• The first scientific article on Cantuccini Toscani PGI and consumption trends

A new article of mine has just been published in the European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (4(6), 2024), co-authored with the exceptional statistician Pietro Piu and young economist Sara Tronci, an expert in geographical indications and traditional agri-food products. The article, with the title “Product Familiarity and PGI Awareness among SOU24 Participants in a Cantuccini Toscani PGI Survey,” marks my return to studying consumer behavior. How does familiarity with food develop, and when and how does it turn into purchase intent? This topic is not widely explored in the vast literature on food marketing.
We collected data through a brief, five-question survey designed to capture responses even from people visiting a food-tasting stand at The State of the Union (SOU24), an annual conference on European affairs organized by the University Institute in Fiesole. The results on familiarity and consumption styles are interesting but not conclusive, largely due to the low number of responses gathered.
However, the responses to our question about PGI knowledge seemed strategically significant. They came from policymakers, EU officials, national ministers, journalists, European studies professors, and high-ranking European institution leaders participating in SOU24, in other words, a significant portion of the “Eurocracy.” We concluded that even at the top levels of the European bureaucracy ideas about the real value of PDO and PGI products are not completely clear. This is a gap that should be addressed even before convincing consumers to buy PGI products.
The article is available open-source here. Enjoy reading!