvo de vários estudos. Consumidores justificam sua preferência por serem considerados mais saudáveis, por preservarem o meio-ambiente e por questões éticas. Outra razão de escolha frequentemente apontada é a questão do sabor. Alimentos orgãnicos são considerados mais saborosos do que não orgânicos. Foi conduzido um experimento com 142 consumidores de alimentos orgânicos, em duas feiras de alimentos orgânicos no Rio de Janeiro, utilizando suco de laranja e cenoura: orgânicos e não orgânicos. O entrevistado deveria avaliar atributos dos produtos, inicialmente sem serem identificados como orgânico e não orgânico. Em seguida, avaliou os mesmos atributos, desta vez com as amostras identificadas. Os resultados sugerem que a crença de que um alimento orgânico é superior a seus equivalentes não orgânicos sobrepõe-se à percepção de sabor.
Organic food has been the subject of several studies over the past years. Health and environmental concerns, as well as ethical issues have been considered the main reasons that justify their purchase. Moreover, another reason pointed out is the matter of taste: organic food has been believed to have a better taste than non-organic food. An experiment was carried out at two organic fairs in Rio de Janeiro, with 142 consumers of organic food, using samples of orange juice and carrots, both organic and non-organic. A blind test was conducted and afterwards a test identifying each sample as organic and non-organic. Results indicate that the belief that an organic food has a better taste overlapped their actual taste.

The presence of competitors and predators as well as plant quality affect which plants an insect feed from. These factors affect food choice through the entire insect life cycle, and is especially important when it comes to nurturing larvae. Females oviposition choice sets the initial stage for larval growth and survival, and it is therefore predicted that there is a strong selection pressure to make them oviposit on the best plants possible. This study looks into the behavior of nutrient driven ovipositing and food choice in the beetles Phratora vitellinae and Lochmaea caprea by offering individuals ten leaves of Salix viminalis, one treated with extra nitrogen in order to increase the nutritional value, and four treated with extra carbon, which should lower the nutritional value. During the choice experiment, only two females of Phratora vitellinae oviposited, making it impossible to draw any conclusion regarding nutrient driven oviposition choice. However, data showed a preference for nitrogen treated leaves and an avoidance of untreated control leaves in almost every case when looking into the largest loss of area for leaves of each treatment. When analyzing the number of leaves of each treatment that is eaten per individual there was a slight preference for nitrogen treated leaves, even though the probability of nitrogen being ranked as most preferred in this case was almost zero. Carbon treated leaves and acetone treated control leaves were equally avoided. For Lochmaea caprea, females fed from a significantly larger numer of leaves than males did (t-test, t=1.86, p=0.0003). An ANOVA showed no significant difference in C:N ratio among leaf treatments (ANOVA, F=9.28E-07, p=0.99). Since plant C:N ratio most likely will increase continuously due to CO2 emissions, the effects an increased carbon concentration in plant tissues has on oviposition and food choice in herbivorous insects is something to look further into. More studies on this subject are therefore needed.

Contingent Valuation (CV) methods are a primary tool in environmental economics to ascertain non-use or other values not observable through existing market mechanisms. Because common CV approaches typically rely on hypothetical answers from surveys in order to generate welfare estimates, these are often labelled stated preferences. Results from stated preference methods often diverge from those obtained when actual preference or behavior are involved. This divergence is commonly known as Hypothetical Bias (HB). This dissertation addresses HB as it applies to environmental applications. To begin, a meta-analysis using a sample of studies many times larger than previous works was performed. Its results identify which study protocols exacerbate HB, and which may mitigate it. Furthermore, the meta-analysis establishes the efficacy of some popular techniques to mitigate HB. The second essay focuses on understanding and addressing two important topics to environmental economics, distance decay and charismatic species conservation. These effects have not been investigated with respect to HB. We implement a field survey of monarch and viceroy butterfly conservation, creating survey treatment conditions involving both real payment and hypothetical scenarios in order to establish the extent of HB. The key finding is that while HB is present for both butterflies, HB in distance decay exists for monarchs. There is also additional HB for monarchs compared to viceroys, which we attribute to the former’s charisma. The final endeavor studies the usefulness of consequentiality, a relatively new tactic to reduce HB. Consequentiality is the degree to which respondents believe their answers may affect policy outcomes. Relying on the monarch field survey, we find that using a technique known as ex ante consequentiality may exacerbate HB. Another approach known as ex post consequentiality is more effective at reducing the extent of HB in the data. Lastly, some elements of the studies’ results showcase that HB is not always present and can also explain some of the mixed results found on the efficacy of HB mitigating methods reported in previous studies.

