15 pages, Trust is often an assumed outcome of participation in Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) as they directly connect producers with consumers. It is based on this potential for trust “between producers and consumers” that AFNs have emerged as a significant field of food studies analysis as it also suggests a capacity for AFNs to foster associated embedded qualities, like ‘morality’, ‘social justice’, ‘ecology’ and ‘equity’. These positive benefits of AFNs, however, cannot be taken for granted as trust is not necessarily an outcome of AFN participation. Using Chinese case studies of AFNs, which are characterised by a distinct form of trust pressure—consumers who are particularly cynical about small scale farmers, food safety and the organic credentials of producers—this paper highlights how the dynamics of trust are in constant flux between producers and consumers. I suggest that it is the careful construction of the aesthetic and multi-sensory qualities of food, which is often celebrated via social media, that human centred relations in Chinese AFNs are mediated. This leads to two key conclusions: first, that the key variable for establishing trust is satisfying the consumer’s desire for safe (i.e. "fresh") food; and second, the materiality of the food and the perception of foods materiality (especially through social media), must both be actively constructed by the farmer to fit the consumer’s ideal of freshness.
Lando, Amy (author / U.S. Food and Drug Administration), Verrill, Linda (author / U.S. Food and Drug Administration), and Wu,Fanfan (author / U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
Format:
Research summary
Publication Date:
2021-03
Published:
USA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12132
Notes:
Online from publisher., National probability consumer survey designed to assess consumers' awareness, knowledge, understanding, and self-reported behaviors relating to a variety of food safety and nutrition-related topics. 76 pages. This printed research summary includes only the table of contents, executive summary, key findings regarding food safety and nutrition, and methodology used.
Online from publisher. 3 pages., The chief merchandising office of a New-York-City-based online grocer, FreshDirect, describes methods used for successful online food shopping experiences for prospects and continuing customers. He observes that more than 30 percent of the grocer's customers shop exclusively from their "re-shop" baskets. However, he explains ways used to give customers reasons to branch out from their normal baskets.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D11968
Notes:
Online via AgriMarketing Weekly. 2 pages., Survey by Chicago-based analytics company Numerator indicated that the majority of the plant-based Impossible Burger comes at the expense of animal-derived meat.
20 pages, One of the main drivers of food insecurity is pests, which are estimated to cause around 40% of crop losses worldwide. We examine the food security effects of plant clinics, a novel agricultural extension model that aims to reduce crop losses due to pests through the provision of demand-driven plant health diagnostic and advisory services to smallholder farmers. The study is based on survey data from maize-growing households in Rwanda, where 66 plant clinics have been established. Using switching regression and matching techniques as well as various food security metrics, including the food insecurity experience scale, we find evidence that participation in plant clinics is significantly associated with a reduction in household food insecurity. For instance, among the participating households, plant clinics contribute to a decrease in the period of food shortage by one month and a reduction in the severity of food insecurity by 22 percentage points. We also show that these effects are more pronounced for female-headed households. Overall, our findings suggest that plant clinics can play an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 2 of zero hunger.
USA: Center for Food Integrity, Gladstone, Missouri.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 136 Document Number: D11433
Notes:
3 pages., Online from publisher., Report from the Consumer Trust Insights Council indicates that beyond shoppers' emphasis on supplies of canned and frozen supplies of food during this global disease outbreak, "there's something else folks are buying during their supply runs - guilty pleasures." Those take the form of treats like chocolate, cookies and beverages, "...little indulgences to bring them joy during anxious times."
USA: Food Marketing Institute, Arlington, Virginia.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11746
Notes:
3 pages, Via Food Marketing Institute website. 3 pages., Summary of findings of focus group interviews and a larger survey, "The grocery shopping habits of Gen Z and Millennials." "It turns out younger generations prefer to shop for groceries in the store versus shopping online for them."
USA: International Food Information Council Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 124 Document Number: D11194
Notes:
3 pages., IFIC specialists offer five predictions for 2020, guided by findings from surveys among American consumers in an annual Food and Health Survey, 2012-2019.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11923
Notes:
Report printed, excluding full-page advertisements., Online from publisher. 84 pages., Summary report of responses obtained from an online survey (September 20-October 29, 2019) among 1,000 targeted respondents who are members of a nationwide panel. Respondents mirrored the U.S. population where possible in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and household income. Results included households that bought at least one of the more than 50 listed fresh fruits and vegetables in the past 12 months. "More than two-thirds of consumers said they were buying more fresh produce now than two decades ago."
