The Effect of the Regulatory Role of Collective Organizations in Relation to the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables from Cooperatives

• Published in: Proceedings Vol. 94; no. 1; p. 57
• Main Authors: Aristotelis Batzios, Maria Tsiouni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.02.2024
• Subjects: agri-food-chain; collective organizations; regulatory role
• ISSN: 2504-3900
• DOI: 10.3390/proceedings2024094057

European agri-food-chains are characterized by strong interconnections among all partners, their complexity, their resilience in a period of uncertainty, and their shared commitment to continue to strive for food safety and quality. The regulatory role of Greek collective organizations thus empowers their members and enables small farmers to achieve the above agri-food-chain goals. A large number of academic articles on collective organizations focus on economic analysis of their performance, but there is little research on the impact of regulation on consumer behavior. The objective of this study is (a) to analyze the Greek market of fruit and vegetable cooperatives, (b) to identify consumers’ opinions with regard to the regulatory role of Greek collective organizations in the fruit and vegetable supply chain, and (c) to assess whether consumers and producers benefit from the cooperative movement.