Reflecting the growing interest from both consumers and policymakers, and building on recent developments in Willingness to Pay (WTP) methodologies, we evaluate consumer preferences for an archetypal traditional food product. Specifically we draw on stated preference data from a discrete choice experiment, considering the traditional Hungarian mangalitza salami. A WTP space specification of the generalized multinomial logit model is employed, which accounts for not only heterogeneity in preferences but also differences in the scale of the idiosyncratic error term. Results indicate that traditional food products can command a substantial premium, albeit contingent on effective quality certification, authentic product composition and effective choice of retail outlet. Promising consumer segments and policy implications are identified. (authors' abstract)

A comparison of front of pack nutritional food labelling formats in Northern Ireland using a discrete choice experiment. Food choice is a central factor in weight control and overall health. In today's society there are complex information issues in choosing foods which make up a healthy diet. One method used to assist consumers in making informed food choices is front of pack nutritional food labelling (FoPL). Many versions of FoPL exist in the food market place in Northern Ireland (NI). This variety of FoPL and lack of specific regulation has led to claims of consumer confusion and low usage. The need to clarify food nutrition composition to consumers comes at a time when a growing number of people are classified as overweight or obese. This is due to changing lifestyles and food choice behaviour which has influenced a general increase in the levels of food consumption in Nllike many other modern societies. Consequently, this is having an adverse impact on the demand for public health services .. A Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) survey which is a stated preference method, is employed in this research. A specially designed DCE survey was developed and administered to obtain the necessary data. An objective of this thesis is to establish if 'framing effects' exist in FoPL, i.e. do alternative combinations of interpretive elements in FoPL elicit different food nutrition preferences? A further objective is to investigate the extent to which nutritional attributes on FoPL are ignored and if alternative FoPL result in more being considered. In the DeE literature this issue is frequently referred to as attribute non attendance (ANA). Herein a practical approach is taken to ANA and applied to a real life situation. Another objective is to contribute to the DeE methodology literature though showcasing an array of specifically chosen DeE models and techniques. The results will be used for policy appraisal and to inform development of the most effective FoPL.

This study determines consumer demand for staple food crops biofortified with micronutrients in three sub-Saharan African countries. Specifically, the study investigates how the choice of a valuation technique for a nonmarket good or new product, and gender, influence acceptance of biofortified food crops. Biofortification, a new public health intervention for alleviating micronutrient deficiency problems in developing countries, is achieved by enhancing the micronutrient content of staple food crops using conventional plant breeding or biotechnology. The rural poor in developing countries are likely to benefit most from biofortification, for two main reasons. Firstly, their diets are primarily comprised of staple foods that are usually poor sources of micronutrients. Secondly, they have limited access to fortified food products, mineral and vitamin supplements. The novel property of biofortification, however, has been associated with changes in the intrinsic properties of staple food crops that may not be familiar to consumers. Thus, knowing consumers’ attitudes and potential reactions to such changes in their staple food crops has been important to researchers and marketers alike. The study employs hedonic evaluations and incentive-compatible economic experimental data from HarvestPlus that aimed at determining consumer acceptance of micronutrient biofortified staple food crops in three sub-Saharan countries, i.e., Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia. The first objective compares the Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) mechanism to the non-hypothetical choice experiment (nHCE) in revealing the willingness to pay (WTP) for a new maize variety biofortified with vitamin A, under a field setting in Zambia. A mixed logit model was used to determine consumers’ WTP for the biofortified orange maize, relative to the two local maize varieties in the nHCE. While a symmetrically censored least square (SCLS) model was used to determine consumers’ WTP for the biofortified orange maize in the BDM experiment. The results show that the nHCE yielded significantly higher WTP estimates than that from the BDM mechanism. The second objective, related to the first, explored potential reasons for the WTP disparity between the BDM and the nHCE. The results indicate that accounting for additional training in the BDM experiment and lexicographic behaviour in the nHCE, together resulted in a decrease by half in the WTP estimates difference between the two methods. This difference, however, remains statistically significant. The third objective determined whether the gender of the decision-maker is important in determining consumer’s attitudes and behaviour towards biofortified food crops. Specifically, the study explores gender differences in hedonic preferences and consumer valuations of food products made from biofortified food crops. Emphasis was placed on the statistical analysis methods that incorporate gender while fully accounting for sources of both the observed and unobserved heterogeneity across gender. Results suggest that the gender of the decision-maker may be an important factor in both hedonic preferences and WTP for biofortified food crops, although the results varied across three countries. In Zambia and Rwanda, gender differences were observed in hedonic preferences for vitamin A-biofortified orange maize and biofortified iron beans respectively, while no evidence of gender differences was observed in hedonic preferences for vitamin A biofortified cassava in Nigeria. On the other hand, gender differences in WTP for biofortified foods were observed across the three countries in the respective biofortified food crops. While it is not yet clear how the BDM and the nHCE can result in significantly different empirical estimates under similar conditions, these results suggest the solution could lie in controlling for design effects from the two techniques. Similarly, controlling for gender differences not only in the outcome variable but also in its determinants may be necessary to attain valid estimates of consumer acceptance of biofortified foods.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019.
Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
PhD
Unrestricted

