Jessica Aschemann-Witzel | Aarhus University; School of Business and Social Sciences (original) (raw)
Papers by Jessica Aschemann-Witzel
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2021
Abstract Adapting responsible food marketing practices to different customer types can make a val... more Abstract Adapting responsible food marketing practices to different customer types can make a valuable contribution to reducing food waste. The current study investigated the relation between food (waste)-related lifestyle patterns and self-reported food waste, choices for suboptimal food, and food waste awareness using a survey with 4214 consumers across five Northern and Western European countries. Results show differences in food wastage, suboptimal choices, and awareness for five clusters of consumers identified on the basis of food (waste)-related lifestyle patterns. Findings of commonalities allow deriving food marketing actions targeted to these different consumer lifestyles.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016
British Food Journal, 2014
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The aim of this paper is to study the extent of change in parents' fru... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The aim of this paper is to study the extent of change in parents' fruit and vegetable consumption during a period when their children participate in a school-based healthy eating intervention. Design/methodology/approach ‐ A total of 256 12-year-old Danish schoolchildren took part in a text-message feedback intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. One parent of each child filled out self-administered questionnaires at three points during the 40-week study period. In the questionnaire, stated consumption, perceived influence factors on their consumption and self-efficacy and self-regulation were measured. Findings ‐ Only half of the parents stated that they met the "five a day" target. These parents reported good availability of fruit and vegetables in their household, high consumption among their friends and frequent exercise and they were characterised by high self-efficacy levels. Stated consumption increased during the period of the intervention targeted at their children. Parents that reported an increase had, at the start of the intervention, reported low levels of consumption, lack of encouragement to eat healthy at their workplace and lower autonomous self-regulation. Research limitations/implications ‐ The consumption data is limited to self-report. Practical implications ‐ The results indicate that parents can be influenced indirectly by school-based interventions targeted at their children. Future interventions should include the family with the intent to support positive interaction that might further promote and sustain healthy eating habits. Originality/value ‐ The study considers the possible effects school interventions targeting children may have on the immediate family, an aspect generally overlooked in school-based health initiatives.
Food waste accounts for a considerable share of the environmental impact of the food sector. Ther... more Food waste accounts for a considerable share of the environmental impact of the food sector. Therefore, strategies that aim to reduce food waste have great potential to improve sustainability of the agricultural and food supply chains. Consumer-related food waste is a complex issue that needs collaboration between various supply chain actors and sector stakeholders. Although a range of initiatives from various actors already exists internationally, there is still a lack of knowledge on which lessons can be derived from such cases. The current multiple case study provides insights into how to successfully design future actions, by analysing common and distinct key success factors in 26 existing initiatives to reduce consumer-related food waste. The findings reveal that collaboration between stakeholders, timing and sequence of initiatives, competencies that the initiative is built on, and a large scale of operations are key success factors. Success factors are identified for the primary design, for the development and maintenance phase, and for reaching out to consumers. There are three general types of initiatives that differ in their aims and characteristics: information and capacity building, redistribution, and retail and supply chain alteration. The first type focuses most strongly on motivating consumer food waste avoidance behaviour and strengthening consumer abilities, while the second and third focus primarily on altering consumer food choice context, but combine this with aspects of raising awareness. Recommendations are derived for future initiatives which should take inspiration from existing initiatives, especially considering the right partners, competencies involved, timing the start of the initiative right, and aim to soon achieve a large scale.
British Food Journal, 2017
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016
Journal of Consumer Policy, 2016
Food Quality and Preference, 2017
Waste management (New York, N.Y.), Jan 27, 2016
Reducing food waste is one of the prominent goals in the current research, which has also been se... more Reducing food waste is one of the prominent goals in the current research, which has also been set by the United Nations to achieve a more sustainable world by 2030. Given that previous studies mainly examined causes for food waste generation related to consumers, e.g., expectations regarding quality or uncertainties about edibility, this review aims at providing an overview on losses in the food industry, as well as on natural mechanisms by which impeccable food items are converted into an undesired state. For this, scientific literature was reviewed based on a keyword search, and information not covered was gathered by conducting expert interviews with representatives from 13 German food processing companies. From the available literature, three main areas of food waste generation were identified and discussed: product deterioration and spoilage during logistical operations, by-products from food processing, and consumer perception of quality and safety. In addition, expert interv...
