Sustainable attitudes of local people on the purchase of local food. an empirical investigation on italian products

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate characteristics and preferences of consumers on the existence of ethical and sustainable reasons in the purchase of local food products. The exploratory survey refers to 300 consumers from two regions of southern Italy for whom a specific questionnaire was created. The data were processed using the SPSS program, using valid tools and methodologies. The results show that consumers’ sensitivity to purchases and therefore their consumption is connected to ethical attributes, to aspects relating to the improvement of local and global environmental conditions; to food safety; support for local farmers and the local economy.