Master of Science
Department of Agricultural Economics
Hikaru H. Peterson
This study investigates consumers’ preferences for organic baby meals. The growth of the U.S organic industry has been notable during the last two decades. The U.S. organic farmers do not produce enough quantity to meet the increasing U.S demand for organic food, and increasingly more organic foods are manufactured from organic ingredients produced outside the U.S. Tensions have emerged in the organic sectors as large-scale companies have seized opportunities to sell products differentiated with the organic label. The study aimed to estimate U.S. consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for selected attributes (type of brand, production attributes, and origin of ingredients) of baby meal products using a choice-based conjoint analysis. The organic offerings represent a nontrivial share of this market. In recent years, offerings under store brands have also been increasing. The study identified that consumers preferred a major national brand with a large market share such as Gerber (80%) to the other types of brands including store brands. In terms of product characteristics, pesticide free and non-GMO products were seen as consumers’ top priorities. Consumers would not buy products that did not exhibit these two characteristics. Minimally processed products seemed not to matter for the majority of consumers, and these products (sold frozen) were expected to be a niche market. Besides, a product made with U.S ingredients (organically or non-organically grown) was associated with a higher utility. Firms can run a cost-benefit analysis to see if sourcing U.S. ingredients could increase profit. Running experimental auctions are recommended to firms that want to elicit WTP for U.S grown ingredients and implement an efficient marketing strategy. This study is a preliminary analysis that highlighted consumers’ preferences in the baby food market, and future analysis would complement the findings.

Nanotechnology is one of the key innovative technologies in the present century. The food industry has applied this technology in each of its sectors. Nanotechnology has tremendous potential in food and agriculture, including advancing agricultural cultivation and food production, enhancing food nutrition and flavor, and improving food packaging and preservation. However, the novel properties of nanoscale materials that allow beneficial applications are also accompanied with uncertainties, even unknown risks. A number of studies have examined public understanding as well as acceptance of nanotechnology via surveys in both the US and Europe. However, most of these studies concentrated on public attitudes in general. Few works focused on specific products, let alone food or food related products. This project will contribute to the literature by calculating monetary valuations (i.e., willingness-to-pay) for canola oil where new techniques are utilized. Using choice experiment survey data, consumers’ valuations for nano attributes were estimated with choice models. As implied, consumers were willing to pay $0.95 less for a typical bottle (48 fl. oz.) of canola oil if it was produced from nanoscale-modified seed; $0.51 less if the final products were packed with nanotechnology-enhanced packaging technique; and no significant difference was found for oil that was designed with health enhancing nano-engineered oil drops, which would require interaction with the human digestive system. Additionally, the results revealed unobserved heterogeneities among respondents in their willingness-to-pay for canola oil attributes. Aligned with descriptive results, 46.7% of the respondents reported that they were optimistic about new technology applied to food products. While a significant portion of the respondents (42.8%) indicated that they might gain benefits at the same level as risks, there were a slightly larger proportion of the respondents who feared they might be exposed to more risks than benefits through nanofoods. Further analysis included respondents’ attitudes and opinions as well as their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics toward the goal of understanding the underlying behavior difference. Findings from this study will help bridge the gap between scientific innovation and public policy and social-economic concerns. Implications for government policy that can be efficiently used to monitor and regulate these technologies were also investigated.

The goal of this research was to test whether including an inexpensive nonfood item (toy) with a smaller-sized meal bundle (420 calories), but not with the regular-sized meal bundle version (580 calories), would incentivize children to choose the smaller-sized meal bundle, even among children with overweight and obesity. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect in a between-subjects field experiment of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice (here, a binary choice between a smaller-sized or regular-sized meal bundles). A random sample of 109 elementary school children from two schools in the Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area (55 females; M-age = 8.53 years, SDage = 2.14; M-BMI = 18.30, SDBMI = 4.42) participated. Children's height and weight were measured and body-mass-index (BMI) was calculated, adjusting for age and sex. In our sample, 21 children were considered to be either overweight or obese. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice. Results revealed that the inclusion of a toy with a smaller-sized meal, but not with the regular-sized version, predicted smaller-sized meal choice (P < .001), suggesting that children can be incentivized to choose less food when such is paired with a toy. BMI neither moderated nor nullified the effect of toy on smaller-sized meal choice (P = .125), suggesting that children with overweight and obesity can also be incentivized to choose less. This article is the first to suggest that fast-food restaurant chains may well utilize toys to motivate children to choose smaller-sized meal bundles. Our findings may be relevant for consumers, health advocates, policy makers, and marketers who would benefit from a strategy that presents healthier, but still desirable, meal bundle options.