Food Quality and Preference, 2017
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2016
There is little agreement among governments, institutions, scientists and food activists as to ho... more There is little agreement among governments, institutions, scientists and food activists as to how to best tackle the challenging issues of health and sustainability in the food sector. This essay discusses the potential of school meals as a platform to promote healthy and sustainable food behavior. School meal programs are of particular interest for improving public diet because they reach children at a population scale across socio-economic classes and for over a decade of their lives, and because food habits of children are more malleable than those of adults. Current research on the history and health implications of school meal programs is reviewed in a cross-national comparative framework, and arguments explored that speak for the need of a new developmental phase of school meals as an integrative learning platform for healthy and sustainable food behavior. Nutritional, social, practical, educational, economical, political, and cultural perspectives and challenges linked to the implementation of healthy and sustainable school meals are discussed. Finally, the need for long-term interventions and evaluations is highlighted and new research directions are proposed.
Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2015
„Ist Bio denn wirklich gesünder?“ Dies ist nur eine der vielen Fragen, die immer wieder gestellt ... more „Ist Bio denn wirklich gesünder?“ Dies ist nur eine der vielen Fragen, die immer wieder gestellt werden, wenn es um Ökologischen Landbau und Bio-Lebensmittel geht. Und: Sie werden mit dem wachsenden Bio-Markt und der zunehmenden Beliebtheit seiner Produkte immer häufiger, immer kritischer und nach wie vor oftmals vorurteilsbeladen und polemisch gestellt. Dieser Argumentationsleitfaden will die Diskussion versachlichen. Auf dem Stand des Wissens stellt er die Vorzüglichkeit der ökologischen Lebensmittelwirtschaft sachlich, fundiert und übersichtlich dar und benennt ebenso Bereiche, bei denen noch Defizite und somit Handlungsbedarf besteht. Damit werden Fragestellungen aufgegriffen, die in der gesellschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung um die biologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft immer wieder zu Diskussionen und Auseinandersetzungen führen. Zu den Themenfeldern Grundlagen, Erzeugung, Verarbeitung, Vermarktung, Qualität, Umweltwirkungen sowie ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft und Gesellschaft...
Health is an increasingly important topic in the food market. The regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on... more Health is an increasingly important topic in the food market. The regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims is meant to facilitate healthy food choices of consumers. However, research studies about claim perception and choice behaviour are scarce in Europe up to this point, especially those focusing on revealed preferences or a close-to-realistic study design. This contribution reports findings of realistically designed choice-tests accompanied by video-observation and followed by a face-to-face questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was applied in order to determine the influencing factors on purchase behaviour of food products with claims. Perception of relative healthiness of the product with a claim, credibility of the claim and extent of information acquisition were found to influence choice positively, while claim format and product category were of no importance.
Sustainability, 2015
In the past decade, food waste has received increased attention on both academic and societal lev... more In the past decade, food waste has received increased attention on both academic and societal levels. As a cause of negative economic, environmental and social effects, food waste is considered to be one of the sustainability issues that needs to be addressed. In developed countries, consumers are one of the biggest sources of food waste. To successfully reduce consumer-related food waste, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the factors influencing food waste-related consumer perceptions and behaviors. The present paper presents the results of a literature review and expert interviews on factors causing consumer-related food waste in households and supply chains. Results show that consumers' motivation to avoid food waste, their management skills of food provisioning and food handling and their trade-offs between priorities have an extensive influence on their food waste behaviors. We identify actions that governments, societal stakeholders and retailers can undertake to reduce consumer-related food waste, highlighting that synergistic actions between all parties are most promising. Further research should focus on exploring specific food waste contexts and interactions more in-depth. Experiments and interventions in particular can contribute to a shift from analysis to solutions.
