Food waste is a relevant global problem due to its consequences on food security, economy, and environmental sustainability. This study focuses, in detail, on finding the main motivation for food waste among the young and the principal actions to prevent it. The paper focuses on Italian reality, since Western countries are partly accountable for wasting large amounts of food. What is more, the focus has been shifted specifically on to the youths and young adults, as they are the portion of the population that are most inclined to waste food. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey performed on a sample of n = 904 Italian consumers. In line with previous research, the results of this study confirm that avoidable food waste comes from three main behavioural antecedents: over preparation, excessive purchase, and inappropriate conservation. The research shows that food waste cannot be reduced by just one-way from the consumers; rather, it goes both ways, between consumers and retailers. Therefore, only holding the consumers accountable and expecting them to solve it will not solve the problem of food waste; marketing and retailers should also consider ethics when it comes to food distribution.

The improvement in life expectancy, economic conditions, and technological and medical progress have radically changed the demographic structure of many societies. Since many countries now have an ageing population, by adopting a life-course study perspective, this paper aims to explore the needs of older adults (over 60), and the currently adult population which will become older in the coming decades (50–60 years). In detail, the study investigates the lifestyles of the target populations by focusing on two main areas concerning health (healthy diet; attitudes towards physical activity) and socio-relational-housing and living conditions (social housing, senior co-housing in rural environments, etc.). A qualitative study was carried out based on 16 in-depth interviews developed over one month (February 2022). The conduct of the interviews was supported by the Italian Center for Sensory Analysis (CIAS). Emerging from the results, the concept of active ageing is perceived by mature and older adults in a positive and optimistic way. The sample considered want to re-engage in life, continuing to be active, useful, and maintaining their self-esteem, social life and independence. However, despite older people’s major concerns being preserve their physical abilities and social integration, this target group adopts behaviours focused more on current well-being rather than worrying too much about how this well-being will change as they age.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the emergence of microbreweries in Italy over the last 20 years (period 1993-2014) and assess its main determinants.Design/methodology/approach: The recent intense growth is expressed by the increasing number of entries in the sector actually accompanied, in most recent years, by an increasing number of exits. The paper proposes a quantitative assessment of this entry-exit dynamics through a sequence of econometric models known as survival models.Findings: Together with two other orders of possible determinants (idiosyncratic characteristics and the exogenous evolution of the beer market), the paper assesses the role played by specific geographical and local factors within these dynamics. Estimation results show that, whereas market force and individual features unquestionably affect entry and exit choices, geographical and local factors are of limited relevance, especially for the recent entry dynamics.Originality/value: Although the literature on the so-called craft beer revolution is already vast and increasing, the novel contribution of the paper concerns the specificity (if any) of the Italian case and the role of spatial factors in this respect. This investigation is performed adopting an advanced quantitative approach and this attempt is also quite original within this literature.

Social farming (SF) has emerged as a social innovation practice shaping heterogeneous approaches and results. This study discusses the complexity of SF policy and practices, and it is led by the main hypothesis that the relationship between agricultural and social dimensions might be very heterogeneous, not only in different national contexts but also within the same national and local level. SF policy and practices are investigated testing the hypothesis of three main different modalities of interaction according to how the social and the agricultural perspectives interact. In the first, social target is not involved in the production system of the farm and the farm is the context where actions and measures of a social nature take place. In the second type of interaction, the farm employs the beneficiaries in some of its production activities collaborating with the social services. The third is where the farm organizes its activities to actively employ targeted people to enhance their social inclusion and integration in the community. Italian SF policy and practices are analyzed as case study, through the lens of sociological critical discourse analysis regarding the regional regulatory documents, and interviews for local case studies. The results of the study show that SF policy and practices might be very heterogeneous also within the same national and local level, outlining different hybridization of social and agriculture actions that can be properly analyzed through the three SF model proposal. This study contributes to the broader debate on the various dimensions of sustainability, suggesting the need for further research on the efficiency of SF as local development model sustainable in economic, social and environmental terms.

Current global problems such as the loss of soil fertility and biodiversity and the growth of the world's population for which health and food sovereignty must be guaranteed, make it clear that it will be essential to spread innovations to increase not only productivity but also the quality of production in order to meet these challenges. However, this will not be enough if profound changes are not made in all systems and more sustainable food systems are not built. Organic agriculture is widely considered a more sustainable production system. However, despite the growing attention of consumers towards organic products and the increase in the area devoted to organic farming in recent years, its growth is not homogeneous among and within countries. Therefore, in this work, we investigate the main drivers and barriers to adopting organic farming, first analysing the literature and then administering a questionnaire to a sample of 202 conventional farmers in the Pesaro-Urbino province (Italy). The survey data show that the adoption of organic farming is fostered by the farmer's attitude towards this production method's social and environmental sustainability. The main hindering factors are the farmer's personal characteristics, such as old age, lower education level, perception of bureaucracy, and the farm's inadequacy of technical structures.

Nel presente lavoro si analizza il consumo alimentare del consumatore post-moderno, alla luce anche delle evidenze sperimentali e comportamental