Consumer Attitudes towards Local and Organic Food with Upcycled Ingredients: An Italian Case Study for Olive Leaves

Abstract

Food made with upcycled ingredients has received considerable attention in very recent years as a result of the need to both reduce waste and increase food nutritional properties. However, consumer acceptance of these novel foods is fundamental to their market uptake. This paper aims to assess the likelihood of the acceptance of food obtained from upcycled ingredients of olive oil productions and its association with some relevant recent consumption trends, such as organic food consumption and attention to food origin. In addition, particular attention is given to age group behaviors to appraise the differences between generations. Results suggest that, despite the negative influence of food technophobia, a core of sustainability-minded consumers seems to emerge that is interested in organic or local products, that could also favor the uptake of these novel food made with upcycled ingredients in the market. Results suggest that developing organic or “local” food products with upcycled ingredients can increase the probability of consumer acceptance.

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Attitude Towards Biopreservatives

“…However, our results pointed out that even when consumers profess a strong support for environmental attributes, they are still extremely price sensitive. These findings are in line with the literature related to the consumer' approach to the decision to purchase sustainable food [18,55,56].…”

Retail Potential for Upcycled Foods: Evidence from New Zealand

“…Concurrently, in the last three years, a small body of academic literature has also emerged. Studies conducted in the United States and Europe show that consumer acceptance for upcycled foods can be shaped by understanding and guiding consumers' evaluation of these foods [2][3][4][5][6][7]11,13,15]. The findings of this study reinforce emerging awareness and positive consumer sentiments about upcycled foods.…”

“…The current research advances the literature on upcycled foods on three fronts. First, while there have been studies on consumer perceptions of upcycled foods in the United States [1][2][3][4]9] and Europe [5][6][7][10][11][12][13][14], this research is the first with shoppers in New Zealand. Second, most research on this topic has relied on small samples in laboratory-like settings.…”

Consumer Preferences for Origin and Organic Attributes of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Choice Experiment in the Italian Market

“…Several studies, in recent years, have been carried out in the context of new and diversified trends of EVOO consumer demand [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 53 , 55 , 58 ], and different surveys have shown that consumers’ choices widely differ with respect to sensory preferences, extrinsic quality signals, experience, purchase motives, perception of supply elements, and socioeconomic characteristics [ 47 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. Moreover, the literature results indicate that organic certification, origin of both olives and olive oil, and price are the main extrinsic attributes of EVOO guiding the choice process of consumers [ 68 , 69 , 70 , 76 , 77 ].…”

“…In fact, several authors highlight the relevance of the organic attributes of EVOO and their importance to consumers, in particular, Tsakiridou et al [ 62 ], Liberatore et al [ 68 ], Roselli et al [ 69 ], and Perito et al [ 70 ]. Most of the themes also investigate organic and origin attributes together.…”