This paper uses a hypothetical choice experiment to investigate Italian consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for organic, conventional, and Gentically Modified (GM)-fed beef, utilizing intrinsic, search cues (price, colour and visible fat) and extrinsic, credence cues. Data is gathered from three different locations in Northern, Central and Southern Italy using a sequential Bayesian approach. Results showed that consumers attach higher value to organic meat. WTP for GM-fed beef, which is not yet sold in Italy, is well below current conventional beef prices. Organic beef is attractive to consumers because it is associated with higher animal welfare standards and environmental-related issues (food miles, biodiversity preservation). No differences are found in marginal WTP estimates by gender, age, education, being a parent or having a higher level of knowledge about organic production. Ethical/environmental issues (credence cues) appear to be more relevant in explaining variation in WTP for organic beef than ordinary product characteristics (search cues).

This paper uses a hypothetical choice experiment to investigate Italian consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for organic, conventional and genetically modified (GM)-fed beef, utilizing intrinsic, search cues (price, color and visible fat) and extrinsic, credence cues. Data are gathered from three different locations in northern, central and southern Italy using a sequential Bayesian approach. Results showed that consumers attach higher value to organic meat. WTP for GM-fed beef, which is not yet sold in Italy, is well below current conventional beef prices. Organic beef is attractive to consumers because it is associated with higher animal welfare standards and environment-related issues (food miles and biodiversity preservation). No differences are found in marginal WTP estimates by gender, age, education, being a parent or having a higher level of knowledge about organic production. Ethical/environmental issues (credence cues) appear to be more relevant in explaining variation in WTP for organic beef than ordinary product characteristics (search cues).

Consumers' perceptions of functional foods are complicated by perceived risks and complexity that appear from growing and sometimes confusing information flow. Social trust can serve as a mean for the reduction of risk and complexity. It is thus vital to understand the sources of distrust and food‐neophobia as well as coping mechanisms used by consumers to ensure food provision and safety. We discuss the results of a qualitative inquiry in the form of focus groups into consumers' perceptions of functional foods in Russia and Germany. Altogether eight focus group interviews were carried out in different parts of Russia and Germany in December–January 2012–2013. A total of 59 people participated in the discussions. Different perspectives provided by the discussions in the two countries indicate different levels of trust. Deeper culturally embedded and wider‐spread distrust in formal institutions in Russia pushes consumers towards developing informal networks to ensure food provision and safety. It leads to high levels of food‐neophobia as consumers perceive traditions as the most important guarantee for healthy food. On the other hand, German participants indicate a number of formal institutions that are trustworthy and through which information concerning novel and healthy attributes in foods can be communicated. We provide exploratory views on the importance of social trust in consumers' perceptions of functional foods and lay out mechanisms that consumers develop to deal with increasing risk and complexity in food choices.

The assessment of geoheritage is a crucial task for the establishment of ranks according to their value, an important step for the elaboration of catalogues and the implementation of protection and use programmes. One important problem that permeates the different stages of geoheritage assessment is subjectivity in the selection and application of criteria. Evaluation methods frequently used are based on the assignment of values through the expert's judgement (direct methods). In the last few decades, parametric methods, based on the measurement of specific features of geomorphosites have been increasingly applied. This type of procedure allows different operators to obtain similar results if certain criteria are accepted, but it requires more time and effort. A parametric method is proposed here based on three sets of criteria: intrinsic quality, potential for use and protection needs. The method has been tested on a series of coastal geomorphosites. Specific criteria, parameters to express them and value ranks are proposed. A statistical approach has been applied to the criteria to identify the most significant ones and their relative weights. The analysis enabled reduction of the number of criteria, eliminating redundancies. The new set of criteria was applied to assess the value of geomorphosites located in the north of Spain. The classification was compared with the ones obtained by both the parametric method using a larger number of parameters and a direct evaluation applied to the same sites. Results show a quite good coincidence. It is concluded that this approach makes it possible to obtain reliable classifications of geomorphosites based on clearly defined criteria and replicable procedures, but with a much lower effort, using a limited number of criteria.

This paper presents the results of geomorphological investigations carried along the north-western coast of the Island of Malta. Field surveys, accompanied by aerial photo-interpretation, have led to the production of a geomorphological map at 1:7500 scale which outlines the main processes and related landforms. The latter are the result of the complex interplay of structural, gravitational, coastal and karst processes. Particular attention was devoted to the recognition, identification and mapping of landslides which affect large coastal sectors of the study area, locally giving rise to hazardous conditions.

This study provides insights on urban Russian consumers' attitudes and perceptions toward organic food, as well as factors that facilitate or prevent them from purchasing these products. We adopted an exploratory mixed-method approach, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative investigations undertaken in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Our results suggest that organic food consumption is mainly motivated by personal well-being and less by social or environmental concerns. Most participants perceive organic food as higher quality products, based upon which they show an acceptance of a price premium for organic food. The group of organic food consumers in our study relies on organic agriculture as one possible strategy to cope with food safety problems. The presence of strict standards for organic food, the trustworthiness of foreign certifications and the perceived higher quality of foreign products (especially from Europe) are perceived together as a safety guarantee. Our results further indicate that the widespread confusion regarding product recognition represents an important obstacle for organic food consumption growth. Implementing a coherent legislative framework to allow product labeling is apparently crucial yet not sufficient for developing the organic sector in Russia; moreover, trust in food labeling and control systems as well as awareness about organic standards is also required. [EconLit citations: Q01; Q13; Q18]. C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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