Information effects on consumer attitudes toward three food technologies: Organic production, biotechnology, and irradiation

It is important to understand how information supplied to consumers affects their attitudes about food technologies because these attitudes can impact market behavior. As technologies are actively promoted and cross-promoted, the relation between one’s knowledge of, and attitude toward, a technology may well depend on the source of one’s information. We examine the relation between knowledge and attitudes toward food technologies and find that greater self-rated knowledge of each technology is associated with positive attitudes about that technology. We also find strong negative cross-informational effects; increased knowledge of one technology leads to more negative attitudes of other technologies. This effect may be due to negative information being provided by opponents of specific technologies.     

Volatiles from food irradiation

Abstract

Quality assurance of aseptic packaging should cover all factors from plant design up to the distribution of the products. To assure the sterility of the product there is a need for microbiological rapid methods besides the traditional microbiological methods. But before these methods can be applied, much investigation is needed. Furthermore, there is a need for nondestructive methods for on‐line detection of the package integrity and for controlling the quality of the product after preincubation.     

Economics of food irradiation

This article examines the cost competitiveness of the food irradiation process. An analysis of the principal factors--the product, physical plant, irradiation source, and financing--that impact on cost is made. Equations are developed and used to calculate the size of the source for planned product throughput, efficiency factors, power requirements, and operating costs of sources, radionuclides, and accelerators. Methods of financing and capital investment are discussed. A series of tables show cost breakdowns of sources, buildings, equipment, and essential support facilities for both a cobalt-60 and a 10-MeV electron accelerator facility. Additional tables present irradiation costs as functions of a number of parameters--power input, source size, dose, and hours of annual operation. The use of the numbers in the tables are explained by examples of calculations of the irradiation costs for disinfestation of grains and radicidation of feed.     

Economics of food irradiation

This article examines the cost competitiveness of the food irradiation process. An analysis of the principal factors — the product, physical plant, irradiation source, and financing — that impact on cost is made. Equations are developed and used to calculate the size of the source for planned product throughput, efficiency factors, power requirements, and operating costs of sources, radionuclides, and accelerators. Methods of financing and capital investment are discussed. A series of tables show cost breakdowns of sources, buildings, equipment, and essential support facilities for both a cobalt‐60 and a 10‐MeV electron accelerator facility. Additional tables present irradiation costs as functions of a number of parameters — power input, source size, dose, and hours of annual operation. The use of the numbers in the tables are explained by examples of calculations of the irradiation costs for disinfestation of grains and radicidation of feed.     

Meaning of food and consumer eating behaviors

Prior research suggests that food is embedded in a system of meanings. Yet, little is known about how the different meanings people attribute to food affect their food consumption behavior. Results of a nationally representative survey in Austria reveal how food meanings (sacred, moral, health, social, and aesthetic, assessed with the Meaning of Food in Life Questionnaire) relate to a wide range of food consumption patterns (health-conscious, discerning, indulgent, and functional). First, health-conscious eating behaviors (e.g., following a healthy diet, frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, buying seasonal and regional foods, cooking, following medical recommendations about nutrition) were driven by the social and moral meanings of food. Second, discerning eating behaviors (e.g., buying organic products, shopping at small stores or local markets, avoiding meat products, prioritizing quality over quantity) were predicted by the moral meaning of food. Third, indulgent eating behaviors (e.g., consuming salty and sweet snacks and ready-made meals, eating on the go, overeating) were driven by the aesthetic meaning of food and a lowered importance of the health meaning of food. Finally, functional eating behaviors (e.g., consuming functional foods such as dietary supplements, enriched foods or “light” products, paying attention to food labels, buying groceries with a shopping list, buying groceries online) were driven by the sacred meaning of food and a lowered appreciation of the aesthetic meaning of food. Taken together, these findings suggest that food meaning can serve as a useful framework to understand different patterns of food consumption, generate novel insights and provide actionable recommendations.     

Towards connectionist models of food consumer attitudes

This paper is in keeping with a long term research program in the field of marketing and particularly in the study of consumer behaviour. In continuation with the cognitivist paradigm, a connectionist approach to attitude modelling is proposed and the theoretical and metatheoretical bases of this research are presented. This orientation consists of studying how the recourse to the neural networks should be constituting an interesting and innovative decision support in this field. This research is particularly based on Beckwith and Lehmann's (1975) model which is inspired by Fishbein's (1963) linear and additive representation of the attitude concept and Bass and Talarzyk's (1972) model. It is demonstrated how a basic automata network can improve knowledge of attitude dynamics by showing different attractors (fixed points and limit cycles). This work opens a new research axis in the food marketing area.     