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2021
Abstract Adapting responsible food marketing practices to different customer types can make a val... more Abstract Adapting responsible food marketing practices to different customer types can make a valuable contribution to reducing food waste. The current study investigated the relation between food (waste)-related lifestyle patterns and self-reported food waste, choices for suboptimal food, and food waste awareness using a survey with 4214 consumers across five Northern and Western European countries. Results show differences in food wastage, suboptimal choices, and awareness for five clusters of consumers identified on the basis of food (waste)-related lifestyle patterns. Findings of commonalities allow deriving food marketing actions targeted to these different consumer lifestyles.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016
British Food Journal, 2014
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The aim of this paper is to study the extent of change in parents' fru... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The aim of this paper is to study the extent of change in parents' fruit and vegetable consumption during a period when their children participate in a school-based healthy eating intervention. Design/methodology/approach ‐ A total of 256 12-year-old Danish schoolchildren took part in a text-message feedback intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. One parent of each child filled out self-administered questionnaires at three points during the 40-week study period. In the questionnaire, stated consumption, perceived influence factors on their consumption and self-efficacy and self-regulation were measured. Findings ‐ Only half of the parents stated that they met the "five a day" target. These parents reported good availability of fruit and vegetables in their household, high consumption among their friends and frequent exercise and they were characterised by high self-efficacy levels. Stated consumption increased during the period of the intervention targeted at their children. Parents that reported an increase had, at the start of the intervention, reported low levels of consumption, lack of encouragement to eat healthy at their workplace and lower autonomous self-regulation. Research limitations/implications ‐ The consumption data is limited to self-report. Practical implications ‐ The results indicate that parents can be influenced indirectly by school-based interventions targeted at their children. Future interventions should include the family with the intent to support positive interaction that might further promote and sustain healthy eating habits. Originality/value ‐ The study considers the possible effects school interventions targeting children may have on the immediate family, an aspect generally overlooked in school-based health initiatives.
Food waste accounts for a considerable share of the environmental impact of the food sector. Ther... more Food waste accounts for a considerable share of the environmental impact of the food sector. Therefore, strategies that aim to reduce food waste have great potential to improve sustainability of the agricultural and food supply chains. Consumer-related food waste is a complex issue that needs collaboration between various supply chain actors and sector stakeholders. Although a range of initiatives from various actors already exists internationally, there is still a lack of knowledge on which lessons can be derived from such cases. The current multiple case study provides insights into how to successfully design future actions, by analysing common and distinct key success factors in 26 existing initiatives to reduce consumer-related food waste. The findings reveal that collaboration between stakeholders, timing and sequence of initiatives, competencies that the initiative is built on, and a large scale of operations are key success factors. Success factors are identified for the primary design, for the development and maintenance phase, and for reaching out to consumers. There are three general types of initiatives that differ in their aims and characteristics: information and capacity building, redistribution, and retail and supply chain alteration. The first type focuses most strongly on motivating consumer food waste avoidance behaviour and strengthening consumer abilities, while the second and third focus primarily on altering consumer food choice context, but combine this with aspects of raising awareness. Recommendations are derived for future initiatives which should take inspiration from existing initiatives, especially considering the right partners, competencies involved, timing the start of the initiative right, and aim to soon achieve a large scale.
British Food Journal, 2017
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016
Journal of Consumer Policy, 2016
Food Quality and Preference, 2017
Waste management (New York, N.Y.), Jan 27, 2016
Reducing food waste is one of the prominent goals in the current research, which has also been se... more Reducing food waste is one of the prominent goals in the current research, which has also been set by the United Nations to achieve a more sustainable world by 2030. Given that previous studies mainly examined causes for food waste generation related to consumers, e.g., expectations regarding quality or uncertainties about edibility, this review aims at providing an overview on losses in the food industry, as well as on natural mechanisms by which impeccable food items are converted into an undesired state. For this, scientific literature was reviewed based on a keyword search, and information not covered was gathered by conducting expert interviews with representatives from 13 German food processing companies. From the available literature, three main areas of food waste generation were identified and discussed: product deterioration and spoilage during logistical operations, by-products from food processing, and consumer perception of quality and safety. In addition, expert interv...
