The modern consumer is now more attentive towards animal welfare practices and this represents an important factor when purchasing meat, whereby ethical, sociological and economic implications are evaluated. In addition, the socio-demographic characteristics of consumers evidence different sensitivities with regard to selection patterns and consumption styles. This study aims to explore the role of Gender in beef meat purchasing preferences, assessing consumer awareness of responsibility towards animal welfare, through the use of cross-tabulation with v 2 to test the different behaviour of men and women and the use of principal component analysis and cluster analysis to classify attitudes of choice according to gender. Among the research aims, this study examined consumer attitudes towards certain 'ethically incorrect' animal products, as well as their awareness of the institutional responsibility in controlling animal welfare standards during the meat production process. The study conducted in Northwest Italy, involving 512 respondents, shows that women are more sensitive to AW aspects and place trust in those responsible for certification of animal welfare standards, such as veterinarians and consumer associations, and also shows that it is possible to identify an 'animal welfare sensitive' profile of meat consumer. HIGHLIGHTSModern consumer evaluates ethical, sociological and economic implications in animal friendly meat purchasing process Gender affects awareness of the responsibilities of veterinary, public health control bodies and consumer associations to verify animal welfare Cluster highlighted consumer differences in perception towards animal welfare ARTICLE HISTORY

The challenge of developing a sustainable production system includes the reduction of emissions, the efficient use of resources, and the transition to renewable energy. The bioeconomy proposes a development model aimed at reducing impacts and risks associated with the use of non-renewable resources considering the life cycle of products. The European Union is promoting products from renewable sources focused on biochemicals and bio-based plastics, which are high added value products when compared to biofuels. The aim of this paper is to consider sustainability in terms of the environmental, economic, and social aspects of use of bio-based plastics in the fruit chain, considering the case study of raspberry supply chains in northwestern Italy. Different analyses (life-cycle assessment (LCA), life-cycle costing (LCC), and externality assessment (ExA)) were used to assess the impacts along the whole chain by means of an integrated approach. The results show that the bio-based plastic scenario has lower environmental and social impacts than the conventional one, whereas the latter is the best choice according to a classic economic approach. The introduction of bio-based plastics as a replacement for traditional plastics in agri-food chains is the first step toward the use of renewable resources with a low impact on society.

In recent decades, processed meat consumers have drastically revised their consumption patterns and have gained an increasing awareness of related health concerns. Although several studies have examined the role of meat products in the human diet, we observed a certain scarcity in the multiperspective approach to the health implications of cocked ham. Therefore, we decided to verify different sources of potentially unhealthy constituents by simultaneously analysing the role that saturated fats, salt and nitrites play in consumer perception. The purpose of this paper was to investigate consumer preferences for healthier processed meat, in particular the specific objective of this study was to evaluate the balance between intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics and the components or additives that could pose a risk to the health of consumers, by considering the sensory and marketing characteristics involved in the choice of cooked ham. With these aims, two different analyses on stated preferences were carried out: firstly, a principal component analysis was performed to identify the main consumer attitudes towards meat products; subsequently, a conjoint analysis was carried out in order to identify the descriptive attributes. The results show that the presence of high salt content and nitrites discourage the intention to purchase, as the presence of a high fat content also does, however at the same time, consumers attach importance to taste, colour and juiciness that are strongly influenced by the above mentioned potentially unhealthy compounds. The overall results are strongly consistent with previous studies but evidence a certain dichotomy between sensory properties and health attributes.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the importance that different intrinsic and extrinsic attributes represent for young Italian consumers of honey, analysing how these aspects influence the quality perceived during consumption. In addition, demographic and lifestyle aspects have been considered as possible discriminants influencing millennial generation honey consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a non-parametric rank-based test (Mann–Whitney U test) to analyse which attributes millennials value most, relating these to gender, sports activity or rural and urban origin. Then, to identify consumption patterns, principal component analysis, applying Kaiser normalisation and varimax rotation, was used.FindingsThis study confirms the remarkable sensitivity of the millennials towards environmental sustainability aspects. This attribute of choice seems particularly important for a clearly identifiable segment of the sample examined, represented by women who regularly practice sports and who come from urban areas. This result makes it possible to identify a type of consumer who, from early adulthood, is mindful of their lifestyle and ecological footprint. Moreover, it emerges that the most important attributes during purchasing are those related to label information, local product and origin, highlighting the awareness of young people and their maturity in the consumption of agro-food products.Originality/valueThe authors identified a trend in consumption that diverges from the classic patterns based on brand and the intrinsic characteristics of honey, but which forges new pathways more closely intertwined with the aspects of sustainability and the relationship with the territory, in addition to food safety.

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