Assessing Consumer Willingness to Pay for Nutritional Information Using a Dietary App.

A healthy society is the foundation of development in every country, and one way to achieve a healthy society is to promote healthy nutrition. An unbalanced diet is one of the leading causes of noncommunicable diseases globally. If food was correctly selected and correctly consumed, both the problems of overeating and lack of nutrition could be largely solved while also decreasing public health costs. Interventions such as presenting necessary information and warning labels would help consumers make better food choices. Hence, providing nutritional information to consumers becomes essential. The present study investigates the importance of nutrition information labels on consumers' preferences by estimating their willingness to pay for features and information provided by a dietary software program (app). An application can easily display the information to the consumers and help them make informed food choices. A discrete choice experiment investigated consumers' preferences and willingness to pay to receive nutritional information. Mixed multinomial logit and latent class analysis were applied. The results showed the existence of heterogeneity in consumer preferences for different nutritional information provided by the application. Consumers are willing to pay more for salt and fat alerts. The results of this study allow for the analysis of consumers' interest in nutritional information. Such results are essential for the industry for future investments in similar applications that potentially could help consumers make better informed choices.

Exploring Visitors' Visual Behavior Using Eye-Tracking: The Case of the "Studiolo Del Duca".

Although the understanding of cognitive disciplines has progressed, we know relatively little about how the human brain perceives art. Thanks to the growing interest in visual perception, eye-tracking technology has been increasingly used for studying the interaction between individuals and artworks. In this study, eye-tracking was used to provide insights into non-expert visitors' visual behaviour as they move freely in the historical room of the "Studiolo del Duca" of the Ducal Palace in Urbino, Italy. Visitors looked for an average of almost two minutes. This study revealed which parts of the artefact captured visitors' attention and also gives interesting information about the main patterns of fruition.

Are They Careful Enough? Testing Consumers' Perception of Alternative Processing Technologies on the Quality of Organic Food.

Given the increasing public interest in how ingredients are processed and the growing demand for organic food products, it is critical to understand consumers' expectations about the process-related quality of organic products. Consumers perceive organic food to be nutritious, healthy and either natural or less processed, as they are afraid of the loss of nutritional, organoleptic and sensory properties of the food products. However, alternative food processing technologies might generate healthy and safe food options with nutritional quality properties. Simplified communication schemes might help to overcome this barrier for the consumer. The main objective of this study is to propose a working definition of "careful processing" for organic products and test its consistency through an experiment, while being used to rate different processing methods by consumers. Results show that the proposed definition allows the consumer to consistently rate alternative processing technologies. Consumers tend to score alternative processing technologies such as pulsed electric fields and microwaves as less careful, supporting the idea that organic consumers want as little man-made interference in their food products as possible. Results show that a simple but effective definition of careful processing may help consumers to distinguish more organic food products from conventional ones, no matter which communication scheme is used.

European Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Red Meat Labelling Attributes.

Food consumption in Europe is changing. Red meat consumption has been steadily decreasing in the past decades. The rising interest of consumers for healthier and more sustainable meat products provides red meat producers with the opportunity to differentiate their offers by ecolabels, origin and health claims. This international study analyses the European consumer preferences for red meat (beef, lamb and goat) in seven countries: Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Through a choice experiment, 2900 responses were collected. Mixed multinomial logit models were estimated to identify heterogeneous preferences among consumers at the country level. The results indicate substantial differences between the most relevant attributes for the average consumer, as well as their willingness to pay for them in each country. Nevertheless, national origin and organic labels were highly valued in most countries.

Motivations and Barriers for Sheep and Goat Meat Consumption in Europe: A Means-End Chain Study.

This international study involving seven European countries (Italy, UK, Finland, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey) was conducted to explore the relevant reasons that affect both consumer and non-consumer perceptions of sheep and goat meat. Laddering and means-end chain theory were applied. The results indicate that consumers associate sheep and goat meat with a unique taste, authenticity and natural production, linked with values such as health and enjoyment of life. In contrast, non-consumers mainly feel disgusted when they think and feel about these meats, and do not associate any specific health benefits to their consumption, disliking their taste, odour and fat content. This study is based on qualitative research. Only analytical generalizations are possible, expanding the theory on what drives consumer behaviour when purchasing meat. No previous means-end chain studies are available in the literature regarding small ruminants' meat consumer preferences.

