• Energy Research

Many studies have already addressed the perception of cultured meat, but the segmentation of potential consumers has not been adequately investigated. Based on an online survey in Croatia with 411 valid responses, four socio-demographically characterized segments were identified. The key differentiators between the segments relate to consumers’ moral and ethical concerns about cultured meat and their perceptions of the impact of cultured meat production on the economy. The multinomial logistic regression used to describe the segments found that the segments differed from the reference segment (Concerned) in terms of support for public research and funding of cultured meat, the willingness to consume it, and religiosity. These results help provide deeper insight into the profiles of potential consumers of cultured meat.

For some types of seafood, such as clams, there are now sustainability certificates that guarantee their sustainable production. However, their consumption may be associated with some ethical and sustainability concerns, as clams are harvested in ways that may be harmful to the environment. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate consumers’ sustainability concerns based on their purchasing preferences and WTP for clams with sustainability certification in three Mediterranean countries—Italy, Spain and Croatia. Data were collected online and consumer preferences were elicited using a labelled discrete choice experiment. The results show that in general all consumers prefer clams from their country of origin, while there are differences in their appreciation for the sustainability certification. While Croatian consumers are not very interested in the current Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability certification, consumers in Spain are willing to pay a higher price for it. At the same time, consumers in Italy are more interested in new certifications such as Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM). These results could be of interest to clam production and distribution companies trying to advance their corporate social responsibility activities and positioning.

Every year in the EU alone, almost 90 million tonnes of food is lost. The sectors contributing the most to this amount are households, accounting for 53% of total food waste. Bearing in mind the fact those two-thirds of this amount refers to the occurrence of waste which is theoretically avoidable, the greatest attention should be paid to the generation of food waste in households. In Croatia, there is no data on the quantities of food waste produced, but only estimates on the amount of such waste. The aim of this research paper was to determine the type and amount of household food waste and the differences in production of waste relative to the socio-demographic characteristics of household members. The research was carried out by 115 Croatian households, who self-reported the amount of food waste during seven days. According to the results, on average, 2.57 portions of food waste were reported as the amount of discarded food per household member per day, equivalent to 0.21 kg of food waste mass. In general, the typical Croatian household generates 75 kg of food waste per person on average. The age of respondents positively affected the prevention of waste, while the income level and the number of children under the age of 18 in the household had an adverse impact.