L’odierna sfiducia dei consumatori verso i sistemi agroalimentari industriali e la loro crescente riflessività o “quality turn”, hanno portato negli ultimi anni allo sviluppo delle filiere corte (FC), in alternativa ai mercati convenzionali. Le FC hanno la capacità di aumentare la sostenibilità dei sistemi convenzionali in termini sia di equità socio-economica sia di sviluppo ambientale e locale, incontrando le abitudini e le motivazioni di acquisto del consumatore post-moderno, le quali sono per definizione molto eterogenee. Viepiù, la nuova Politica Agricola Comunitaria 2014-2020 incoraggia oggi la promozione delle FC, attraverso specifici supporti finanziari previsti all’interno del secondo pilastro, al fine di favorire uno sviluppo sostenibile. Questa ricerca indaga, attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare, le preferenze e il comportamento del consumatore verso l’acquisto in questi canali di vendita alternativi. Sulla base di alcuni risultati preliminari di natura qualitativa, tale ricerca esplora più in dettaglio determinati fattori che influenzano il comportamento del consumatore (sostenibilità, fiducia, equità). L’obiettivo più ampio è quello di fornire nuova conoscenza sulle FC, focalizzando l’attenzione in particolar modo all’Italia, al fine di spiegarne il crescente appeal sul consumatore e il continuo sviluppo. Questa ricerca passa da un approccio socio-psicologico (Teoria del Comportamento Pianificato) alla teoria economia, applicando la tecnica dell’esperimento di scelta basato su un mercato ipotetico e relativo ai mercati dei contadini. È stato svolto anche un confronto tra Italia e Brasile e Italia e Germania. I risultati mostrano l’importante ruolo della sostenibilità e della fiducia nell’influenzare gli acquisti alimentari presso le FC, cosi come una rinnovata enfasi su alcuni fattori legati al marketing tradizionale (contatto diretto con il produttore) e la possibilità per i consumatori di contribuire al reddito degli agricoltori.
In recent years, the erosion of consumers’ confidence in industrialized agro-food systems and their increasing reflexivity known as “quality turn” have led to the promotion of Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) as opposite to conventional markets. SFSCs have the potential to enhance the sustainability of conventional food systems in terms of socio-economic equity and environmental and local development, addressing post-modern consumer’s habits and purchasing motivations that are extremely heterogeneous in natures. In addition, the renewed EU Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020 encourages the promotion of SFSCs for the first time through a specific financial support within its II pillar, providing a publicly funded stimulus for sustainable development. This research aims at contributing to the growing literature on SFSCs, investigating consumer preferences and behavior towards purchasing food in such alternative schemes through a multidisciplinary approach. Based on some preliminary qualitative findings, this research explores the importance of some major drivers in influencing consumers’ preferences and purchasing behavior (i.e., sustainability, trust, fairness) more in depth. The broader objective is to provide new knowledge around SFSCs’ growing appeal among consumers, focusing especially on Italy, to explain their recent increasing in number. From a socio-psychological approach, i.e. the Theory of Planned Behavior, the research turns to economic theory with a choice experiment (CE) based on an hypothetical market situation and focusing on farmers’ markets. Italian consumers have been also compared with Brazilian and German consumers. Generally speaking, findings show the important role of sustainability and trust in influencing food purchases at SFSCs, as well as consumers’ renewed emphasis on both some traditional marketing patterns (i.e., face-to-face interactions with the producer) and the possibility to contribute to farmers’ income.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 188 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 154-169).

This thesis deals with the issues of quantifying economic values of coastal and marine ecosystem services and assessing their use in decision-making. The first analytical part of the thesis focuses on estimating non-market use and non-use values, with an application in New-Caledonia using Discrete Choice Experiment. The second part examines how and to what extent the economic valuation of ecosystem services is used in coastal management decision-making with an application in Australia. Using a multi-criteria analysis, the relative importance of ecological, social and economic evaluation criteria is also assessed in the context of coastal development.