Assessing risk factors in the organic control system: evidence from inspection data in Italy.

Certification is an essential feature in organic farming, and it is based on inspections to verify compliance with respect to European Council Regulation-EC Reg. No 834/2007. A risk-based approach to noncompliance that alerts the control bodies to activate planning inspections would contribute to a more efficient and cost-effective certification system. An analysis of factors that can affect the probability of noncompliance in organic farming has thus been developed. This article examines the application of zero-inflated count data models to farm-level panel data from inspection results and sanctions obtained from the Ethical and Environmental Certification Institute, one of the main control bodies in Italy. We tested many a priori hypotheses related to the risk of noncompliance. We find evidence of an important role for past noncompliant behavior in predicting future noncompliance, while farm size and the occurrence of livestock also have roles in an increased probability of noncompliance. We conclude the article proposing that an efficient risk-based inspection system should be designed, weighting up the known probability of occurrence of a given noncompliance according to the severity of its impact.

The role of transthoracic echocardiography in the diagnosis and management of acute type A aortic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has been traditionally considered inadequate for the diagnosis of acute type A aortic syndrome (AAAS). In the last decade, high-resolution probes and harmonic imaging have been implemented in new echocardiographic systems. However, studies assessing the diagnostic accuracy of TTE for the identification of AAAS in large populations using modern ultrasound technology are lacking. METHODS: The diagnostic value of harmonic imaging TTE was assessed in 270 consecutive patients with suspected AAAS in whom TTE was the initial diagnostic test. RESULTS: Acute type A aortic syndrome was diagnosed in 67 patients and excluded in 203 patients (disease prevalence 25%). Sixty-two patients had a classic acute type A aortic dissection, and 5, an acute type A intramural hematoma. Image quality achieved was considered optimal in 244 patients (90%). In the whole study population, TTE had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of AAAS of 87%, 91%, 75%, and 95%, respectively. When evaluating only patients with optimal image quality, these values increased to 97%, 100%, 100%, and 99%, respectively. Forty-seven patients with clear-cut evidence of AAAS were transferred immediately to the operative room, where transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis obtained by TTE in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Transthoracic echocardiography is a useful imaging modality for the diagnosis of classic acute type A aortic dissection. It cannot be used as the sole screening technique for detecting AAAS, but in the light of the predictive values observed, patients with optimal image quality and clear-cut diagnosis of AAAS should proceed to the operative room, whereas in patients with negative or indeterminate studies, other imaging techniques are needed to refine the diagnosis.

Cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay as affected by information about organic production.

The present study aimed to assess the effect of information about organic production on Pecorino cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay. Mean scores of perceived liking were similar for organic cheese (OC) and conventional cheese (CC). Expected liking scores were higher for OC than for CC (P<0.001). For OC the expected liking was significantly higher (P<0.001) than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (negative disconfirmation), whereas for CC the expected liking was significantly lower (P<0.001) than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (positive disconfirmation). Consumers assimilated their liking for OC in the direction of expectations, as the difference actual vs. perceived liking was significant (P<0.001). However the assimilation was not complete, as also the difference actual liking vs. expected liking was significant (P<0.001). Consumers showed a willingness to pay OC (mean+/-se=4.20+/-0.13 euro/100 g) higher than the local retail price for conventional (1.90 euro/100 g) and even organic cheese (3.00 euro/100 g). We conclude that the information about organic farming can be a major determinant of cheese liking and consumer willingness to pay, thus providing a potential tool for product differentiation, particularly for small scale and traditional farms.

Aortic dimensions in patients with bicuspid aortic valve without significant valve dysfunction.

The dimensions of the entire aorta at different anatomic levels were measured by transthoracic 2-dimensional echocardiography in 162 consecutive patients with isolated bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs) without significant aortic valve dysfunction. Aortic dilation involved the aortic root and the ascending aorta but was not present in the descending and abdominal aorta. A significant increase in the dimensions of the aortic arch was found in patients with BAVs aged >40 years. Ascending aortic diameter and the extension of aortic dilation were significantly correlated with age, but no correlation was found between aortic dimensions and aortic valve morphology.