THE ROLE OF CONSUMERS IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. THE CASE OF GRUPPI DI ACQUISTO SOLIDALE (SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS) IN ITALY

• Published in: International journal of food and agricultural economics Vol. 3; no. 4; pp. 15 - 26
• Main Author: Randelli, Filippo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics 01.10.2015
• Edition: 1128
• Series: No 4; Vol 3
• Subjects: Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; consumer innovation; Consumer/Household Economics; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; food safety; Food Security and Poverty; Food supply; informal networks; Political Economy
• ISSN: 2149-3766; 2147-8988; 2149-3766; 2147-8988
• DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.229190

This paper addresses the role of ethical consumers in the transition process towards a sustainable food supply. The questions that immediately come to mind are: can the consumers put changes in motion in the established food supply regime? Which are the mechanisms hindering a transition driven by consumers? In order to answer to these questions we analyse the case of Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale (Solidarity Purchasing Groups) in Italy, as a support for a broader reflection to the topic. The growing dissatisfaction with the established food supply, dominated by the duopoly supermarket-global food supplier, has driven a few pioneers to search for new solutions. In the case of Italy, consumers have organized themselves into informal networks, in order to purchase quality food together from local farmers. They are motivated by the meeting of social, ethical and environmental needs (providing sustainable food and support local farmers) which were not served in the beginning by incumbent firms and they operate in the social economy as community groups