One of the biggest challenges facing the food industry is assuring food integrity. Dealing with complex food integrity issues requires a multi-dimensional approach. Preventive actions and early reactive responses are key for the food supply chain. Information sharing could facilitate the detection and prevention of food integrity issues. This study investigates attitudes towards a food integrity information sharing system (FI-ISS) among stakeholders in the European food supply chain. Insights into stakeholders’ interest in participating and their conditions for joining an FI-ISS are assessed. The stakeholder consultation consisted of three rounds. During the first round, a total of 143 food industry stakeholders—covering all major food sectors susceptible to food integrity issues—participated in an online quantitative survey between November 2017 and February 2018. The second round, an online qualitative feedback survey in which the findings were presented, received feedback from 61 stakeholders from the food industry, food safety authorities and the science community. Finally, 37 stakeholders discussed the results in further detail during an interactive workshop in May 2018. Three distinct groups of industry stakeholders were identified based on reported frequency of occurrence and likelihood of detecting food integrity issues. Food industry stakeholders strongly support the concept of an FI-ISS, with an attitude score of 4.49 (standard deviation (S.D.) = 0.57) on a 5-point scale, and their willingness to participate is accordingly high (81%). Consensus exists regarding the advantages an FI-ISS can yield towards detection and prevention. A stakeholder’s perception of the advantages was identified as a predictor of their intention to join an FI-ISS, while their perception of the disadvantages and the perceived risk of food integrity issues were not. Medium-sized companies perceive the current detection of food integrity issues as less likely compared to smaller and large companies. Interestingly, medium-sized companies also have lower intentions to join an FI-ISS. Four key success factors for an FI-ISS are defined, more specifically with regards to (1) the actors to be involved in a system, (2) the information to be shared, (3) the third party to manage the FI-ISS and (4) the role of food safety authorities. Reactions diverged concerning the required level of transparency, the type of data that stakeholders might be willing to share in an FI-ISS and the role authorities can have within an FI-ISS.

Many retailers have expanded and diversified their private label food product assortment by offering premium-quality private label food products such as organic products. With price being identified as the major barrier for organic food purchases, private label organic food products could be a suitable and more affordable alternative for many consumers. While numerous studies have examined consumer preferences for organic food, very few organic food studies have incorporated the concept of private labels. This study addresses this research gap by studying consumer preferences and willingness to pay for national brand and private label organic food using a latent class model. Specifically, this study analyzes consumer preferences for organic eggs and orange juice and the effect of national branding versus private label. Findings show heterogeneity in consumer preferences for production method and brand, with three consumer segments being identified based on their preferences for both juice and eggs. For eggs, about half of the consumers prefer private label and organic production, whereas one-quarter clearly prefers organic, and another quarter is indifferent about the brand and the organic production. For orange juice, the majority (75%) prefer the national brand. In addition, one-quarter of the consumers prefers organic juice, and about one-third values both organic and the national brand.

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BACKGROUND Seafood is widely recognized as an important component of a healthy diet. As we gain more knowledge on contaminants in seafood, concerns are being raised over the risks associated and there is a communication dilemma concerning the nutritional-toxicological conflict. Although health benefits outweigh the risks for the general population, there is a need for caution concerning more vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children. In order to tailor messages based on consumers’ profile and consumption pattern, online tools grant new opportunities, as consumers are increasingly using the internet to obtain health and nutrition information. The interactive FishChoice tool was developed within the ECsafeSEAFOOD FP7 project and aims to inform consumers on the health benefits and risks linked to their weekly dietary pattern regarding seafood. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study is to assess the acceptance of the FishChoice tool. METHODS An online survey was undertaken in five European countries, namely Belgium, Norway, Spain, Portugal and Ireland (n=703; 25 to 65 years). The used conceptual framework is a modified Technology Acceptance Model introduced for measuring the acceptance of websites. RESULTS The majority of consumers agreed that the tool is useful and easy to use. About two thirds of consumers who assessed the tool agreed they would use the information when choosing seafood species, portion size or frequency of consumption. Heavy seafood consumers also have higher intentions to use the tool. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence that for risk-benefit communication about seafood, online tailored tools such as FishChoice are evaluated as user-friendly and useful for a broad group of seafood consumers. Similar tools can be used in situations where no general recommendations can be made and risk communication should be targeted. Further research should determine the long term impact of these communication messages and tools on consumers’ behavior, especially on vulnerable groups.