Nutrition Facts labels or Nutrition Facts Panel(s) (NFP) are a critical channel for communicating food nutrition information to consumers. A fundamental question is how to help consumers effectively understand and use the label without missing important information. This paper introduces a color-coded NFP and investigates its impacts on information search and consumer behavior, such as attention to information, food choice, and food health perception. Results show that the color-coded NFP attracts more attention than a black-and-white NFP, specifically for nutrients such as fat, sodium, and sugars, which should be limited. Additionally, the color-coded NFP made it easier for consumers to make food purchase decisions and led consumers to make healthier choices for some products (e.g., chips). Finally, the color-coded NFP reduces the time needed and contributes to a more accurate evaluation of the products' healthiness in the case of chips, reducing the information processing costs and increasing the utilization of information. Our research demonstrates that the color-coded NFP is more attractive, efficient, and effective in delivering nutrition information and contributes to a healthier decision for some products (e.g., chips) than the traditional NFP.

Food labels are created to reduce information asymmetry and help consumers make better food choices. However, the labels may have unanticipated effects, especially when they share common characteristics that may introduce confusion in making food choices. This study investigates how perceived relationships between different food labels may affect the price premiums of organic and local attributes for milk and fresh strawberries. Results show that the impacts of perception vary by product and label, and different food labels could positively affect price premiums on organic and local products. Results provide policy implications for better labeling and educational programs to reduce inadvertent confusion and improve consumer decision-making.

Despite mounting threats from rising sea levels, adaptation to sea level rise (SLR) is often challenged by limited funding and understanding of residents’ preferences. Using an online choice experiment, we investigate residents’ preference for three SLR adaptation strategies: building seawalls, replenishing the beach, and installing stormwater pumps in Miami-Dade County. We control the preference, scale, and alternative heterogeneity using generalized multinomial logit models with error components. Results show that residents prefer additional adaptation strategies to the status quo, and valuations of adaptation attributes are correlated with residents’ sociodemographics. Accounting for alternative heterogeneity also significantly improves model performance.

Angler populations at public fishing areas are often heterogenous, implying that they seek a variety of fishing experiences. Understanding the typology of anglers that value different experiences and comparing their management preferences helps fishery managers meet angler expectations and enhance satisfaction. This study clustered a sample of the freshwater angler population in Tennessee based on the importance placed on catch-related aspects of fishing and compared the demographic characteristics, fishing behavior, public lake stocking preferences, and importance of non-catch-related aspects of fishing of the different clusters. A hierarchical cluster analysis of survey responses collected with a mixed-mode survey yielded four distinct angler clusters that varied in the importance that they placed on the catch-related aspects of fishing: Trophy anglers (30%), Native fish enthusiasts (45%), Non-specific consumers (17%), and Non-consumptive anglers (8%). There were significant differences in the demographic characteristics, fishing behavior, importance of non-catch-related aspects of fishing and preferred fish of the identified clusters. Findings from this study offer important insights to fishery managers on the underlying variation in the angler population that could inform the selection of fish taxa for stocking public lakes.

Introduction The food justice movement focuses on resolving food system inequalities, including, but not limited to, income, ethnicity, and race differences related to household access to food, farmer access to markets, and the fair treatment of farmworkers. Previous studies have focused on food system inequalities from the consumer demand side, but only a few studies have focused on the role farmers play in creating more equitable food systems. An example of a market model aiming to fulfill various missions of the food justice movement is Fresh Stop Markets (FSMs). FSMs aggregate food from local farmers and sell shares on a sliding scale based on consumers’ income. Lower income households pay less than higher-income households for the same food. A vital component of this market concept is farmers’ willingness to sell produce through FSMs. Methods We used data from a 2020 survey of Tennessee and Kentucky fruit and vegetable farmers and the double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation approach to assess farmers’ willingness to sell produce through FSMs when faced with a price discount scenario. A probit regression was used to investigate the factors correlated with farmers’ willingness to sell produce through FSMs. Results and discussion Results suggest gross farm revenue, farmer age, education, experience selling produce through farmers markets, and running programs on the farm to educate communities about sustainable agriculture and food systems are associated with farmers’ willingness to sell produce through FSMs. Conclusion Farmer and farm business characteristics, as well as prior experience running education programs on the farm related to sustainable agriculture and food systems are important factors to consider when trying to engage farmers willing to sell produce through FSMs.