This thesis uses the case study of the Fallas festival in the city of Valencia (Spain), to assess the value of intangible cultural heritage. Within this framework the thesis explores a number of different issues: for example how social agents frame different qualities and benefits of cultural heritage in order to describe the value and claims for funding the arts. It finds that value assessment for claiming funds presents many challenges such as: identifying the values of the heritage in question; describing them; and ranking them according to their contribution to the public welfare. It examines the methodological techniques for assessing heritage values and goes on to discuss a number of tools that are, or could be, used for assessment. The thesis also explores how public bodies legitimise cultural funding. It examines the role of non-government arts organisations in supporting the arts. It proposes the analysis of donor decisions through a multi-attribute technique where donors state their importance to donor situations under specific conditions or attributes. Finally, it describes how the stakeholder approach can be applied for searching new ways of funding festivals. It also considers how intangible cultural heritage goods can be assessed within the process of cost-benefit evaluation. It also analyses how public bodies, as the principal supporters of culture, deal with the problem of valuing intangibles on social investments. The study uses the Fallas festival to test the research hypothesis. It uses a number of economic and statistical techniques to evaluate the Fallas Festival, these include Contingent Valuation, Choice Experiment and Descriptive and Multiatribute Statistics. The statistical techniques reveal that historical benefits are intrinsically valuable in the Fallas festival. The historical value that the members of the neighbourhood associations place on the Fallas festival justify that local social agents should support this festival.
Sánchez Royo, B. (2011). AN APPROACH TOWARDS HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/12269
Palancia

While previous studies have investigated country-of-origin effect from various angles, it remained unexplored the extent to which Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) affects U.S. beef imports from specific countries. Using choice-experiment data, willingness to pay (WTP) for Australian, Canadian beef in addition to other enhancement attributes were estimated with a Mixed Logit Model and a Latent Class Model. The results revealed unobserved taste heterogeneity and important differences in the WTP between the imported and domestic steak. The Latent Class Model estimated the range of discount needed for consumers to switch from U.S. to Canadian steak was a range from $1.09 to $35.12 per pound. Results from the Mixed Logit Model reiterated strong domestic preference. Significant positive WTP for BSE-tested, traceable, and tenderness-assured beef were also observed. In addition, perceived risk theory was utilized to explain the difference in WTP for domestic and imported beef. The psychometric method proposed in Pennings et al. (2002) were adopted, which disentangled perceived risk into risk perception and risk attitude. Using a mixed logit model with error component specification, the result revealed a strong link between risk perception and risk attitude towards consumer choice of country-of-origin labeled beef. Specifically, we found that perceived risk factors have a stronger impact on imported beef than domestic beef, which could partially explain consumers’ aversion towards imported beef. Lastly, the perceived risk framework was expanded to explain variation in the WTP for traceable and BSE-tested beef. The results indicated significant and non-linear impact from risk attitude and risk perception to WTP for the attributes. In addition, BSE-concern, and perceived level of control agribusiness has on food safety significantly influenced WTP for traceable and BSE-tested beef.

No abstract
Coastal and marine ecosystems are some of the most heavily exploited with increasing degradation. This alarming situation appeals for urgent and effective actions. The optimal balance between use and conservation of ecosystems theoretically requires all costs and benefits to be considered in decision-making, including intangible costs and benefits such as non-market use and non-use values. The broad aim of this PhD is to examine how these economic values associated with coastal and marine ecosystem services can be measured, and how the economic valuation exercise may be considered and influence management decision- making.The first analytical part of the thesis focuses on assessing non-market use and non-use values, through econometric methods. The characterization and estimation of non-use values are complex and controversial, especially when the valuation exercise is focusing on individuals who are users of the ecosystem services being considered. An original approach based on a stated preference method, namely choice experiments, is developed then empirically applied in quantifying non-market values for marine and coastal ecosystems in two areas in New Caledonia. It allows the estimation of non-use values for populations of users in an implicit way. An in-depth analysis of the individuals’ choice heuristics during the valuation exercise is also conducted, with a focus on payment non-attendance. This issue is dealt with by comparing multiple modelling approaches in terms of: (1) inferred attendance, in relation to stated attendance; (2) attendance distribution according to several socio-economic variables; and (3) welfare estimates.After noting that the potential influence of economic valuation in decision making is unclear and largely unexplored in the literature, the second major component of this PhD aims to examine if, how and to what extent the economic valuation of ecosystem services, including measures of non-market values, influence decision-making regarding coastal and marine ecosystems management in Australia. Based on two nation-wide surveys, the perceived usefulness of the economic valuation of ecosystem services by the general public and decision-makers is studied, and the reasons why decision-makers may or may not fully consider economic values are elicited. Using a multi-criteria analysis, a part of the surveys also aims at examining the relative importance of different evaluation criteria (ecological, social and economic) when assessing the consequences of a hypothetical coastal development project on commercial activities, recreational activities and marine biodiversity

