Antonella Samoggia

Purpose: This study aims to examine retailer assortment decisions within the plant-based analogues (PBA) category by analyzing how product characteristics reflect assortment decisions in European online markets. In addition, it seeks to identify patterns in commercialization practices as conveyed through product claims and information on online retailers’ websites. Design/methodology/approach: Through online store audits, 748 plant-based products were collected across 17 online retailers in 5 European countries. The dataset includes detailed information on product format, ingredients, nutritional value, price, claims, cooking instructions and visual package elements. Data elaboration includes descriptive statistics, factor analysis and cluster analysis. Findings: Results suggest that retailers offer standardized PBA assortments across countries, while identifying distinct commercialization patterns to promote these products. These patterns primarily emphasize sustainability attributes, alignment with dietary lifestyle and a combination of health and taste attributes, appealing to different consumer targets. Practical implications: Retailers have considerable potential to expand their assortments by diversifying the brands they carry, investing in underrepresented segments such as fish analogues, and increasing recipe-level variety in terms of flavour profiles, culinary traditions and plant protein sources. Further opportunities lie in strengthening category management through more consistent pricing strategies and clearer, more harmonized product categorization. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by providing the first comprehensive, retailer-centred analysis of PBA assortment and commercialization patterns across EU online retailers, extending prior research beyond single-category and consumer-perception approaches. In doing so, it makes a significant contribution to the ongoing debate on plant-based alternatives as a rapidly growing food category and provides insights into how retail practices can support the protein transition.

The plant-based meat alternatives sector increasingly promotes its products as sustainable, yet the extent to which these claims are supported by transparent corporate disclosure remains insufficiently understood. This study investigates the alignment between product-level sustainability claims and corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) transparency in the Italian online plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) market, considered as a case study within the broader European regulatory context. A dataset of 200 PBMA products from 11 companies was analyzed. Sustainability claims were collected from packaging and online materials, classified into textual, symbolic, and certification-based categories, and evaluated for specificity, substantiation, and transparency. Corporate ESG transparency was measured using an ESG Transparency Index based on 45 indicators from the “Sustainability Dialogue between SMEs and Banks” framework. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and multivariate regression were used to examine the relationship between claim intensity, ESG disclosure quality, and firm characteristics. The results reveal substantial variation in the alignment between product communication and corporate transparency. While specialized plant-based companies and some large retailers show higher ESG disclosure, several firms combine intensive sustainability messaging with limited reporting, indicating product–corporate communication gaps that may warrant further investigation. Regression results show that ESG transparency significantly predicts claim intensity, certifications are positively associated with claim intensity, and company size is not a significant predictor. By providing a multi-level assessment of sustainability communication, this study contributes to research on ESG disclosure, transparency alignment, and the screening of communication–disclosure gaps in environmental marketing. The findings offer insights for policymakers, regulators, and firms, particularly in the context of the European Union’s Directive 2024/825 on consumer protection against misleading environmental claims.

The agri‐food sector, most notably intensive livestock production, stands as a major driver of climate change, prompting a shift towards plant‐based alternative protein production and consumption. Such protein transition is widely recognised as central to the development of an environmentally sustainable food economy. Previous academic research mainly focused on consumer behaviour. In contrast, the production side, specifically how its trajectory is shaped by firm‐level strategies and financial models, remains comparatively underexplored. This study addresses such critical gap by examining the production dimension and firm‐level dynamics of plant‐based protein companies in Europe. Guided by the multi‐level perspective (MLP), the study conceptualises these companies as niche actors within a broader sustainability transition shaped by landscape‐level forces such as climate change and sustainability‐oriented policies. By analysing firm‐level strategies and investment patterns, this research aims to examine whether companies in the plant‐based protein sector challenge the prevailing agri‐food status quo primarily through processes of regime adaptation or through dynamics of regime destabilisation. In particular, the research aims to explore how plant‐based alternative protein firms, as niche actors, actively shape the construction and evolution of the plant‐based alternative protein sector through innovation strategies, heterogeneous pathways and interactions with existing socio‐technical regimes. It further seeks to examine how firm‐level financial dynamics influence niche expansion, upscaling processes and the potential for wider regime transformation within the protein system. The study adopts a mixed‐methods approach combining quantitative economic analysis, cluster analysis and event history analysis. The sample includes 87 companies across four European regions. Consulted databases are Orbis, Orbis M&A and NexisUni to assess financial metrics and investment trends. A two‐step cluster analysis identified five key companies' clusters: ‘quality‐driven brands’, ‘tech‐oriented innovators’, ‘incumbents’, ‘sustainability‐oriented brands’ and ‘niche startups’. Each cluster reflects distinct strategic orientations ranging from deep‐tech R&D and market specialisation to large‐scale distribution, consumer branding and startup‐driven disruption. The event history analysis identified 58 financial events between 2006 and 2025 highlighting the role of private investments—especially from European and US venture capital—in driving growth, with most acquisitions occurring domestically. The study finds a dynamic yet fragmented sector, with innovation‐oriented firms emerging unevenly across regions. By applying MLP to a firm‐level analysis, the study found that the plant‐based alternative protein sector in Europe is a niche innovation still unfolding mainly along regime‐compatible trajectories.

