This study analyses the role of private and/or public institutions on achieving success in projects aiming to obtain certification labels for local food products. This analysis is performed through comparative framework provided by 2 specific study cases; 1 from Mexico, based on the production of a type of traditional spicy pork sausage, or chorizo, and another from Spain, on the production of Iberian ham. A mixed methodology has been used to perform an in‐depth analysis of socio‐political contexts by distinguishing the divergent institutional frameworks of both cases. The study will contribute to connecting the results of these initiatives to the institutional density in which both proposals are originated and are implemented. From there, the text explores the reasons for success, stagnation, and/or failure of these actions. These empirical data constitute an important contribution to the analysis of geographical indications and diverse sociological universes supporting the differentiation of agrifood quality certification.
This text delves into the elements on which the notion of quality of a product is built. We believe that, in addition to the standards that regulate a given quality seal, there are other elements that consumers link to the excellence that distinguishes them. In order to deepen these notions, we have chosen two localised agri-food systems (LAS), the first case corresponds to Iberian acorn-ham from Spain and the second to chorizo from Toluca in Mexico. We resorted to a mixed methodology by combining quantitative and qualitative techniques whereby a study of those food systems in two different socio-political contexts was approached. This methodology has allowed us to identify the importance of informal instruments, based not only on institutionalised certification, but on informal mechanisms such as trust and proximity between producers and consumers. The results of this study show how the food quality categories may be guided from various logics depending on the context, categories, and sort of stakeholders involved. Finally, we propose a categorisation of food quality based on the conceptual framework of trust. This categorisation allows the Geographical Indications (GIs) valorisation initiatives to visualise the elements on which they can be guided to work with the different qualities in their LAS.
A medida que avanzan los estudios sobre el polisémico ámbito de la alimentación humana, resulta más necesario considerar mayor número de variables para analizar con solvencia el hecho alimentario. Más allá de los estudios sobre las fases de producción y distribución, nuestra propuesta se centra en la fase del consumo y trata de identificar los elementos que explican por qué las sociedades seleccionan y prefieren unos alimentos en detrimento de otros. Actualmente, la selección alimentaria está intrínsecamente presente en el hecho alimentario de las sociedades modernas, relegando a un segundo plano los factores biológicos y fisiológicos, en relación a parámetros dominantes comparados con el placer, la salud y la sociabilidad. Mediante una combinación de técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas, este estudio propone la relevancia de dimensiones como el placer y la salud como elementos que guían a los consumidores para elegir un determinado producto gourmet, como es el caso del jamón ibérico en España.
Objective: The main goal of this paper consists in analyzing the potential of mixed methods used in the study of two agrifood systems: Iberian ham (Spain) and chorizo from the Toluca Valley (Mexico). Research limitations: Opposing cultural contexts that allowed different strategies to be used which sought not only to collect information from the diverse actors in each system but also face the methodological challenges that currently prevail. These challenges are linked to the diversity of the actors themselves and to the use of new technologies for data collection. Methodological design: To solve these methodological shortcomings, mixed methods have been implemented with the support of technological innovations. Results: Results allow us to verify that the employment of mixed methods is an excellent means for leveraging resources effectively and efficiently. In Spain, employing a self-administered survey enabled rural manufacturers to control the timing of their response. Regarding consumer results, these prove that collecting data via smartphone is highly recommended. In the case of Mexico, starting the research quatitatively allowed the building of trust, a factor which is critical given the levels of violence in Mexican society that generate mistrust and, ultimately, lead to a refusal to participate in academic research. Findings: The main contribution of this article is that, based on real and complex cases, it provides evidence of the potential and strategies to be followed for analyzing agrifood systems in a cross-cultural research. Mixed methods emerge as an excellent means for collecting data in global dynamics.
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