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The global offer of legume-based snacks has sharply increased in recent years. However, to date, few studies have focused on the relationship between product supply and demand concerning the importance of attributes of such innovative foods. In this research, we identified the key internal and external determinants that affect legumes snack (LS) pr...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... apply Equation (2), we collected data between May 2022 and July 2022 on 177 valid observations on all legume-based snacks as presented on the shelves and sold in Apulia retail stores (i.e., hypermarkets, supermarkets, minimarkets and discounters) and e-shops. Among this information (Table 1), on the one hand, the retail price ("P", ranging from EUR 0.73 to 3.53 per pack of 100 g) and the weight ("Z", ranging from 40 to 240 g) were considered as dependent and continuous variables, while on the other hand the other explanatory variables "X" was categorical and then converted into one or more fictitious variables. Consequently, we estimated "P" by a mean of statistical linear regression, whereby we derived the values of "β 0 "and "β j ". ...Context 2
... these snack products, potato chips often dominate the snack industry, followed by corn chips. Moreover, most RTE snacks are based on ingredients that are high in starch (i.e., corn, wheat, rice, oats, potatoes), with low nutritional value in terms of vitamins, minor minerals, amino acids, and fibers (Table A1) [61]. Furthermore, many RTE snacks are considered energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods with high glycemic index values (Table A2) [62], which could contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes [63][64][65]. ...Citations
... Finally, environmental claims, such as the use of renewable energy sources or recyclable packaging, are additional attributes for which consumers have expressed a positive and significant willingness to pay [42]. For instance, the use of green packaging, like bio-degradable materials, has been largely investigated in order to reduce the use of plastic and other unsustainable materials causing a negative impact on the environment [43][44][45]. ...
... While the HPM is extensively applied to ascertain implicit prices in the food and beverage sectors, recent research has predominantly concentrated on specific products such as wine [53][54][55][56], oil [57], coffee [5,58], dairy, eggs and meat [59][60][61][62], and fish [63,64]. To our knowledge, there exist few studies [28,42] explicitly examining legumes, and only one investigating lentils [28], using hedonic price functions. In the context of a relatively unexplored market, the application of the HPM could provide valuable insights for legumes producers by showing which pivotal attributes they should focus on to enhance profitability. ...
... In the context of a relatively unexplored market, the application of the HPM could provide valuable insights for legumes producers by showing which pivotal attributes they should focus on to enhance profitability. Among others, we are especially interested in further examining the effect of those characteristics that previous studies do not unanimously consider having price enhancing effects, like organic certification [28,42]. The hedonic price model enables an examination of the relationship between a product price and its primary quality attributes. ...
Despite their environmental value and important role in human nutrition and food security, legumes, including lentils, have been underestimated. Nevertheless, nowadays there is a renewed interest in their consumption due to regional specialization, varietal diversity and their role in the transition towards sustainable production and consumptions systems. Recent years have also witnessed a rise in consumer awareness regarding sustainable food, healthier and plant-based diet and regional or local food systems. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of attributes linked to sustainability, such as biodiversity, organic certification, origin indication, and packaging type, on lentils’ market prices in Italy. Based on the Hedonic Price Model, and following a review of scientific literature, eight lentil characteristics are defined. Data were collected on 228 valid observations of dry and precooked lentils across 20 different retail stores. Results indicate that Italian consumers have a positive appreciation for lentils with organic certifications and references to geographic and territorial characteristics. Some lentil varieties hold unique market positions, suggesting opportunities for diverse product offerings. Packaging materials influence consumer valuation, reflecting trends towards healthy and convenient food options. These insights will aid stakeholders in fostering sustainable practices and enhancing market competitiveness in the Italian lentil market.
... Within each choice attribute, a few numbers of levels are assigned that could be qualitative or quantitative. In our DCE, we choose six attributes (i.e., BC, IE, IS, IQ, IN with 2 levels each, and Price with 3 levels as depicted in Table 4), using a focus group of technical experts, and considering their importance and negligence in terms of traceability for Italian consumers (Petrontino et al., 2023a). In fact, the traceability was often analysed with respect to the food safety and security issues and is considered relatively decisive in marketing strategies that may help to improve the performance of the pasta market. ...