Food Quality and Preference, 2017
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2016
There is little agreement among governments, institutions, scientists and food activists as to ho... more There is little agreement among governments, institutions, scientists and food activists as to how to best tackle the challenging issues of health and sustainability in the food sector. This essay discusses the potential of school meals as a platform to promote healthy and sustainable food behavior. School meal programs are of particular interest for improving public diet because they reach children at a population scale across socio-economic classes and for over a decade of their lives, and because food habits of children are more malleable than those of adults. Current research on the history and health implications of school meal programs is reviewed in a cross-national comparative framework, and arguments explored that speak for the need of a new developmental phase of school meals as an integrative learning platform for healthy and sustainable food behavior. Nutritional, social, practical, educational, economical, political, and cultural perspectives and challenges linked to the implementation of healthy and sustainable school meals are discussed. Finally, the need for long-term interventions and evaluations is highlighted and new research directions are proposed.
Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2015
„Ist Bio denn wirklich gesünder?“ Dies ist nur eine der vielen Fragen, die immer wieder gestellt ... more „Ist Bio denn wirklich gesünder?“ Dies ist nur eine der vielen Fragen, die immer wieder gestellt werden, wenn es um Ökologischen Landbau und Bio-Lebensmittel geht. Und: Sie werden mit dem wachsenden Bio-Markt und der zunehmenden Beliebtheit seiner Produkte immer häufiger, immer kritischer und nach wie vor oftmals vorurteilsbeladen und polemisch gestellt. Dieser Argumentationsleitfaden will die Diskussion versachlichen. Auf dem Stand des Wissens stellt er die Vorzüglichkeit der ökologischen Lebensmittelwirtschaft sachlich, fundiert und übersichtlich dar und benennt ebenso Bereiche, bei denen noch Defizite und somit Handlungsbedarf besteht. Damit werden Fragestellungen aufgegriffen, die in der gesellschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung um die biologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft immer wieder zu Diskussionen und Auseinandersetzungen führen. Zu den Themenfeldern Grundlagen, Erzeugung, Verarbeitung, Vermarktung, Qualität, Umweltwirkungen sowie ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft und Gesellschaft...
Health is an increasingly important topic in the food market. The regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on... more Health is an increasingly important topic in the food market. The regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims is meant to facilitate healthy food choices of consumers. However, research studies about claim perception and choice behaviour are scarce in Europe up to this point, especially those focusing on revealed preferences or a close-to-realistic study design. This contribution reports findings of realistically designed choice-tests accompanied by video-observation and followed by a face-to-face questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was applied in order to determine the influencing factors on purchase behaviour of food products with claims. Perception of relative healthiness of the product with a claim, credibility of the claim and extent of information acquisition were found to influence choice positively, while claim format and product category were of no importance.
Sustainability, 2015
In the past decade, food waste has received increased attention on both academic and societal lev... more In the past decade, food waste has received increased attention on both academic and societal levels. As a cause of negative economic, environmental and social effects, food waste is considered to be one of the sustainability issues that needs to be addressed. In developed countries, consumers are one of the biggest sources of food waste. To successfully reduce consumer-related food waste, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the factors influencing food waste-related consumer perceptions and behaviors. The present paper presents the results of a literature review and expert interviews on factors causing consumer-related food waste in households and supply chains. Results show that consumers' motivation to avoid food waste, their management skills of food provisioning and food handling and their trade-offs between priorities have an extensive influence on their food waste behaviors. We identify actions that governments, societal stakeholders and retailers can undertake to reduce consumer-related food waste, highlighting that synergistic actions between all parties are most promising. Further research should focus on exploring specific food waste contexts and interactions more in-depth. Experiments and interventions in particular can contribute to a shift from analysis to solutions.