Generic advertising is commonly used to market agricultural products by groups of producers to increase the overall demand. With the popularity of social media, a cheaper and convenient alternative platform has been created for generic advertising. Despite social media advertising gaining success in some areas, little is known about whether this success can be duplicated to agricultural products. Questions also remain about potential benefits to producers when multiple organizations conduct generic advertising for the same or similar products. This study investigates the own and spillover effect of duo-regional generic advertising of two grower organizations' (Florida and California) social media on consumer preference for fresh produce with different origins. Overall, a significant increase in willingness-to-pay is found for the products being promoted by social media, indicating a strong own effect of duo-regional generic advertising. A substantial spillover effect of generic advertising is also found for social media conducted by California and Florida on domestic and imported products, correspondingly. Mexico receives a free-rider benefit from the generic advertising provided by Florida social media. The results shed light on the industries that try to promote food products using social media and inform policy decisions on how to utilize generic advertising better to expand the market. [EconLit Citations: D10, D12].

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, global food production and transportation have been largely impacted. Meanwhile, consumers have purchased and stockpiled large quantities of foods due to panic in the early stage of the pandemic, which has resulted in a lot of uneaten, expired foods and has reduced the varieties of foods available in the markets. Due to the lower prices, some consumers have chosen to buy those foods with an earlier production time or inferior quality (suboptimal foods), and the purchase rate of suboptimal foods has increased. Therefore, this study investigated consumer behavior during the pandemic as the research focus, explored the main dimensions that affect consumers’ purchasing of suboptimal foods during the COVID-19 pandemic, tested their correlations, and proposed suggestions for improvement. The results of this study showed that the impacts of Perceived Benefits on Attitude Toward Behavior, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Subject Norm rank 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in importance, respectively, which are all higher than the related impact of Environmental Concerns. For consumers, the most important thing is whether suboptimal foods have consumption motivation for them, which is also the most direct way to make consumers feel the value of suboptimal foods. Furthermore, for consumers, while the environmentally friendly attributes of suboptimal foods are less perceptible than the economic motivations, they still have considerable influence on consumers, and this is even more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families have experienced a shock to their income during the pandemic, and consumers are more sensitive and concerned about commodity prices, which also makes lower-priced and more abundant suboptimal foods more popular. However, in the long term, suboptimal foods can have a positive impact on reducing food waste and protecting the environment. When consumers realize this, they will be more motivated to purchase and try suboptimal foods.

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a systematic and proactive risk prevention and management tool used to improve the reliability and safety of a system, process or service. However, many defects around the traditional FMEA affect the effectiveness of its practical applications. When dealing with the FMEA problems, the first and the most important step is to collect the risk assessment information of experts regarding failure modes. Moreover, clustering failure modes is more adaptable to actual needs, especially under a tight resource constraint. In this article, a new FMEA model using double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (DHHFLTSs) and k-means clustering is developed to evaluate and cluster the risk of failure modes. First, the DHHFLTSs are utilized to describe the complex linguistic assessments on failure modes given by FMEA team members. Next, an improved k-means algorithm is proposed and used to cluster failure modes into priority classes. Finally, a case study concerning the risk evaluation over floating offshore wind turbine is provided to illustrate the effectiveness and usefulness of our proposed FMEA. The results show that the new risk classification approach is more reasonable and practical for risk management decision making.

Surplus foods are fresh raw material of food that has not been processed, and a large number of surplus foods are discarded and wasted every day. As a new business model, a surplus food blind box can attract consumers to purchase to reduce food waste. The main purpose of this study is to find out how to improve consumers’ degree of cognition of surplus food blind box to improve the purchase intention. Therefore, this study analyzes the relevant factors affecting consumers’ purchase intention of surplus food blind box, and through conceptualization and hypothesis verification, establishes a perceived model of consumers’ purchase intention of surplus food blind box that can be used for future research. The results can be used by relevant practitioners, consumers, governments, and researchers to reduce food waste.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine important attributes of processed food, consumers’ trust in different information resources, and the impact of trust, demographic and behavior variables on the preference of processed food attributes among Chinese consumers.Design/methodology/approachData of 1,267 participants were collected from four cities in China. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure consumer preference for 12 juice attributes. Consumer trust in nine sources of information on product quality was measured. Cluster analysis was used to segment consumers into groups based on their preference for juice attributes and trust in information sources, respectively. A multinomial logistic model was used to determine the impact of trust, demographic and behavior variables on the preference of juice attributes.FindingsConsumers rate manufacture date, taste and food safety labels as the most important attributes of fruit juice products. Among different information sources, consumers place more trust in private information sources and traditional media. The low trust in different information sources impedes consumer preference for processed food quality attributes.Originality/valueThis research is among the few that examine consumer preference for processed food, such as juice. It identifies four distinct preference groups and trust groups, respectively, based on consumer preference for juice attributes and trust in different information sources. This paper provides important information for processed food companies and policymakers to effectively enact marketing strategies in China.

