In recent decades there has been a tendency towards a``standardization'' in the consumer habits of people living in countries with advanced economic development. This has been caused both by the change in the products available and in lifestyles and by the``power'' acquired by modern distribution channels (large retail distribution). Apart from this development, however, there has been increasing interest, particularly in the last ten years, in dietary, health and hygiene products characterized by high quality production and content, which may or may not be closely connected with the history and/or culture of the territory. In order, therefore, to understand the mechanisms that regulate the consumer market of organic produce better, a survey was carried out to define the use, purchase and sensitivity to the price of these products in relation to the preferences expressed by consumers as regards the benefits associated with the consumption.

Around the world, interest is growing in the circular economy in response to the current unsustainable model of production and consumption based on increased use and depletion of resources. This paper provides a review of the academic literature on the circular economy in agri-food systems, with the aims of understanding its main characteristics and perspectives, and summarizing and discussing the literature in this field. This review provides a deeper understanding of the opportunities provided by the circular economy as a solution to the current need to reduce the environmental impacts of business-as-usual economic systems and the state of the art of the circular economy in the academic debate. The results are discussed based on the chosen topic-core investigated in this review: business model and organization management, food loss and waste along the supply chain, analytical tools for the circular economy, stakeholder acceptance of the circular economy, and mitigation strategies and political approach. The findings show the need for the implementation of cleaner production models and consequent increases in stakeholder responsibilities and awareness, from both producers and consumers, as well as the need for the implementation of suitable policies and tools.

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A group of over 600 Italian farmers organized as the Italian Biogas Consortium are redesigning their own farming systems to produce food and bioenergy in a nationwide farm‐level movement called Biogasdoneright™. This Feature demonstrates how it is possible to simultaneously increase the economic viability and stability of agriculture by reducing farm input costs and enabling farmers to produce food and fuel more sustainably. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd