Valeria Sodano

Nano-innovations in the agrifood system have not yet received an adequate regulatory framework. Regulatory delays have been generally ascribed to technological causes, such as the difficulties in risk characterization of very different compounds. Social and political issues have received scant attention instead. This article endeavours to explain the regulatory processes of agri-food nanotechnologies in the European Union (EU), stemming from a wider perspective that shifts attention to the institutional architectures of regulatory bodies, and to power relationships among organizations and stakeholders involved in regulatory processes. To unveil the ‘politics’ of the regulatory process the article examines the EU regulatory choices using two analytical tools-perspectives: 1) the classical five benchmarks suggested by the literature on regulation for defining a ‘good regulation’; 2) the two-dimensional view of power explained by the literature on power, i.e., the agenda power. The study’s results strongly suggest that the current EU regulatory process is driven more by power relationships among stakeholders than by a true democratic decisional process.

The article provides new insights into the assessment of food system digitalization by analyzing how the entire process is mainly power-driven rather than the outcome of fair competition among alternative technological patterns. It focuses on the power forces that have accelerated the digital revolution in the food system and how this revolution is enabling certain subjects to exercise old and new forms of power in the economic, political, and geopolitical spheres. The analysis begins with a brief review of food digital technologies and how the existing literature has discussed their possible benefits and risks. It then focuses on the role of agenda power in promoting digitalization and on hegemonic power as the most important form of power produced by digitalization. The aim of the study is to offer a new perspective, based on the analysis of shifts from one form of political power to another, to better analyze the political issues raised by food system digitalization. The results suggest that to resist the negative aspects of digitalization, it is necessary to transform covert conflicts into overt ones and to understand the mechanisms through which the exercise of power blocks the transition from awareness of conflicts to political action.

Over the last twenty years, the field of nanotechnologies has been affected by enormous investments in research and innovation all over the world. Proponents of nanotechnology praise their benefits; however, the risks may far outweigh the purported benefits. In the agri-food sector, many nano innovations have been introduced so far. Nevertheless, within the European Union (EU), the accelerated rate of innovation has not been met by adequate regulatory interventions. The study provides an assessment of the current EU food nanotechnology regulatory framework using the classical five benchmarks for defining a “good regulation.” The results of the assessment highlight that technical-scientific and economic considerations, which refer to the expertise and efficiency criteria, have been largely used by European policymakers. Criteria of legislative authority, accountability, and due process have been largely overlooked, which may explain the inadequateness of the regulatory effort. The study offers useful insights for understanding and improving the EU regulatory process in the field of nanotechnology.

The paper addresses political issues related to policy interventions for food system sustainability. It presents the results of a literature review, which explores how the concept of power has been used so far by scholars of food system dynamics. Articles numbering 116 were subjected to an in-depth qualitative analysis, which allowed the identification of three main strands of the literature with respect to food and power issues: (1) marketing and industrial organisation literature, dealing with the economic power exercised by economic actors in contexts of noncompetitive market structures; (2) articles addressing the power issue from a political economy perspective and by using an interdisciplinary approach; (3) heterogenous studies. The results of the review witness a growing interest for the analysis of food systems, political issues, and the need of a wider use of analytical tools and concepts offered by social sciences for the study of power in sustainability policy design.

The widespread use of many digital technologies along the food supply chain might have negative effects on rural development and on small and medium farms. One conclusion of this paper is that in order for rural areas to exploit all the benefits from digitization, avoiding the associated risks, there should be more agricultural extension services to farmers and more open data portals and platforms. This is in order to develop technologies specifically tailored for the economic, natural and social environment of rural areas, and therefore to be able to promote their modernization without giving up their cultural heritages.

Every year, the Italian National Health Service (NHS) provides about 200,000 celiac people (based on 2017 data) living in Italy with financial support of about 250 million euro to cover the cost of their specific dietary constrains. The existence of gluten-free products of high quality and affordable price is very important for the quality of life of celiac people and the sustainability of public support. Over the last decade, the market for gluten-free products has experienced a dramatic surge, with an increasing shelf space dedicated to these products in supermarkets, and a large variety of products both in terms of kind of agricultural inputs and processing and packaging methods. This study aimed at assessing the offer of gluten-free (GF) pasta in Italian supermarkets, with respect to its ability to meet the needs of celiac people in terms of variety, prices and safety. A hedonic price analysis was performed. Results indicated that GF pasta is sold only in 44% of the 212 stores of the sample, with a price equal to more than twice that of conventional pasta. A premium price was found for the following attributes: small packages, brands specialized in GF products, content in fiber and the presence of quinoa as ingredient.

Purpose: This paper aims to describe and understand the offer of premium private labels (PPLs) in Italy, with a case study on the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).Design/methodology/approach: The empirical study on EVOO in Italy was aimed to investigate the drivers of the offer of PPLs and its effects on assortment policies. The study was carried out in three Italian provinces, using a cross-sectional design with data collected through direct observation. A two-step data analysis was performed. First, descriptive statistics were used to preliminary appraise hypotheses on the rationale underlying the offer of PPL, and then, the drivers of PPL policy were studied using a logistic regression model.Findings: The estimated model indicates that in the case of EVOO the probability of offering a PPL is higher for stronger with a stronger competitive position (with respect to other stores), and increases with the size of the category assortment (Total Assortment Width) and with the share of the PL products offered by the store (PL Assortment Index). It also increases if the average price (Total Average Price) and the average price of the standard private label (SPL Average Price) improve; by contrast, it decreases if the national brand (NB) share in the assortment (NB Assortment Index) augments.Research limitations/implications: Overall, the study confirms that the multi-tiered PL strategy is one of the current competitive strategies of top retailers, centred more on a differentiation than on a low cost/price policy. Such a differentiation policy may have various effects in terms of channel structure and social welfare depending on the underlying corporate and consumer goals and beliefs and on the existing institutional framework.Originality/value: This is the first study to investigate the PPL market in Italy using original data and taking into account policies actually carried out at the individual store level. A further element of novelty is the attention given to the welfare effects of multi-tier strategies. This paper suggests that these latter may have various effects in terms of channel structure and social welfare depending on the underlying corporate and consumer goals and beliefs and on the existing institutional framework.

The goal of the study is to answer the question of whether the current processes of technological change and innovation within the agri-food system could help to increase its sustainability. Four strands of literature are used to unveil the nexus between sustainability and innovation: models of technical change and innovation, sustainability definitions, agroecology as a science and political movement, and the conceptualization of food regimes. The results indicate that innovation processes in the system follow two innovation trajectories, leading to two different food regimes, with opposite effects on sustainability. Since market forces push towards the less sustainable regime, adequate interventions are required in order to assure the sustainability of the system.

The paper investigates the causes of the delay in the regulatory process concerning agri-food nanotechnologies. The objective of the paper is to unveil the main forces which are making nanofoods enter the market in a weak regulatory framework, despite their unpredictable effects on health and the environment.