Natural wines have garnered increasing attention from health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers, thereby carving out a distinct niche within the broader wine market. This study adopts the Contingent Valuation method and the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter to explore consumer willingness to pay and the acceptable price range for natural wine (hereinafter: NW), verify the convergence of results, and investigate which consumer attributes influence the economic appreciation for this beverage. An online?survey was conducted on?a sample of?370? Italian wine enthusiasts and experts. The results indicate a reasonable level of consumer awareness of the economic value of the NW, despite their willingness to pay a lower price for this beverage. Age, individuals? income status and product market price have a positive impact on the willingness to pay for NW. ?Conversely, the effects of the level of education, naturalness attitude, and wine consumption habits are not significant. The?results?could?support?the?efforts?of?the?wineries to develop?adequate pricing strategies for gaining a competitive advantage and expanding their market share.
Classification-JEL: Keywords: Natural Wine;Willingness to pay;Contingent Valuation;Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Model Note: Pages:13-40 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79846&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa20590 Number: 2 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79846 Template-type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Chaowana Phetcharat Author-Name: Jeffrey D. Vitale Author-Name: Pavalee Chompoorat Tridtitanakiat Author-Name: Wanlanai Saiprasert Author-Name: Weirong Lu Title: Exploring Red Kidney Bean Flour as a Partial Substitute to Rice Flour in Gluten-free Ramen Noodles: Consumers? WTP in Thailand Abstract: This study aims to elicit consumers? willingness to pay (WTP) for gluten-free ramen noodles, exploring the alternative flour formulation of red kidney bean (RKB) to substitute for rice flour. Using the experimental method, first-price auction, with adult consumers as participants, truncated regression was applied to identify the WTP bids for three types of gluten-free ramen noodles. The findings reveal that the WTP bids for rice kernel- and 30% RKB flour-based ramen noodles are not significantly different, whereas consumers would pay 12.56 baht/150 g less for the 40% RKB flour item compared to the rice kernel item. The results also suggest that participants in the experiments would pay 15.452 baht/150 g less for the 40% RKB flour item compared to the 30% RKB flour item. These results underscore the 30% RKB flour is the optimal formulation for producing gluten-free ramen noodles to substitute for rice flour. This study also highlights the distinct preferences across individual characteristics and nutritional concerns, which underscores the potential for developing ramen noodles to satisfy consumer preferences beyond celiac concerns - providing food nutrition and improving well-being of consumes through dietary choices. Classification-JEL: Keywords: Note: Pages:41-65 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79638&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa20287 Number: 3 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79638 Template-type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Vera Ventura Author-Name: Achille Amatucci Author-Name: Chiara Tomasoni Title: Ecosystem Services in Food Labels: the Role of Different Information Layers in Shaping Consumers Preferences Abstract:Information on the provision of ecosystem services has the potential to contribute to an integrative food labeling framework. This study examines that potential by explicitly communicating ecosystem services provided by agricultural producers. The research analyzes how different label formats- ranging from generic references to ecosystem services to specific indicators-influence consumer preferences. An on field Discrete Choice Experiment was conducted with 552 Italian consumers of extra virgin olive oil. A Latent Class Model identified consumer heterogeneity, and to address the endogeneity of environmental attitudes in class allocation, a two-stage Control Function approach was applied. Two consumer segments emerged. The first, showed a consistently higher and statistically significant willingness to pay for sustainability attributes. Their willingness to pay increased with the level of informational detail. However, a negative halo effect was observed when ecosystem services labels appeared alongside organic certification, suggesting a perception of redundancy. The second segment was more price-sensitive and resistant to additional information. From a policy perspective, the results indicate how ecosystem service labeling strategies, particularly when linked to measurable environmental outcomes, can stimulate market-based incentives.
Classification-JEL: Keywords: consumer behavior;Agri-food sector;Sustainability;innovative method;data analyitcs Note: Pages:67-102 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79842&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa21360 Number: 4 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79842 Template-type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Johanna Garnitz Author-Name: Agnes Emberger-Klein Author-Name: Andreas Gabriel Title: Balancing environmental benefits and agricultural technologies ? perspectives from German consumers Abstract:Societal and political voices call for stronger environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and reduced pesticide use. Integrating digital farming technologies into farming systems like strip intercropping offers promising pathways toward more sustainable and efficient food production. The successful adoption of these innovations depends on acceptance by both farmers and consumers. To explore these intersections of technology, sustainability, and market dynamics from a consumer perspective, a discrete choice experiment (DCE) followed by consumer segmentation was conducted in Germany. The study examines preferences for different farming systems, focusing on autonomous machinery, landscape structure, food prices, and environmental factors. Sociodemographic variables, along with value- and attitude-based factors, were used to differentiate consumer segments. The study highlights social preferences for welfare-enhancing agricultural systems, such as strip intercropping, and demonstrates a societal demand for more sustainable agroecosystem outcomes, in terms of biodiversity, soil erosion prevention and reduced use of chemical-synthetic pesticides. Results show that the balance between environmental benefits and agricultural technology differs markedly across four consumer segments, underscoring the need to integrate ecological and technological dimensions in communication and policy for enhancing consumer acceptance and support sustainable transitions in agriculture.