Qualsiasi prodotto alimentare che si trova sul mercato contiene diverse etichette che aiutano i consumatori nel loro processo decisionale quando fanno acquisti. Questo aiuto può essere garantito solo se i consumatori comprendono il significato di queste etichette, le differenze tra loro e le informazioni che certificano. La tesi ha esplorato il ruolo delle etichette nel settore del marketing alimentare usando studi condotti sull'approccio del consumatore. Utilizzando diversi metodi (statistici ed econometrici), abbiamo analizzato le percezioni, la consapevolezza e la conoscenza dei consumatori verso alcune etichette alimentari e le loro preferenze e comportamenti verso i prodotti alimentari che portano queste etichette (etichette nutrizionali sul fronte della confezione e marchi di qualità europei). I prodotti alimentari certificati di qualità sono stati scelti perché sono drammaticamente rilevanti per il settore agroalimentare europeo, e ancora di più per quello italiano dove costituisce la DOP Economy, data la sua densità. Sulla base dei risultati abbiamo formulato alcune raccomandazioni di marketing, policy, e di comunicazione che potrebbero essere utilizzate dai consorzi per migliorare l'impegno dei consumatori per i prodotti con marchi di qualità. Le raccomandazioni sono state rivolte anche ai policy maker e ai produttori dei prodotti DOP/IGP/STG/Organici ma anche ai policy maker dell'Etichettatura Nutrizionale.
Any food product found on the market contains several labels that help consumers in their decision making when shopping. This help can be guaranteed only if the consumers understand the significance of those labels, the differences between them and the information that they certify. The thesis explored labels’ role in the food marketing sector and studies were carried out according to consumer approach. Using different methods (statistics and econometrics), we analyzed consumers perceptions, awareness, knowledge towards some food labels and their preferences and behavior toward food products bearing these labels (Front of Packaging Nutritional Labels and Quality labels). Quality certified food products were chosen because are dramatically relevant for the European agri-food sector, even more of the Italian one where it forms the DOP Economy, due to its density. Assessments of several food labels from a consumer behavior perspective was carried out. Based on the findings we formulated some policy, marketing recommendations and communication suggestions that could be used by the consortia to enhance consumers’ engagement for products with quality certifications (PDO/PG/TSG or organic). The recommendations were also addressed to policy makers and producers of the PDO/PGI/TSG/Organic products but also to the policy makers of the Nutritional Labelling.

The agri-food supply chain is currently far from being sustainable due to its negative contribution to environmental degradation, climate change, public health and social equity. Individuals as consumers play a key role in favouring the transition towards a sustainable food system. Switching towards more sustainable food consumption patterns can trigger changes on the supply side and contribute to policy efforts aimed at pursuing sustainable development. In this context, the aspects such as the drivers and barriers to sustainable consumption, consumer behaviour towards sustainable choices and how to effectively tackle unsustainable food habits have become paramount. Therefore, to fill the research gaps in the existing literature, this thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the effect of environmental and social sustainability attributes on food choices and investigate the decision-making process adopted by food consumers when choosing sustainable products.

