IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v128y2024ics0306919224001180.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of pre-empting dual food quality regulation on product reformulation and packaging

Author

Listed:
  • Nes, Kjersti
  • Antonioli, Federico
  • Di Marcantonio, Federica
  • Ciaian, Pavel

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyse the changes in the occurrence of the Differences in Composition of Seemingly Identical, branded food Products (DC-SIP) – also known as “dual food quality” – in the EU and the role of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) in affecting the food industry’s packaging and recipe formulation choices of branded food products. The occurrence of DC-SIP has decreased from 31 % in 2018/2019 to 24 % in 2021. Our regression results show that companies are more likely to alter the front packaging rather than the composition of the products to address DC-SIP issues. The likelihood that changes in recipe reformulations and front packaging are introduced simultaneously is statistically significant but not all recipe reformulations are introduced jointly with changes in front packaging. Our results provide evidence that the UCPD regulation plays a role in companies reformulating recipes or/and changing the product packaging, but it is not a main driver. Companies often justify the composition differences in DC-SIP by differences in market conditions across Member States. The DC-SIP provisions in the UCPD give companies several options for addressing DC-SIP. For this reason, it is not a significant factor in impacting the companies' choices to reformulate or change the packaging of products.

Suggested Citation

  • Nes, Kjersti & Antonioli, Federico & Di Marcantonio, Federica & Ciaian, Pavel, 2024. "The impact of pre-empting dual food quality regulation on product reformulation and packaging," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:128:y:2024:i:c:s0306919224001180
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102707
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919224001180
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102707?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kjersti Nes & Pavel Ciaian, 2022. "EU marketing standards and sustainability," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1844-1863, December.
    2. Kjersti Nes & Federico Antonioli & Pavel Ciaian, 2024. "Trends in sustainability claims and labels for newly introduced food products across selected European countries," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 371-390, April.
    3. Clément de Chaisemartin & Xavier D’Haultfœuille, 2023. "Two-way fixed effects and differences-in-differences with heterogeneous treatment effects: a survey," The Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 26(3), pages 1-30.
    4. Amin, Modhurima Dey & Badruddoza, Syed & McCluskey, Jill J., 2021. "Predicting access to healthful food retailers with machine learning," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    5. Nes, Kjersti & Ciaian, Pavel & Di Marcantonio, Federica, 2021. "Economic determinants of differences in the composition of seemingly identical branded food products in the EU," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. DI MARCANTONIO Federica & NEDELCU Bogdan Radu & PADIU Bogdan & REBEDEA Traian & BARREIRO HURLE Jesus & CIAIAN Pavel, 2024. "Food-Checker: A mobile-based crowdsourcing application for dual quality of food," JRC Research Reports JRC135723, Joint Research Centre.
    7. Grunert, Klaus G. & Hieke, Sophie & Wills, Josephine, 2014. "Sustainability labels on food products: Consumer motivation, understanding and use," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 177-189.
    8. Lucas, Sterenn & Soler, Louis-Georges & Revoredo-Giha, Cesar, 2021. "Trend analysis of sustainability claims: The European fisheries and aquaculture markets case," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kjersti Nes & Pavel Ciaian, 2022. "EU marketing standards and sustainability," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1844-1863, December.
    2. Malin Jonell & Beatrice Crona & Kelsey Brown & Patrik Rönnbäck & Max Troell, 2016. "Eco-Labeled Seafood: Determinants for (Blue) Green Consumption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Kjersti Nes & Federico Antonioli & Pavel Ciaian, 2024. "Trends in sustainability claims and labels for newly introduced food products across selected European countries," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 371-390, April.
    4. Arne Henningsen & Guy Low & David Wuepper & Tobias Dalhaus & Hugo Storm & Dagim Belay & Stefan Hirsch, 2024. "Estimating Causal Effects with Observational Data: Guidelines for Agricultural and Applied Economists," IFRO Working Paper 2024/03, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.
    5. Magdalena Maciaszczyk & Artur Kwasek & Maria Kocot & Damian Kocot, 2022. "Determinants of Purchase Behavior of Young E-Consumers of Eco-Friendly Products to Further Sustainable Consumption Based on Evidence from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, February.
    6. Giovanna Piracci & Emilia Lamonaca & Fabio Gaetano Santeramo & Fabio Boncinelli & Leonardo Casini, 2024. "On the willingness to pay for food sustainability labelling: A meta‐analysis," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 55(2), pages 329-345, March.
    7. Lai, Weizheng, 2024. "The effect of education on voter turnout in China's rural elections," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 230-247.
    8. Feucht, Yvonne & Zander, Katrin, 2017. "Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Climate-Friendly Food in European Countries," 2018 International European Forum (163rd EAAE Seminar), February 5-9, 2018, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 276930, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    9. Burger, Anže & Marinč, Matej & Polanec, Sašo & Kotnik, Patricia, 2024. "Public procurement and bank lending," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    10. Arne J. Nagengast & Yoto V. Yotov, 2025. "Staggered Difference-in-Differences in Gravity Settings: Revisiting the Effects of Trade Agreements," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 271-296, January.
    11. Yechan Park & Yuya Sasaki, 2024. "Matching $\leq$ Hybrid $\leq$ Difference in Differences," Papers 2411.07952, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2025.
    12. Nils Engelbrecht & Tim-Benjamin Lembcke & Alfred Benedikt Brendel & Kilian Bizer & Lutz M. Kolbe, 2021. "The Virtual Online Supermarket: An Open-Source Research Platform for Experimental Consumer Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, April.
    13. Antonino Galati & Giuseppina Migliore & Alkis Thrassou & Giorgio Schifani & Giuseppina Rizzo & Nino Adamashvili & Maria Crescimanno, 2023. "Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Agri-Food Products Delivered with Electric Vehicles in the Short Supply Chains," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 12(2), pages 193-207, June.
    14. Mortha, Aline & Yajima, Naonari & Arimura, Toshi H., 2024. "Impact of the feed-in-tariff exemption on energy consumption in Japanese industrial plants," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    15. Robert Messerle & Jonas Schreyögg, 2024. "Country-level effects of diagnosis-related groups: evidence from Germany’s comprehensive reform of hospital payments," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 25(6), pages 1013-1030, August.
    16. Danilo Bertoni & Daniele Cavicchioli & Franco Donzelli & Giovanni Ferrazzi & Dario G. Frisio & Roberto Pretolani & Elena Claire Ricci & Vera Ventura, 2018. "Recent Contributions of Agricultural Economics Research in the Field of Sustainable Development," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-20, December.
    17. Coralie Hellwig & Kim Bolton & Greta Häggblom-Kronlöf & Kamran Rousta, 2022. "Aspects Affecting Food Choice in Daily Life as Well as Drivers and Barriers to Engagement with Fungi-Based Food—A Qualitative Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-25, December.
    18. Tiia-Lotta Pekkanen, 2021. "Institutions and Agency in the Sustainability of Day-to-Day Consumption Practices: An Institutional Ethnographic Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(2), pages 241-260, January.
    19. Resce, Giuliano & Vaquero-Piñeiro, Cristina, 2022. "Predicting agri-food quality across space: A Machine Learning model for the acknowledgment of Geographical Indications," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    20. Yokessa, Maïmouna & Marette, Stéphan, 2019. "A Review of Eco-labels and their Economic Impact," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 13(1-2), pages 119-163, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dual food quality; EU food policy; Food reformulation; Food packaging;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:128:y:2024:i:c:s0306919224001180. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.