Classification-JEL: Keywords: Agri-food sector;Public acceptance;Strip intercropping;Discrete choice experiment;Digital technologies Note: Pages:103-125 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79844&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa21109 Number: 5 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79844 Template-type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Giulia Maesano Author-Name: Andrea Baroni Author-Name: Roberta Spadoni Author-Name: Katia Laura Sidali Title: High-Altitude, High Value? Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Mountain Wines Abstract:This study examines consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for mountain wines and assesses the potential impact of extending the EU quality term "mountain product" to the wine sector. A discrete choice experiment was conducted with 256 wine consumers from the Veneto region (Italy). In the experiment, participants were presented with various wine options with different attributes, including a mountain designation, organic certification and price. The multinomial logit model was used to analyse consumer preferences and estimate WTP. The results show that consumers have a positive WTP for mountain wines, especially in combination with organic certification. Price, mountain designation and organic certification were the most influential factors in the decision-making process. In addition, environmental awareness and the perception of mountain wines had a significant impact on consumer choice. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and producers, highlighting the potential of the ?Mountain product? label as a tool for sustainable rural development.
Classification-JEL: Keywords: Mountain product;Wines;Willingness to Pay (WTP);Geographical Labelling;Consumer Preferences;Choice Experiment Note: Pages:127-154 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79841&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa21367 Number: 6 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79841 Template-type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Krist?na Predan?cyov? Author-Name: Peter ?ed?k Author-Name: Cristina Bianca Pocol Author-Name: Mihaela Mihai Author-Name: Lubica Kubicov? Title: Consumer segments and determinants shaping meat consumption in Slovakia Abstract:The paper focuses on the analysis of meat consumption patterns and the level and structure of consumption of individual types of meat, on segmenting consumers according to consumption patterns and determining the key factors affecting meat consumption. The study is based on data obtained through an electronic questionnaire survey conducted in 2020 on a sample of 1,409 Slovak consumers. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to process the data. The results indicate a relatively high overall meat consumption, but with an unbalanced structure between individual types of meat. Based on these consumption patterns, four consumer segments were identified: consumers preferring poultry meat, consumers with a high consumption of all types of meat, consumers oriented mainly towards pork meat and consumers combining poultry meat and pork meat.
The analysis of factors affecting meat consumption identified three main components. The first component represents a key factor, including items such as freshness, quality, aroma, meat content, appearance, country of origin, perishability, previous experiences, price, producer and health aspects. The second component represents a composition factor, consisting of factors related to nutritional attributes. The last component is a sales and promotion factor, related to product availability, packaging, and marketing attributes. The study provides insights for the food and meat processing industry in creating targeted
marketing strategies related to health and sustainable aspects of consumption, as well as for public policymakers. Results also contribute to expanding the existing theoretical framework in the field of consumer behavior.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how consumers in credence-based markets search for, interpret, and trust product information. In the wine sector, where authenticity and quality depend on symbolic and experiential cues, AI-driven recommendation systems increasingly act as new intermediaries. This paper develops a conceptual framework explaining how consumers perceive algorithmic expertise and form trust in AI-generated wine recommendations. Integrating theories of information asymmetry, signalling, source credibility, and trust in automation, the framework identifies AI transparency and source framing as key drivers of perceived expertise and trustworthiness. These perceptions, moderated by literacy, cultural orientation, and risk, influence purchase intention and reliance on AI advice. The study highlights AI as both a signalling and screening institution that can reduce but also redistribute information asymmetries in agri-food markets. The paper concludes with methodological and policy directions for ensuring transparent and consumer-centred AI adoption in the food and wine industries.
Classification-JEL: Keywords: Artificial intelligence;algorithmic trust;wine marketing;information asymmetry;Consumer behaviour Note: Pages:183-208 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79843&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa21357 Number: 8 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79843 Template-type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ana Te?ak Damijanic Author-Name: Ana Cehic Maric Author-Name: Smiljana Goreta Ban Title: Understanding Consumer Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants: Objective Knowledge and Customer Segmentation Abstract:Climate change poses a significant challenge to agriculture in the Mediterranean region, generating multiple food-related concerns. Wild edible plants (WEPs) may represent a partial solution as they provide a valuable genetic resource and possess notable nutritional properties. However, realising their full market potential is dependent on consumer knowledge.
This study aimed to develop a scale for assessing consumers? objective knowledge of WEPs and to identify consumer segments based on that knowledge. Data were collected from consumers shopping at farmers? markets in Istria County, Croatia. The results suggested that consumers possess only basic knowledge of WEPs. They were very familiar with wild asparagus and least familiar with purslane, followed by sea fennel. Cluster analysis identified three distinct segments: highknowledge, moderate-knowledge, and low-knowledge WEP consumers. These segments differed significantly in terms of gender, dietary restrictions, prior purchase of WEPs, household size, attitudes toward WEPs, and perceptions of the impact of climate change on WEPs.
This study examines the state of digital agriculture in the Republic of Armenia, a sector characterized by small farm sizes, extensive production models, and limited financial capacity. Using a stratified sample of 400 farms, the research assesses the extent of digital technology adoption, key obstacles, and the determinants of digital penetration. Descriptive findings reveal low adoption rates across most digital tools, driven by high costs, limited awareness, insufficient digital literacy, and skepticism toward digital practices. To provide a more rigorous empirical assessment, a Tobit regression model was applied. The results show that all included variables significantly influence digital adoption, with farm size exerting the strongest positive effect, underscoring the importance of economies of scale. Education, income, production orientation, production model, and age also significantly shape adoption likelihood. The combined descriptive and econometric evidence indicates that the discussed digital gap is largely rooted in structural limitations, particularly the prevalence of very small farms. The study concludes by recommending targeted policies (land consolidation, financial assistance, and farmer training) to support a more modern, efficient, and digitally integrated agricultural sector.
Classification-JEL: Keywords: Digitalization;Agriculture;Digital adoption;Digital penetration;Digital farming;Digital agriculture;Republic of Armenia Note: Pages:227-250 Volume: 28 Year: 2026 Issue:1 File-URL:http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=79849&Tipo=Articolo PDF File-Format: text/HTML Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2026oa20705 Number: 10 X-File-Ref: http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/References.ashx?idArticolo=79849