The main aims of the work presented in this dissertation are 1) the elicitation of locallyheld values for the marine and coastal ecosystem services in south-eastern Tasmania and 2) the development of the methods used to address certain technical issues present in the methods. This dissertation employs a diverse range of methods to elicit values held for marine and coastal ecosystem services in the Derwent estuary and Storm Bay in Tasmania, Australia. The range of methods used also allows the demonstration of preference heterogeneity (and the areas in which there is overlap) that can occur when different methods are used. In the context of environmental decision-making, it is advantageous to obtain information regarding the values held, the effect of elicitation methods on these values, and value heterogeneity, to ensure that common resources such as ecosystem services are managed by taking into consideration a wider, richer range of preferences. Three methods were used to uncover the benefits provided by the Derwent estuary to the inhabitants of south-eastern Tasmania. These methods investigated both individual/selfregarding and community/shared values, and they include an online participatory mapping exercise (participatory geographic information systems - PGIS), an online discrete choice experiment survey, and a deliberative monetary valuation workshop exercise utilising a discrete choice experiment survey as a valuation tool. The main information collected through the participatory mapping experiment was the ranking by local inhabitants of a set of marine and coastal ecosystem services as well as their perceptions of the location, presence, and quality of these services. The ranking of ecosystem services in this experiment provided information regarding the relative value of each service, both in relation to the other services and the built infrastructure present at the marine and coastal sites. The marine and coastal recreational activities engaged in by participants and theirperceptions of conflicts, overall environmental quality, and other issues were investigated. The methodological advance made in this application of PGIS was that participants were asked to recall and map the activities they carried out at marine and coastal sites and during the mapping process questioned about their perception of the presence and quality of ecosystem services at the sites they used for recreation. This local knowledge in conjunction with expert input from CSIRO and IMAS0F scientists formed the basis of the design and framing of a choice experiment, ensuring that the framing and content were relevant to the area. The locally relevant choice experiment was used in both the online choice experiment survey and deliberative monetary valuation workshop to allow for comparisons to be made between the choice experiment treatments. The main output of the choice experiment survey were monetary values for the marine and coastal ecosystem services identified as important in the participatory mapping study. The marine and coastal ecosystem services valued in the choice experiment were: ‘Water quality’, ‘Seafloor health’, ‘Coastal and marine litter’, and ‘Safety of marine food (for consumption)’. The online treatment of the discrete choice experiment was used to explore traditional monetary values held for the marine and coastal environment using a method that is well established in the literature. The results showed a significant positive willingness to pay for an improvement of the ecosystem services identified as most important by participants in the mapping survey. The service whose levels of improvement were most highly valued was ‘Seafloor health’, followed by ‘Coastal and marine litter’. The levels of improvement of ‘Water quality’ and ‘Safety of marine food’ were valued significantly lower. A series of deliberative monetary valuation workshops investigated both self regarding/ individual and shared/social values and preferences for ecosystem services in the estuary. The deliberative workshops utilised a method that was intended to address certain shortcomings or limitations of traditional choice experiments such as an imperfect understanding of the complex choice experiment attributes and the focus on self-regarding/individual values (shared/social values are not captured). These workshops began with participants completing the choice experiment individually as in the online treatment of the choice experiment. Following this, participants engaged in a deliberative phase involving the group completing the choice experiment, all participants discussing the choices being made and arriving at a consensus. In order to conduct the ‘group choice experiment’, participants individually ascribed weightings to each attribute (ecosystem services) of the good valued prior to deliberation. These weightings were aggregated and used to develop a heuristic to make choices across choice tasks. The workshop groups discussed choices from the point of view of the community and were asked to select options which would benefit most people. When the group was dissatisfied with the choice outcome, the group weightings were altered until the choice made best represented the needs, preferences, and values of the community, future generations, and non-human users of the environment. The willingness to pay (WTP) estimates from the individual completion of the choice experiment (before and after the group discussion) were compared to the deliberative WTP estimates. A significant difference was found showing that the two elicitation methods drew upon different value sets (self-regarding values for the individual completion and shared/social values for the deliberative treatment, as described by Kenter et al. (2015)). The workshop groups placed emphasis on keeping the cost of improvements down. They stated that although they were individually happy to pay more than the choices selected by the group, they felt uncomfortable with the experiment leading to a policy recommendation that may require sections of the community to pay more than they could afford. Through deliberation, the ecosystem service ‘Seafloor health’ weighting increased, while the weight on other ecosystem services decreased. Qualitative investigation during the group discussions revealed that this was due to a better understanding of and more familiarity with the attribute, as well as increased comprehension of the independence of the attributes in the choice experiment (e.g. that reducing levels of coastal and marine litter would not result in an improvement for all other attributes). The choice experiment was completed individually pre- and post-deliberation and the choices actually made were compared to the choices inferred from participants’ individual weightings. The deliberative phase led to post-deliberation individual choices that were more accurate based on the preferences inferred from participants’ individual weightings. Additionally, 29% of participants who changed their responses from the business-as-usual alternative selected an alternative aligned with the values expressed through their individual weightings. These results show that individual (online and pre- and post-deliberative) and deliberative choice experiments result in a different set of values being accessed by the respondent. Depending on the ecosystem services being managed, the valuation method should be carefully selected to elicit self-regarding or shared/social values. Additionally, the pre- and postdeliberative experiment results show that deliberation may help participants make choices that are more consistent with their internal heuristics. Deliberation can also result in WTP estimates from a smaller sample that are more consistent with those obtained from a much larger sample, resulting in the ability to accomplish the valuation at a lower cost. The WTP estimates produced by the different treatments were compared. It was found that the pre- and post-deliberation individual WTP estimates were statistically more different tothe deliberative group WTP estimates than to the online individual WTP estimates. This strengthened the conclusion that the pre- and post-deliberation treatments saw participants drawing upon a different set of values and preferences (individual values) in their responses. The postdeliberative WTP estimates were statistically less different to the online WTP estimates than the pre-deliberative WTP estimates. This led to the conclusion that the deliberative process enabled a better representation of individual preferences in the post-deliberative treatment. The information from the three methods and the comparison of the WTP results from the treatments of the choice experiment are intended to provide local, relevant, and high-quality information to support the environmental decision-making in south-eastern Tasmanian marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as adding to the national set of value estimates. This dissertation provides a novel demonstration of the way multiple techniques across various disciplines can feed into and complement one another. The innovations developed aim to address technical issues with the methods and increase the calibre of information that goes on to support decision-makers in the sustainable management of these rare and treasured natural areas.