辐照对食品品质的影响及辐照食品的研究进展

介绍了食品辐照技术的原理,辐照技术降解毒物的机理,降解速率的影响因素以及辐照对产品品质的影响因素和辐照的安全性,并对辐照技术在未来的使用进行了展望。     

The future of consumer neuroscience in food research

The use (and abuse) of neuroscience and psychological research methodologies has become a hot topic in consumer research, particularly in the area of food product research. Neuro- and psychological science can certainly help consumer and sensory researchers and product developers in the food industry better understand consumers’ unconscious motivators and/or reactions and even lend insights to claims and sensory perceptions. Commercial tools for leveraging these methodologies continue to get better, faster and cheaper. However, the field of consumer neuroscience has been plagued with pseudoscience and “neurohype,” and researchers have experienced some disappointments when trying to incorporate these measures into their research. From EEG headsets to facial coding, consumer neuroscience has never been so accessible (or confusing). We will discuss how to better evaluate potential methodologies for use as well as discuss best practices and the future of the field.     

Improving consumer recognition and awareness of food additives through consumer education in South Korea

Consumer awareness of food additives was investigated, and the educational effects of improving consumer awareness of food additives were analyzed. A total of 2,782 out of the 4,090 consumers approached participated in the study. Consumer awareness of food additives was assessed through a questionnaire before educational intervention. The same questionnaire was used post-educational intervention to investigate how this education had influenced consumer understanding of food additives. Before intervention, many consumers lacked accurate knowledge of food additives and, accordingly, felt apprehensive them. However, awareness of food additive safety was improved from 33.1% before education to 78.6% after education. Survey results indicated that awareness of food additives was influenced by consumer experience, education, and knowledge. With proper education, consumers can obtain a positive awareness of food additives, and various types of consumer education programs should be provided.     

An application of meta-analysis in food safety consumer research to evaluate consumer behaviors and practices

Meta-analysis provides a structured method for combining results from several studies and accounting for and differentiating between study variables. Numerous food safety consumer research studies often focus on specific behaviors among different subpopulations but fail to provide a holistic picture of consumer behavior. Combining information from several studies provides a broader understanding of differences and trends among demographic subpopulations, and thus, helps in developing effective risk communication messages. In the illustrated example, raw/undercooked ground beef consumption and hygienic practices were evaluated according to gender, ethnicity, and age. Percentages of people engaging in each of the above behaviors (referred to as effect sizes) were combined using weighted averages of these percentages. Several measures, including sampling errors, random variance between studies, sample sizes of studies, and homogeneity of findings across studies, were used in the meta-analysis. The statistical significance of differences in behaviors across demographic segments was evaluated using analysis of variance. The meta-analysis identified considerable variability in effect sizes for raw/undercooked ground beef consumption and poor hygienic practices. More males, African Americans, and adults between 30 and 54 years (mid-age) consumed raw/undercooked ground beef than other demographic segments. Males, Caucasians, and Hispanics and young adults between 18 and 29 years were more likely to engage in poor hygienic practices. Compared to traditional qualitative review methods, meta-analysis quantitatively accounts for interstudy differences, allows greater consideration of data from studies with smaller sample sizes, and offers ease of analysis as newer data become available, and thus, merits consideration for its application in food safety consumer research.     

用于食品防腐的辐照技术探讨

<正> 食品变质一直是食品工业所要面对的一大难题,食源性疾病每年夺取了全球数千生命。联合国估计,每年曲于害虫、细菌和真菌等对食物的侵害,导致全世界约有四分之一的食物损失。为此,专家一直致力于寻求有效的食品防腐方法。直到辐照技术的发明,才降低了食品内含的细菌数目,同时又能延长食品保质期,改写了食品灭菌技术的历史。     

Experiences of food irradiation in Japan

Abstract

In this paper, we shall attempt to present the history and current status of food irradiation research and commercialization in Japan. In 1967 the Japan Atomic Energy Commission decided to promote the research and development of food irradiation, based on research activities since 1954. The national project on food irradiation investigated the following: 1) the inhibition of sprout growth of potatoes and onions, 2) the prevention of infestation of rice and wheat, 3) the extension of shelf life of sausage and fish‐paste products, and 4) the growth inhibition of molds on the surfaces of oranges by using electron beams. As a result of this national project, a commercial potato irradiation plant was constructed and has been operating for 12 years. Market price fluctuations during the off‐season were also successfully reduced. However, a boycott movement by some consumer unions against irradiated potatoes has seriously affected food processors. The technical problems of irradiated potatoes, such as rotting and accumulation of sugar during storage, were solved by conditioning before and after irradiation. After the termination of the national project, studies were carried out on farm animal feeds for the purpose of eliminating pathogens such as salmonellae and extending shelf life by delaying mold growth. The accumulation of sugar in irradiated sweet potatoes, identification methodology of irradiated foods, and radiation‐decontamination of microorganisms in spices have also been studied. The greatest problem now is to overcome the public's resistance to irradiated food.     

