Barriers and facilitators of purchasing from short food supply chains in europe: insights from a stakeholder perspective

Abstract

Thirty-two expert stakeholder (e.g., consumer advice center, state parliament at regional level, European Network for Rural Development, university and research center, chamber of tourism, rural development association, and social cooperative enterprise) interviews were conducted to examine consumer attitudes, values and preferences in relation to short food supply chains. These stakeholders have expertise in policy, consumer behaviour, the tourism sector and regulation. The interviewees represented the views of consumers, producers, and other actors who work with or within short food supply in seven European countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland). Consumers were generally perceived to be aware of the environmental impact of food production. In terms of preferences, consumers would like to shop for local food the way they shop at the supermarket: having variety of products, accessibility, and availability. The relative lack of convenience and high prices associated with short food supply chains products were seen as the major barriers to their purchase. Consumers were thought to buy the products because of health and environmental benefits, a desire to support their local community, and a preference for tradition. However, relatively few consumers purchase products regularly from SFSC. The main segments are people who believe in short food supply chains values, middle class families with young children and elderly people. More can be done to educate and engage consumers regarding these chains, and market research is needed to inform which strategy is likely to be most effective in specific contexts such as the regional level.

Environmental Sustainability Aspects in Short Food Supply Chains: the Views of Organic Farmers and Consumers

“…The abovementioned tendencies in food systems are also shaping farmers' and consumers' views and food production/buying behaviour -they are also becoming more aware of environmental issues of the food systems (Aouinaït et al, 2022;Michel-Villarreal et al, 2020). Research shows that environmental consciousness affects food purchasing behaviour (Benos et al, 2022), In more detail, food purchasing through SFSC is related to consumers' pro-environment attitude (Cicia et al, 2021).…”

Processing food: a study of the eating and the Food Engineerings role in the current world context

“…This disconnection implies that consumers know less about how food is produced/processed and, as a consequence, have less emotional connection to it (GONZALEZ-AZCÁRATE et al, 2022). These customers are generally searching for the history of food products, which involve the origins, kinds of processes, possible chemical additions, and concerns about ecology, health and animal welfare (ASIOLI et al, 2017;AOUINAIT et al, 2022;SELLITTO et al, 2018;THOMÉ et al, 2021). Being viewed as a more ecological and healthier food system for this customer (SCHMITT et al, 2017), the SFSC represents a form of activism (AOUINAIT et al, 2022); however, the size of the chain does not necessarily determine a higher sustainability of health (KISS et al, 2019).…”

“…These customers are generally searching for the history of food products, which involve the origins, kinds of processes, possible chemical additions, and concerns about ecology, health and animal welfare (ASIOLI et al, 2017;AOUINAIT et al, 2022;SELLITTO et al, 2018;THOMÉ et al, 2021). Being viewed as a more ecological and healthier food system for this customer (SCHMITT et al, 2017), the SFSC represents a form of activism (AOUINAIT et al, 2022); however, the size of the chain does not necessarily determine a higher sustainability of health (KISS et al, 2019). Indeed, even the impact on social, economic and environmental factors are highly dependent on the product and the supply chain strategies, which can involve FSC or SFSC (ENTHOVEN and BROECK, 2021).…”

“…Indeed, even the impact on social, economic and environmental factors are highly dependent on the product and the supply chain strategies, which can involve FSC or SFSC (ENTHOVEN and BROECK, 2021). In addition, local products can be more expensive than the one offered by the traditional supply model (AOUINAIT et al, 2022), and it must be considered.…”