Achieving more sustainable production in emerging biomanufacturing sectors depends not only on technological innovation but also on how production systems are organized, governed, and scaled. Fermentation-derived proteins produced through biomass and precision fermentation offer promising pathways to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional livestock production. However, their sustainability and circularity outcomes depend heavily on access to biomanufacturing infrastructure and coordination along global value chains. Drawing on Global Value Chain (GVC) theory and an integrative review of more than 40 academic and industry sources published between 2017 and 2026, spanning global value chain governance, biomanufacturing scale-up, CDMO functions, and sustainability and bioeconomy transitions, this study develops a conceptual framework that positions Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) as key infrastructural intermediaries in fermentation-based protein systems. CDMOs facilitate access to fermentation capacity, technical expertise, and regulatory capabilities, thereby shaping governance arrangements, capability development, and the scaling of innovation. In doing so, they influence how cleaner production principles, such as resource efficiency, circular feedstock integration, and improved environmental performance, are translated into industrial practice. The analysis also highlights risks linked to CDMO-driven scaling, including infrastructure concentration, dependency dynamics, and unequal access across regions. By integrating GVC perspectives with insights from sustainability transitions and the circular bioeconomy, the article advances understanding of how infrastructural intermediaries shape cleaner production outcomes in emerging biomanufacturing value chains.

Introduction: This research aims to identify key organizational mechanisms that enable small coffee producer associations to create equitable and sustainable alternatives to conventional supply chains, which are characterized by strong inequities and asymmetries. Through an in-depth case study of northern Colombia, this study reveals how collective organization and equitable decision-making processes can transform power dynamics, allowing small-scale producers to retain greater value and establish economic, social, and environmental sustainability.Methods: Building on a comprehensive theoretical framework of fairness—encompassing distributive, procedural, interactional, and environmental dimensions—the research employs a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative data from 40 coffee producers regarding their perceptions of fairness with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with producers and technicians cooperating within the case study.Results: The central finding demonstrates that producer-led collective governance structures directly strengthen self-determination and enable small-scale farmers to challenge dominant supply chain inequities. Specifically, the study reveals that equitable decision-making processes are the critical mechanism through which coffee associations successfully retain value and achieve sustainability across multiple dimensions.Discussion: This research makes an original contribution by empirically demonstrating how producer associations can serve as viable organizational models for transforming global agricultural value chains. By empirically demonstrating that grassroots collective action provides a robust alternative to conventional approaches to supply chain sustainability, the study offers concrete evidence of the potential for small-scale producers to effect meaningful change in the coffee industry.

Alternative proteins (APs) have the potential to contribute to the sustainable transition of food systems. This study aims to assess the current stage of development of the alternative protein industry, identifying factors, both barriers and enablers, that influence business growth. The analysis adopts a systematic literature review, following the PRISMA guidelines, identifying 50 studies. The S-curve model is then applied as an analytical tool to determine the development stage of the AP industry concerning plant-based, insect, and algae segments. The application of the S-curve provides a perspective on the evolution of innovative business such as AP. The results reveal significant differences in the maturity of the AP industry. The plant-based one is the most advanced, characterized by strong market organization and collaborations, despite challenges such as price competitiveness. The algae industry is promising due to its versatility, yet it is hindered due to production costs and unstable demand. Insects face the greatest barriers, including consumer acceptance and ethical concerns. The study emphasizes the importance of creating business strategies suited to each AP source to transform barriers into opportunities. This review contributes to the literature by comparing the unique peculiarities of the AP industry and providing insights from a cross-analysis of plant-based, algae, and insect development stages.