... Consequently, we presented an adequate number of 6 purchase simulations (i.e., set choice/task choice, Table 4) to prevent respondent fatigue (Hess et al., 2012;Dahlhausen et al., 2018;Petrontino et al., 2023b) and in which each respondent had to select between 2 alternatives (A, B) among each task choice that differed in the presence or absence on the label of the studied product the following: (i) QR code that reflects the blockchain technology, (ii) information on the environmental sustainability issues associated with the production of dried pasta, (iii) information on the social sustainability conditions associated with the production of dried pasta, (iv) information on the quality and safety production, (v) information of the innovation process of dried pasta production, and (vi) price. In addition, the set choice included a no buy option (C) in which we used pictograms reflecting the presence of the concerned attributes (Petrontino et al., 2023a). ...
Introduction
Pasta is a key product in Italy’s agri-food industry, consumed due to its ease of preparation, nutritional richness, and cultural importance. Evolving consumer awareness has prompted adaptations in the pasta market, to address concerns about social, environmental, quality, and food safety issues. This study examines Italian consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for pasta in local markets, analysing their behaviours and preferences.
Methods
For this purpose, we used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) technique combined with a latent variable model. We also collected 397 valid online questionnaires.
Results and Discussion
The results reveal an interest utility among all respondents to pay a price premium of €1.16, €0.82, €0.62, €0.41, and €0.36 for 500 g of pasta, for the use of blockchain/QR code (BC) technology on the label, providing data on credence attributes such as safety, environmental and social sustainability as well as business innovative practices, respectively. As such, this research has private and public implications. On one hand, this research may bridge the scarcity in studies regarding consumer preferences and WTP for BC in the pasta value chain, preventing agricultural frauds, ensuring the sustainability and quality of agri-food products like pasta, and protecting and educating consumers through clear and transparent information. On the other hand, this research may incentivise pasta businesses to meet social and environmental consumers’ demands while simultaneously enhancing their financial performance.
... inconclusive due to respondents' limited knowledge of the specific nutrients and defaulting in bid payment among consumers. Although a recent study by Petrontino et al. (2023) attempted to address the above shortcomings by analyzing nutritional attributes using a binary approach; presence or absence of micro-fortification, it ignored macronutrient levels including protein composition despite the high global PEM. ...
... However, none of the above studies analyzed the tastes from traditional cooking methods including bitter, sour and sweet tastes. And, while recent studies have treated legumes as ingredients in preparation of other foods such as snacks (Petrontino et al., 2023), porridge and composite flours (Chege et al., 2019), they ignored the fact that whole legumes, specifically rice beans, are often eaten alone or as legume-cereal mixes. Previous studies analyzed preferences for processed and unprocessed legume-cereal mixes. ...
Hidden hunger, a condition that arises from eating a low legume-cereal mix, hinders the attainment of food security. It affects 25% of the world’s population and 20% of the African population. To address this problem, various crop improvement programs aimed at increasing the introduction of biofortified beans in households’ diets have been initiated. However, Kenya still has a deficit in protein intake despite the availability of biofortified beans. In western Kenya, specifically Busia and Migori counties, where there is high consumption of staple cereals, rice beans (Vigna umbellata) have been piloted on farmers’ fields, but the extent of uptake at the consumption level remains undocumented. Therefore, this study analyzed consumer preferences for improved rice beans through a discrete choice experiment (DCE) approach. The results showed that consumers were willing to pay 166.59 Kenya Shillings (Ksh) for high protein content, Ksh 225.69 for red color, Ksh 113.46 for short cooking time, Ksh 202.30 for good legume-cereal mix and Ksh 139.29 for sweet taste. These findings have important implications for policy interventions on crop breeding, food processing, healthy food and nutrition guidelines.