Risk and food: environmental concerns and consumer practices

Environmental risks related to food consumption produce needs among consumers to handle such risks through their consumption practices. Consumers' ways of coping with risks are dependent on the social relations of everyday life, of which consumption practices are a part. Risk-handling in food consumption is socio-culturally broader than the cognitive rationality assumed in expert knowledge and administrative procedures on risk and risk-handling. Likewise, risk-handling in food consumption is also characterized by ambivalences. The objective of the article is to show that an important social and cultural source of ambivalence in consumers' handling of risk in food consumption comes from food consumption practices being caught in the tension between desire and control. The article proposes a heuristic theoretical device, called 'the contested space of the body', which is used to discuss the bodily dimension of consumer risk-handling. This is based on a Danish empirical study of parents with small children. A typology of consumers' risk-handling is presented which differs from traditional typologies of consumer segments by allowing for overlaps and shifts between the individual positions in the typology. The three types of risk-handling are the worried, the irritated and the pragmatic. The results suggest that in worried risk-handling control marginalizes desire, in irritated risk-handling desire is openly in conflict with control, and in pragmatic risk-handling relief from the contested space of the body is attempted.     

Neophobia,personal consumer values and novel food acceptance

For some years now, the food sector has been faced with an increasingly competitive and globalised market and much more stringent demand from consumers. This situation has forced food producers and processors, among other things, to innovate and develop new products in order to improve their position in the competition. However, innovations in the food industry suffer a high market failure rate, partly due to a phenomenon known as neophobia, which is the rejection some people express towards new or unfamiliar foods.This paper aims to analyze whether variation in the complexity and the associated benefits and values in the choice structure relating to novel food products can be linked to the consumer’s degree of phobia towards novel foods. These objectives are pursued through a study based on the “means-end chain” theory. The results show that consumption decisions regarding novel food products have an important emotional component that is more pronounced in neophobic subjects, suggesting that the greater the reluctance to consume the product, the more complex the underlying choice process.     

辐照对食品营养成分的影响

介绍了辐照对食品中水分、蛋白质、糖类、维生素和脂肪的影响。研究表明辐照对食品中各种营养成分的影响很小，辐照食品是卫生安全的。     

中国食品召回数据分析与消费者认知研究

食品召回是质量安全的重要监管手段,主要针对2008～2010年我国食品召回的公开信息进行数据分析,通过食品召回的模式、召回信息的发布、被召回食品的种类、引起食品召回的主要原因等方面的研究,结合对消费者的食品召回认知调研,得到我国开展食品召回存在的主要问题,提出建立和完善食品召回信息通报机制、倡导消费者举报召回模式、增加消费者认知教育的三点建议。     

基于用户需求获取与转化的食品包装设计研究

从食品包装设计视角出发,通过分析用户对食品包装的需求趋势,探赜消费行为中包装与用户的交互关系。剖析本能层次、行为层次和反思层次的用户体验在用户和包装之间的表现特点,讨论不同层次的食品包装设计策略。针对用户多维需求,可在本能层,从视觉与非视觉感官体验出发,引出用户对产品情感的回应,赢得用户关注;在行为层,从趣味性、人性化和智能化的交互、提示和反馈着手,拓展产品使用功能,营造良好的使用体验;在反思层,从创建互动体验激发用户创造力入手,系统塑造深层情感体验,关注可持续设计。将用户体验有效融入到食品包装设计中,探索信息体验的过程将是未来食品包装设计的新思路、新方向。     

基于绿色设计的食品包装对消费行为的影响分析

绿色包装(green package)又称为无公害包装和环境友好包装,是具有安全性、经济性、适用性和废弃物可处理与再利用的包装。本文介绍了基于绿色设计的食品包装特点,分析了绿色包装对消费者心理的影响,并在国际环保要求及我国提出的可持续发展的前提下,通过绿色设计在食品包装中的应用实例,深入分析了当前食品的发展趋势。虽然现在绿色设计的食品包装价格相对昂贵,但是随着政策的制定及人们可持续发展意识的进步,食品的绿色包装将更受消费者欢迎,并影响消费者的消费行为。     

Modelling consumer behavioural intentions towards food with implications for marketing quality low-input and organic food

The paper is based upon a study of European consumers’ behavioural intentions towards food purchase for four food products in six countries. The analytical method employs a structural equation model within the marketing framework of the quality-value-satisfaction-loyalty (QVSL) paradigm. The paper focuses on country-based versions of the model. The sample consists of 5072 regular consumers of the four products and includes consumers of conventional foods, quality low-input foods and organic foods. The model establishes the determinants of behavioural intentions towards foods that consumers purchase regularly. In addition, it provides the facility to examine the potential of quality low-input foods and organic foods. The results reveal the contribution of satisfaction, perceived value and perceived quality to improving behavioural intentions and how these constructs could contribute to the improved effectiveness of marketing conventional, quality low-input and organic foods to existing and potential consumers.