Cultured meat (CM) is currently experiencing a surge in popularity, primarily due to its promise to produce animal-based products with a lower environmental impact and a higher level of animal welfare. Although CM production remains limited and lacks pre-market approval (except for Singapore and the USA), recent technological advancements have been notable. A greater number of stakeholders, including biotechnology companies, start-ups, private investors, NGOs and big agrifood companies, are entering the CM value chain. This paper aims to aggregate, synthesize, and analyze existing studies on the CM value chain to highlight the characteristics, methodologies, and topics they address. Our secondary purpose is to analyze elements emerging in terms of global value chain dynamics. To do so, this study applies a conceptual framework based on the interplay of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and global value chain frameworks. This systematic literature review identifies 43 studies and shows that the most addressed topics are regulations on pre-market approval and labelling, technological progress, the use of patents, the availability and sources of funding, and actors’ roles in the CM market. The analysis and discussion of these findings highlight key aspects of the CM global value chain and present further areas of research to investigate the governance of the chain.

Purpose: This study explores in-store retail sales practices for alternative protein products in Italy, with a focus on plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) compared to conventional meat products. It also investigates PBMA across different brand and business protein orientations to uncover disparities in retail practices, with attention to conventional and discount retailing. Design/methodology/approach: Data are collected in Bologna, a mid-size metropolitan area in Italy, during autumn 2023. The methodology involved conducting in-person store audits across ten supermarkets and hypermarkets. The data collected encompasses variables such as protein type, product format, price, promotions, product shelf placement and protein orientation. Data elaboration includes Analysis of variance (ANOVA) testing and multivariate linear regression. Findings: Results support that retail management practices price PBMA higher, offer fewer promotions and place them in the “ready-to-eat” department versus the meat department, if compared to conventional meat products. This suggests that Italian retailers do not consider PBMA as a direct alternative to the meat, but rather as a distinct food product category with its own retail management practices. The study also reveals that PBMA brand and business protein-orientation management practices influence pricing and sales. Retailers’ managerial approach shapes PBMA sales and consumer purchasing behavior. Originality/value: The study is pioneering research on retailers and PBMA, a rapidly expanding food category. It focuses on Italy, a country where interest in alternative protein products remains limited but shows significant potential for growth. Finally, it provides a detailed analysis of in-store retail food management practices balancing PBMA with conventional meat products.

In recent years, blockchain technology has emerged as a tool with the potential to enhance transparency, fairness and sustainability within agrifood supply chains. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the implications of adopting blockchain, by addressing the issue of the potential of blockchain technology to contribute to fairness within the coffee chains. Starting from a theoretical framework that conceptualizes agrifood fairness and its relationship with blockchain, the research proceeds with an exploration of adopted blockchains’ fairness relevant information in 47 coffee products commercialized by 25 coffee roaster companies. The objective is to assess how specific characteristics associated with both roaster companies and products influence the quantity and quality of fairness relevant information disclosed through blockchain. Data elaboration includes linear multivariate regressions processing information related to coffee roaster companies and products, and assessing the types of fairness information conveyed through the blockchain. By establishing correlations between these characteristics and specific types of fairness, this study reveals that some companies’ characteristics—such as company size and strength of commitment—and some coffee products’ characteristics—such as product storytelling, existence of certifications and presence of blockchain information on the coffee packaging—influence the amount of fairness relevant information displayed on the blockchain platforms available to end users. This suggests that blockchain technology can aid in increasing transparency in supply chains and conveying fairness relevant information to end users. Its effectiveness is particularly significant in companies adopting sustainability oriented measures and appropriate company policies. In these contexts, blockchain can serve to increase visibility of ongoing fairness oriented processes.