We estimate the willingness-to-pay for conserving crop diversity in the Czech Republic. Discrete choice experiments are used to elicit preferences for the conservation of wine, hop, and fruit tree varieties, while a double-bounded dichotomous choice approach is used to elicit preferences for the conservation of unspecified, "general" crop diversity. The WTP values are derived for both of these contingent products from a sample representative of the general Czech population (n=731) and a sample of respondents living in the South Moravian region that is characterized by agriculture and wine production (n=418). We demonstrate a strong preference for conserving fruit trees over hops and wine varieties, and derive positive mean WTP of the general Czech population (ages 18-69) of 56 Kč ($2.26). Mean WTP for the conservation of general crop diversity is 167 Kč ($6.80). On average, residents of South Moravia have a greater WTP for "general" crop as well as fruit tree conservation. In total, the Czech adult population (ages 18-69) has an aggregate WTP of ~1.25 billion Kč ($50.5 million) for the conservation of general crop diversity, and ~410 million Kč ($16.8 million) for the conservation of fruit trees, revealing the previously unmeasured social welfare benefits of these activities. The estimated benefits...

This thesis aims to provide new insights into consumers’ preferences and their willingness to pay for sustainability (animal welfare, organic status), nutritional content (calories), and “typical” taste (autochthonous versus international varieties). Specifically, this thesis consists of three papers that make use of two laboratory experiments (second-price experimental auction and Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism) and one online experiment (choice experiment). The foods under study are eggs, wine and chocolate snacks.

Animal-sourced products are among the most nutritious food products available to humans. However, the sustainability of food derived from modern livestock production methods are under increased scrutiny. Growing consumer concerns over the impacts of global meat production and consumption have led to growing demand for alternative sources of protein, and the use of production-related credence attributes and related ‘sustainability’ labels on meat products. To address these issues, this thesis aims to increase understanding of Australian consumers’ views and intentions regarding sustainable meat and meat substitutes. Consumers’ perceptions of six key attributes (health, safety, affordability, eating enjoyment, animal welfare and environmental friendliness) were measured for conventionally produced meat, plant-based protein products, and novel lab-grown meat alternatives. Market opportunities for lab-grown meat were also explored. Australia provided a unique context to conduct this research because both per capita meat consumption and per capita greenhouse gas emissions have been high relative to other countries around the globe. The main empirical work for this thesis is presented in Chapters 2-4. The empirical study presented in Chapter 2 focuses on understanding what sustainability means to consumers in the context of meat and how consumers relate production-related credence attributes of chicken meat to sustainability. The exploratory research used a multi-method approach (an online survey (n=87), in-person interviews (n=30) and eye-tracking methods (n=28)). Environmental dimensions of sustainability were most important to consumers’ definition of a ‘sustainable food system’, and chicken meat sustainability was most commonly associated with the perceived environmental impact of chicken meat production. Consumers made incorrect inferences about some sustainability labels and frequently associated a higher price with higher sustainability, indicating a belief that ‘doing the right thing’ might cost more. Chapter 3 employed an online survey to investigate 1078 Australian consumers’ perceptions of meat products (chicken and beef) and meat substitutes (plant-based meat alternatives and lab-grown meat). Consumers’ behavioural intentions with respect to lab-grown chicken and beef were also explored using multinomial logistic regression analyses to understand what factors are likely to influence willingness to consume lab-grown meat products. On average, relative to other products, lab-grown meat was perceived negatively on all attributes considered, with the exception of animal welfare. Factors that helped predict willingness to consume lab-grown meat were positive perceptions of eating enjoyment and the healthiness of lab-grown meat; familiarity with lab-grown meat; higher consumption frequency of conventionally raised chicken meat; tertiary education; and younger age. Chapter 4 utilised the data set from Chapter 3 to provide further insight on the market potential for lab-grown meat in Australia. A latent class cluster analysis revealed six unique clusters, of which three (49% of consumers) showed some willingness to consume lab-grown meat when available on the market. One segment, ‘Prospective LGM eaters’ (12%), appeared ‘very willing’ to consume lab-grown meat. These consumers were more likely to be younger (<35 years); university-educated; live in metropolitan areas; have greater prior awareness of lab-grown meat; stronger beliefs regarding the potential self- and society-related benefits of growing demand for lab-grown meat; and they had higher trust in diverse information sources.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Economics and Public Policy, 2021

Plants and herbivores influence each other for more than million years. Most studies are focused on interspecific variability in herbivory intensity, but little i known about intraspecific variability and what controls it. Environmental conditions can determine intraspecific variation. Goal of this thesis is to examine importance of environmental conditions and interspecific variation for invertebrate herbivory preferences. Plant material that was used in experiments comes from several species from subfamily Carduoideae. Preferences of invertebrate herbivores are tested in food-choice experiments. Plastic arenas are made for these experiments, in which leaves are put in small tubes that are placed along the periphery. After herbivores are placed in to arena, arena is covered by net to ensure that herbivores can't escape. Plant material for experiments was grown in experimental garden and was also brought from field. Plants from garden differ in productivity of soil and water regime. In experiments with field material, plant leaves were collected from eight localities, four fields and four grasslands. Leaves were scanted before and after each experiment. Scans were processed and the amount of consumed leaf tissue was determined. For plant characteristics I measured plant functional traits, specific...