This paper aims to model consumers' perceptions and preferences toward alternative foods. We conducted a survey of 519 people and analyzed their responses using a structural equation model. The article discusses the role of food innovation quality (FIQ), a concept developed from innovative design, which shows how consumers perceive the quality of products in an innovative context. Further, the paper discusses the relationship between this concept and promoting consumer acceptance of alternative foods. Studies suggest that higher FIQ may lead to increased consumer satisfaction with alternative foods, which may in turn lead to higher levels of trust and continuation. Moreover, expectations play a significant role in FIQ and in the perceived value of alternative foods in the model. This illustrates that the promotion of alternative foods in an innovative manner should include establishing a practical mechanism for meeting consumer expectations. Given the continued growth in global food demand, it is both effective and beneficial to promote alternative foods through innovative design as part of a broader food industry approach. On the one hand, alternative foods produced in an innovative manner serve to energize the consumer market by expanding dietary choices. On the other hand, alternative foods, which include new forms of meat products, contribute to the alleviation of the problem of meat production capacity in agriculture. In addition, the alternative foods process eliminates the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide by traditional agriculture, increasing the sustainability of food production.

A study of 1,558 US households in June 2020 evaluated utilization of online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, influences on utilization, and plans for future online grocery shopping. Nearly 55 percent of respondents shopped online in June 2020; 20 percent were first-timers. Cragg model estimates showed influences on online shopping likelihood and frequency included demographics, employment, and prior online shopping. Illness concerns increased likelihood, while food shortage concerns increased frequency of online shopping. A multinomial probit suggested 58 percent respondents planned to continue online grocery shopping regardless of pandemic conditions.

This article investigated the influence of risk aversion and the perception of risk associated with dining inside a restaurant on restaurant utilization and expenditures in the initial re-opening phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consistent with economic theory, risk aversion and perception decreased the use of in-person restaurant services and increased the probability of using take-out and delivery, but had no influence on total restaurant expenditures. Risk perception had a larger effect on indoor dining compared to outdoor dining, suggesting risk averting behavior within the utilization of in-person restaurant services. These findings suggest COVID-19 concerns may influence restaurant use even after states relax their policies restricting restaurant operations. Our results also highlight the importance of developing policies to support the restaurant industry as consumers adjust to the reopening phase of the pandemic.

Impulsive purchasing occurs when consumers succumb to urges to make purchases without careful evaluation. Unlike research examining personal factors as the predictors of impulse purchase behavior, our study incorporates internal and external factors by exploring the interpersonal influences of different types of shopping companions. A survey was conducted with 791 participants who indicated the types of companions they accompany when grocery shopping and reported how each type influences their purchase decisions. Results show that parents and spouses are the most common shopping companions and the most influential on the shoppers' impulse purchase decisions compared to other types of companions (e.g., significant others, colleagues, children, friends, and other shoppers). Additionally, the effect of different shopping companions varies based on the shoppers' internal characteristics and the social distance between the shopper and the shopping companion. Finally, while individual factors (e.g., age, gender, income, education, impulsivity, and emotional susceptibility) significantly affect shoppers’ impulse purchase decisions, the magnitude and direction of the effect of these factors differ significantly based on the type of shopping companion.

Eating congregate/community meals with friends promotes a balanced and healthy diet among older adults. It is helpful for postponing aging, preventing chronic diseases, and improving their quality of life. However, little research has examined the continuance intention for older adults with the congregate meal program in Taiwan. This study established a model for key factors of older adults’ continuance intention dining at senior meal halls, and hypotheses to explain them, and subsequently designed questionnaires and scales. By analyzing the longitudinal data collected from 416 individuals using survey questionnaires, we found that the perceived service quality is the main factor that affects the perceived satisfaction, and the perceived satisfaction of the older adults plays an important role in this survey. It showed that if the older adults are satisfied with the service quality provided by the senior meal halls, which will accordingly affect the post-use trust, they will show a positive continuance intention to participate in the senior meal halls. We also found that the older adults have positive views on the planning and service contents of the existing senior meal halls. Together, these results illustrate the process and provide comprehensive insights and evidence to create a better user experience and improve the satisfaction of the congregate meal for older adults.

