The Diversity of Organic Box Schemes in Europe—An Exploratory Study in Four Countries

Abstract

Box schemes provide an opportunity to scale up local organic food systems by aggregating products from multiple producers and efficiently delivering them to consumers. However, there is limited knowledge about the overall organic box scheme landscape and how it develops. This article explores organic box schemes in four European countries and thus contributes by comparing box schemes of different sizes in different geographical and organisational contexts. Survey results from 44 box schemes were used to analyse box schemes in relation to size and growth, organisation, communication with customers, delivery modes, distances travelled by produce and boxes, and values adhered to. Although the surveyed box schemes differed in size and organisation, similarities between box schemes were found in many aspects. For example, most surveyed box schemes had grown considerably since their start, and wished to grow further, and they all rated certain values as important. A tendency for larger box schemes to offer more imported produce, to have operated for a longer time, and to use social media for advertising more often was found. Despite the heterogeneity of the box schemes in the survey, we conclude that box schemes are a useful category to explore in the sustainability transition of food systems.

Creating Food Value Chain Transformations through Regional Food Hubs: A Review Article

“…RFHs have emerged as playing an important institutional role in overcoming barriers to the food system, such as assisting small farms in distribution to various potential markets, such as grocery stores, retailers, schools, hospitals, and restaurants. The most fundamental challenge in operating RFHs is how to provide economically viable food to obtain economic benefits while working for social and environmental goals [18,19,123]. The development of the RFH business model can strengthen the implementation of the RFH process.…”

The Virtual Online Supermarket: An Open-Source Research Platform for Experimental Consumer Research

“…However, there are still a couple of unresolved research questions that concern both physical and online supermarkets. For instance, little is known about how product bundling strategies (e.g., Organic Box Schemes) [44,45] or store-in-store concepts affect consumers' sustainable food choices. Even if some shelf management strategies show similar effects on consumers' behavior for both retail channels, it is much easier to change or even customize shelf or product arrangements within an online supermarket [44,45].…”

“…For instance, little is known about how product bundling strategies (e.g., Organic Box Schemes) [44,45] or store-in-store concepts affect consumers' sustainable food choices. Even if some shelf management strategies show similar effects on consumers' behavior for both retail channels, it is much easier to change or even customize shelf or product arrangements within an online supermarket [44,45]. Hence, future research may benefit from a systematic evaluation of how customized digital shelf placement strategies affect consumers' food choices.…”

A Systematic Review of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices in Food Industry

“…Furthermore, the importance of e-commerce is often mentioned. Especially for Small and Medium Enterprises it might be an opportunity for supporting their business, reducing the cost and enhancing the demand (Kummer & Milestad, 2020). In addition, it is recognized as one of best practices in gaining access to the market, also considering the restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic (Mihailovic , et al, 2020).…”