The damaged product, named Parmigiano- Reggiano Terremotato (PR-T, namely Parmigiano-Reggiano damaged by earthquake ) was:

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1 2nd AIEAA Conference Between Crisis and Development: which Role for the Bio-Economy Parma, 6-7 June, 2013 D. Menozzi * a, C. Finardi b, U. Davoli a b a Department of Food Science, University of Parma, Parma (Italy) Confederazione Nazionale Coldiretti, Food Safety Dept., Rome, (Italy) Background Objective Sample and methodology Results Conclusions and Implications

2 The May 2012 earthquake waves have caused 26 deaths and diffuse damage in the Emilia- Romagna region with widespread national and international media coverage of the topic Finale Emilia 13th century clock tower Several dairies warehouses where Parmigiano-Reggiano is produced and aged were also seriously damaged 633,700 wheels fell off shelves (about 20% of annual production) and five dairies were declared unfit for use (> 150 million Euros)

3 The damaged product, named Parmigiano- Reggiano Terremotato (PR-T, namely Parmigiano-Reggiano damaged by earthquake ) was: 1. melted or grated (if < 12 months maturation), 6 /kg loss 2. sold at discounted price (if marked as PDO), 2 /kg loss The damaged product, named Parmigiano- Reggiano Terremotato (PR-T, namely Parmigiano-Reggiano damaged by earthquake ) was: 3. sold during solidarity sales (Botteghe di Campagna Amica) in shops owned directly by farmersproducers- if respecting the PDO requirements (12 months of maturation, fair conservation)

4 What about food safety perception?? This paper aims to investigate the main determinants of Parmigiano-Reggiano damaged by earthquake (PR-T) purchasing; the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) was used as a conceptual framework Main research questions: Besides the traditional TPB variables (i.e. attitude, PBC and subjective norm) which other variables influenced behaviour (i.e. Quantity of damaged PR purchase)? What was the role of trust in formal (e.g. Consortium) and informal (e.g. word-to-mouth) communication channels about the hygienic and quality properties of PR-T? What was the role of the PDO brand in reassuring consumers during a food crisis? Was food scare perceived by consumers?

5 Preliminary focus group Personal interviews on a sample of 200 consumers performed in stores/markets where the damaged Parmigiano Reggiano has been sold The theory of planned behaviour (TPB): [ ] the likelihood of a behaviour can be predicted by intention to perform that behaviour, which in turn is determined by personal attitudes, subjective norms and perceptions of control Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) Source: Ajzen (1991) Other constructs were added: PDO Quality Warranty, Sense of Belonging, Formal Trust, Informal Trust, Food Scare Perception, Sociodemographic variables, etc. Behaviour is the quantity of PR-T purchased A questionnaire was developed Structural equation modelling (SEM) technique has been applied to test for the relative importance of intention and behaviour determinants Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) Source: Ajzen (1991)

6 Results Quantity purchased: 820 kg Average quantity purchased (excl. 2 outliers): 2.2 kg Purchasers score significantly higher for: Attitude towards PR T purchase Subjective norms PBC (knew where to purchase PR T) Intention to purchase Sense of belonging to the region of origin More reassured by formal and informal communication Perceived more food scare Lower education 51% of the intention and 22% of the behaviour variance can be explained by the TPB model PBC is the main driver of intention Attitude is also significant Subjective norms are significant predictor of behaviour *** p<0.001 ** p<0.01 * p<0.05 () p<0.1

7 *** p<0.001 ** p<0.01 * p<0.05 () p<0.1 70% of the intention variance can be explained by the extended TPB model PBC is the main driver of intention Trust in formal communication (e.g. from Consortium) and PDO quality warranty are significant drivers of intention *** p<0.001 ** p<0.01 * p<0.05 () p<0.1

8 32% of behaviour (quantity of PR T purchased) variance can be explained by the extended TPB model Subjective norms are main predictor of behaviour Intention is marginally significant (p value <0.1) Behaviour is also affected by sense of belonging (+) and by food scare ( ) and frequency of consumption of PR ( ) Age (+) and education ( ) also impact actual behaviour *** p<0.001 ** p<0.01 * p<0.05 () p<0.1 PBC influences intention: making it easier the access to key resources (e.g., improving information about the sales points, etc.) and increasing people s capability seems a major aspect to effectively reach the intended goals Role of Formal Trust : to rationally process information following more robust and accountable sources (e.g., Health authorities, Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano, etc.) is linked to the role of PDO quality warranty perception Rational motivations (i.e., intentions) only marginally affect the behaviour, which was more guided by social and emotional motivations

9 SN and Sense of Belonging predictors of behaviour: the role of community networks and gate keepers in facilitating and transmitting a behaviour is confirmed + other emotional constructs (sense of belonging to the region) Food scare perception was low, but still it negatively affects the behaviour (the quantity of PR T purchased) Our results confirms that persons making PR T purchases were firstly motivated by emotional and solidarity reasons and only after, mirroring priorities relevance, gave ground food safety concerns to emerge May 2012 May 2013 More info: Davide Menozzi Department of Food Science University of Parma davide.menozzi@unipr.it

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11 PDO Quality Sense of Belonging Food Scare PBC Attitude Trust Formal 0.48** 0.58*** 0.28** Intention (R 2 =0.70) SubjectiveN orm (0,23) 0,17* -0,20* Behaviour (R 2 =0.32) 0,41*** -0,15* Past Behaviour (frequency) 0,18** (-0,11) Age Educational level

12 Attitude 0,13* PBC 0.65*** Intention (R 2 =0.51) Behaviour (R 2 =0.22) SubjectiveN orm 0,39***