This article deals with household-level flood risk mitigation. We present an agent-based modeling framework to simulate the mechanism of natural hazard and human interactions, to allow evaluation of community flood risk, and to predict various adaptation outcomes. The framework considers each household as an autonomous, yet socially connected, agent. A Beta-Bernoulli Bayesian learning model is first applied to measure changes of agents' risk perceptions in response to stochastic storm surges. Then the risk appraisal behaviors of agents, as a function of willingness-to-pay for flood insurance, are measured. Using Miami-Dade County, Florida as a case study, we simulated four scenarios to evaluate the outcomes of alternative adaptation strategies. Results show that community damage decreases significantly after a few years when agents become cognizant of flood risks. Compared to insurance policies with pre-Flood Insurance Rate Maps subsidies, risk-based insurance policies are more effective in promoting community resilience, but it will decrease motivations to purchase flood insurance, especially for households outside of high-risk areas. We evaluated vital model parameters using a local sensitivity analysis. Simulation results demonstrate the importance of an integrated adaptation strategy in community flood risk management.

With the aggravation of global climate change, the issue of environmental protection has become the focus of global attention, and countries all over the world have devoted themselves to the sustainable development of resources to reduce the negative impact of the environment on human society. Reducing the resource waste is an important aspect of the sustainable development, among which food waste is a critical part. According to a report of the United Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 35% of food is wasted during consumption. Although households are the main contributors to food waste during consumption, the situation in university canteens cannot be ignored. As universities have a high degree of social influence, some policies and activities are piloted in universities, and then, promoted to society after achieving significant results. In future social development, the food waste behavior of consumers at the early stage of adulthood will have a significant impact on society. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the factors that lead to food waste by early adulthood consumers. This study focuses on food waste by end consumers and explores factors in the food waste behavior of the emerging adulthood consumer, which can be used as a reference for improving food waste in schools, governments, and other related industries in the future. The results show that the model of factors influencing the food waste behavior of emerging adulthood consumers established in this study is acceptable. According to the analysis results of the structural equation modeling (SEM), it can be seen that the influences of environmental concerns on the attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are ranked first, second, and third, respectively. While emerging adulthood consumers have a high degree of independence and self-awareness, schools, governments, media networks, and other related industries also need to establish a more complete system and form of cherishing food, in order to encourage emerging adulthood consumers to change their behavior and attitude spontaneously.

This study investigates consumer preference for sustainable food products and finds the classic phenomenon of preference reversal. Using contingent ranking and contingent valuation methods, we investigate whether individuals’ rankings of a product are consistent with their willingness-to-pay (WTP). Results show that preference reversal exists for the evaluation of sustainable food products. Locally produced fresh produce receives the highest preference ranking, while organic products receive the highest price premium. The incidence of preference reversal is not uniformly distributed among different groups of respondents. In general, preference reversal is less frequent among respondents who are older and have a higher educational attainment. The results imply that preference reversal not only exists for subjects with explicit risks, such as the lottery, as indicated in the previous literature but also could occur for food products that consumers purchase on a regular basis in daily grocery shopping.

Community supported agriculture (CSA) serves as a platform for local producers, especially for small size farms, to sell fresh, local products directly to its members. CSA is an important approach to promote local economic growth and contribute to sustainable agriculture. Although CSA is widely accepted across the United States, the total number of CSA membership is still very low. It is important to determine the factors that affect the future development of CSA because of its social and environmental benefits. In this study, we analyze how the motivation, barriers, and methods of advertisement influence the participation dynamics of CSA by segmenting consumers based on their past, current, and future CSA participation. Based on a national survey with 795 responses, the results show that the younger generation, high-income families, and people who support sustainable agriculture are more likely to renew their CSA subscription. CSA members are found to be very sensitive to the time of food distribution, the price of products, and the location of CSA farms. Moreover, the impacts of perceived barriers of CSA participation and advertisement method vary based on respondents’ membership status. This paper sheds light on factors that influence various consumer groups and offers a more dynamic analysis of CSA consumer behavior. This analysis enhances understanding of CSA members’ preferences and could help CSA programs expand in the future and to better promote local food systems and sustainable agriculture.