Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
12:09
Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
From Human Needs to Value-Driven Preferences: Consumers' Willingness to Participate in an Innovative Food Supply
Biancamaria Torquati1, Chiara Paffarini1, Giacomo Giulietti1
1Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Consumers favor ethical and local food systems like Food Village, but require convenience and moderate participation. Personal values significantly impact willingness to join these sustainable food initiatives.
Area of Science:
- Sustainable food systems
- Consumer behavior
- Ethical economics
Background:
- Civil economy principles inspire alternative food supply chains.
- The Food Village model aims to improve upon Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) for scalability and stakeholder needs.
- Ethical values and practices are central to these emerging food systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze consumer preferences for the Food Village model's attributes.
- To understand the relationship between personal values and willingness to participate in Food Village.
- To assess the potential for scaling up the Food Village model for sustainable food systems.
Main Methods:
- Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) on hypothetical Food Village scenarios.
- Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) to assess individual values.
- Statistical analysis of preferences and value correlations.
Main Results:
- Consumers value ethical and local attributes (organic, cooperative governance) but prioritize convenience (variety, flexible hours).
- Moderate participation levels increase willingness to join; excessive involvement decreases it.
- Self-transcendence and conservation values correlate with higher participation, while self-affirmation values correlate with lower participation.
Conclusions:
- Food Village initiatives are appealing due to their ethical and territorial focus.
- Scalability requires balancing ethical considerations with consumer convenience and manageable participation.
- Public incentives and flexible schemes are crucial for integrating Food Village into broader sustainable food systems.
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