THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY

This paper addresses the role of ethical consumers in the transition process towards a sustainable food supply. The questions that immediately come to mind are: can the consumers put changes in motion in the established food supply regime? Which are the mechanisms hindering a transition driven by...

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Main Author: Filippo Randelli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics 2015-10-01
Series:International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.foodandagriculturejournal.com/vol3.no4.pp15.pdf
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author Filippo Randelli
author_facet Filippo Randelli
author_sort Filippo Randelli
collection DOAJ
description This paper addresses the role of ethical consumers in the transition process towards a sustainable food supply. The questions that immediately come to mind are: can the consumers put changes in motion in the established food supply regime? Which are the mechanisms hindering a transition driven by consumers? In order to answer to these questions we analyse the case of Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale (Solidarity Purchasing Groups) in Italy, as a support for a broader reflection to the topic. The growing dissatisfaction with the established food supply, dominated by the duopoly supermarket-global food supplier, has driven a few pioneers to search for new solutions. In the case of Italy, consumers have organized themselves into informal networks, in order to purchase quality food together from local farmers. They are motivated by the meeting of social, ethical and environmental needs (providing sustainable food and support local farmers) which were not served in the beginning by incumbent firms and they operate in the social economy as community groups.
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spelling doaj.art-6dfa66d284674546bb8fe45378b93bfa2023-02-15T16:09:09ZengInternational Journal of Food and Agricultural EconomicsInternational Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics2147-89882147-89882015-10-01341526THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALYFilippo Randelli0Department of Economics and Management, University of Florence, ItalyThis paper addresses the role of ethical consumers in the transition process towards a sustainable food supply. The questions that immediately come to mind are: can the consumers put changes in motion in the established food supply regime? Which are the mechanisms hindering a transition driven by consumers? In order to answer to these questions we analyse the case of Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale (Solidarity Purchasing Groups) in Italy, as a support for a broader reflection to the topic. The growing dissatisfaction with the established food supply, dominated by the duopoly supermarket-global food supplier, has driven a few pioneers to search for new solutions. In the case of Italy, consumers have organized themselves into informal networks, in order to purchase quality food together from local farmers. They are motivated by the meeting of social, ethical and environmental needs (providing sustainable food and support local farmers) which were not served in the beginning by incumbent firms and they operate in the social economy as community groups.http://www.foodandagriculturejournal.com/vol3.no4.pp15.pdfFood supplyconsumer innovationinformal networksfood safety
spellingShingle Filippo Randelli
THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY
International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics
Food supply
consumer innovation
informal networks
food safety
title THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY
title_full THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY
title_fullStr THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY
title_full_unstemmed THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY
title_short THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY
title_sort role of consumers in the transition towards a sustainable food supply the case of gruppi di acquisto solidale solidarity purchasing groups in italy
topic Food supply
consumer innovation
informal networks
food safety
url http://www.foodandagriculturejournal.com/vol3.no4.pp15.pdf
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