This study aimed to identify the effects of sodium humate (NaHum) on the growth performance of broiler chickens and selected blood and ileum microbiota parameters.

The capability of large food retail chains to respond quickly to changes in consumer behaviour and their dominant market position affects all food market players and often conflicts with the interests of national food producers, which can reduce the presence of locally sourced products in the food product mix in the country. Accordingly, the present research aims to identify the impacts of the diversification of opening hours of food supermarkets on consumer shopping habits and the implications for creating an advantage for small and medium agri-food producers in selling their products. The research applied a quantitative approach to identify the main trends in society (n = 2738), with a survey including 31 variables to quantify consumer behaviour, values, and opinions and seven socio-demographic variables. If a decision was made in Latvia to close grocery shops on Sundays or reduce their opening hours on weekends, 85% of consumers indicated that they would be unlikely to change their usual shopping location and would plan to shop at a supermarket on other days. The choice between farmers’ markets and local food shops on Sundays would be made by 45% of consumers, with more than half (53%) of them shopping at local food shops at least a few times a month. The research uniquely investigated the impact of reducing supermarket opening hours on the competitive advantage of small and medium-sized agri-food producers. The findings revealed that reducing supermarket opening hours does not confer a competitive advantage to the producers or significantly shift consumer preferences towards their products.

The capability of large food retail chains to respond quickly to changes in consumer behaviour and their dominant market position affects all food market players and often conflicts with the interests of national food producers, which can reduce the presence of locally sourced products in the food product mix in the country. In Latvia, there have been several proposals to limit retailers' opening hours on weekends and public holidays to increase the viability of small local food producers, retailers, and catering enterprises; however, limiting retailers' opening hours without research-based arguments is unacceptable. The research studies conducted in Europe also do not give a unified conclusion. Household consumer behaviour in the food market is viewed as an essential argument for increasing domestic demand and economic stability. Accordingly, the present research aims to identify the impacts of diversification of opening hours of food supermarkets on consumer shopping habits and the implications for creating an advantage for small and medium agri-food producers in selling their products. The research applied a quantitative approach to identify the main trends in society (n=2738), with a survey including 31 variables to quantify consumer behaviour, values, and opinions and seven socio-demographic variables. If a decision were made in Latvia to close grocery shops on Sundays or reduce their opening hours on weekends, 85% of consumers indicated that they would be unlikely to change their usual shopping location and would plan to shop at a supermarket on other days. The choice between farmers' markets and local food shops on Sundays would be made by 45% of consumers, with more than half (53%) of them shopping at local food shops at least a few times a month. It could, therefore, be argued that reducing the opening hours of supermarkets and closing them on Sundays and public holidays do not provide a competitive advantage and do not divert consumers to small and medium agri-food producers.

The concept of bioregions stands out among the various approaches to sustainable territorial development, as it prioritises the initiative of local communities in addressing sustainability issues. At the same time, the concept of bioregions is diverse in practice, focusing on organic farming, tourism, local culture and also nature protection. Therefore, a balanced approach to the development of bioregions, which considers the specific characteristics of a particular area and the needs of its local community, is important. The present research employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach to analyse economic, ecological and social value added as the main criteria, alongside their subordinate subcriteria. As a result, three scenarios were designed: the Broad Integration Scenario, the Conservative Scenario and the Culture and Tourism Scenario. The dominant strategy was found to be the Culture and Tourism scenario, focusing on tourism and local cultural values. This strategy can contribute to increasing the consumption of local products and services while preserving the cultural values and ensuring a balanced approach to sustainable development. At the same time, the Broad Integration Scenario revealed that a broad—and perhaps an aggressive—approach to sustainable development was highly controversial, as it had the greatest dispersion in priority vector values. Bioregionalism, however, is a little-supported approach that does not gain support from either sustainability or rapid growth advocates. The results reveal the importance of a long-term approach to sustainable development and, at the same time, implicitly point to the role of public attitudes, both in terms of supply (through local community initiatives in bioregionalisation) and demand, which could increase the consumption of bioregional products and services.

Sustainable agriculture is considered a crucial solution for developing technologies and practices that do not harm the environment, are accessible to farmers, and enhance food production. The current lifestyle of societies is widely regarded as the primary cause of environmental issues, leading to a slowdown in overall development, which must be addressed to ensure ecological sustainability. However, societal needs cannot be fully met based solely on the environmental dimension; economic, social, and cultural factors are equally important. This indicates that new approaches are necessary, which integrate biological and ecological processes into food production, reduce the use of non-renewable resources that harm both the environment and human health and effectively leverage the knowledge and capacities of local farmers. The growing interest in bioregions, grounded in agroecology principles, encompasses economic, environmental, and social challenges. It is part of broader discussions on the integration of food systems with local territories and cultural values, aiming to improve the quality of life in rural communities by making agriculture more profitable, creating new markets, promoting local tourism, reducing agriculture’s environmental impact, conserving biodiversity, and encouraging local food consumption. However, a key question remains: can agroecology coexist with a highly formalized agricultural model without compromising its sustainability potential? Therefore, this study aimed to synthesise and analyse scientific knowledge on the concept of bioregions as a means of implementation agroecology, with a particular focus on its impact on local economies, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability.

Food quality is a set of characteristics of the food product that can be evaluated for each kind of food. Several characteristics are identified for each of them: degree of freshness, energy value, amounts of protein, vitamins, micro- and macronutrients as well as various additives etc. However, the main characteristics of quality food of animal origin relate to its healthiness and safety for the consumer. From the perspective of a producer, quality represents specific characteristics to be achieved by the producer, and product quality is one of the basic elements of economic development to produce competitive products. Food production and processing, especially food of animal origin, is a complicated process that involves several stages and production process deviations affected by risk factors, and the elimination of the deviations is usually associated with significant financial expenses. Risk factors can appear at one or more stages and pass from one production stage to another, thereby negatively affecting the subsequent stages and the final product. In the production of venison, one of the groups of risk factors relates to venison harvesting, pre-processing and storage. Properly processed venison is usually clean and its microbiological contamination is not high, while non-compliance with venison storage requirements as well as bacterial contamination of venison in case of the non-compliance with storage requirements should be considered as a cause of possible materialization of some risks. Therefore, the present research aims to identify changes in venison quality important to the consumer during venison harvesting and storage. Microbiological control of venison is an important factor that affects the quality of the product, its shelf life and, in the long term, the competitiveness of the enterprise in the market. The research has found that venison could be stored for 45 to 50 days in vacuum packaging at a temperature of +3 to +4 ̊C, provided that all the hygiene requirements are met during venison processing, which makes it possible not only to sell the product in the domestic market but also export the fresh venison.