Multinational Food Research Articles

Investigative model of repurchase intention on boycott brand of multinational franchise food and beverage in Indonesia

This study aims to develop an investigative model of repurchase intention from a multidisciplinary service marketing science perspective, focusing especially on conventional and digital franchise retail services. This is supported by psychological consumer purchasing behavior to deepen the analysis of customer repurchase decisions for multinational franchise retail food and beverage products in Indonesia. Following the boycott movement against certain foreign-brand food and beverage goods, the impact of religious beliefs, hostility, and the perception of the country of origin define this process. A causal/explanatory survey was employed as the research method. Participatory observations, interviews, and questionnaires with 220 respondents were used as primary data-gathering methods. These were distributed both digitally and conventionally. Google Form in all randomly selected public and private university analysis units in Indonesia. The observation unit (respondent) used a convenience/accidental sampling technique. The analytical tool employed Lisrel version 88.0. The findings reveal that Islamic religiosity, consumer animosity, and country of origin affect repurchase intention. This original research can generate specific and relevant findings for the Indonesian market context, which companies can use to design more effective marketing, brand management, and product development strategies. This will help companies better understand their customers’ preferences and needs, as well as build stronger relationships with consumers.

Enhancing sales and operations planning maturity: an integrative model for food supply chains in global networks

PurposeRecent geopolitical and economic tensions have caused instabilities in food supply chains (FSCs), affecting their performance and integration. These challenges have significantly impacted the sales and operations planning (S&OP) processes of companies operating in global networks. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding effective strategies for enhancing S&OP processes in response to these supply chain challenges in different sectors. To address this gap, the purpose of this study is to develop and test an integrated maturity model that assists companies in this sector in assessing and improving their execution of S&OP processes in global supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThrough a case study conducted in a multinational food company operating in a global supply chain in Europe, the results shed light on the role of S&OP maturity assessment in guiding focal companies into internal and supply chain decisions.FindingsFindings suggest that the developed model has the potential to enhance the integration among actors in the FSC. Findings provide insights for developing supply chain solutions that align with the functions of the food industry and supply chain dynamism. The study offers actionable insights that address some limitations of the existing empirical literature, which has provided limited support for the role of S&OP activities in facilitating effective integration in FSCs.Research limitations/implicationsThe study highlights qualitative benefits associated with S&OP implementation, enabling food industries to establish more realistic expectations regarding the outcomes of S&OP initiatives.Practical implicationsThis study enhances the understanding of S&OP maturity phenomena in FSCs and provides practical insights for companies to manage the volatile conditions in this sector’s supply chains.Originality/valueThe paper makes a theoretical contribution by developing and testing an integrated model designed explicitly for FSCs, providing valuable guidance for decision-makers.

Cultural identity and Globalization in Culinary Practices: Exploring the Evolution, Diversity and Socioeconomic Impact of Food and Cuisine Across Cultures

This study explores the dynamic intersection of cultural identity and globalization in culinary practices, focusing on the evolution, diversity, and socioeconomic impact of food and cuisine across cultures. As globalization continues to shape food systems, traditional culinary practices are increasingly influenced by cross-cultural exchanges, leading to the emergence of new food trends, fusion cuisines, and the blending of local and global food elements. Food, as a marker of cultural identity, reflects historical, social, and geographical contexts, yet its transformation under global forces raises concerns about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and the erosion of traditional food practices. This study examines how globalization has led to the commercialization and commodification of food, with multinational food corporations and global food chains contributing to the homogenization of culinary landscapes, particularly in urban settings. At the same time, the spread of international cuisines has enhanced food diversity, exposing consumers to new flavours and ingredients, but also challenging the sustainability of local food economies. The socioeconomic impact of food globalization is twofold: it creates economic opportunities through the expansion of global food markets, yet it also exacerbates inequalities, particularly for small-scale, local food producers who struggle to compete with industrialized food systems. Additionally, the study considers the environmental consequences of global food systems, including the ecological impact of mass food production, transportation, and consumption. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach that integrates qualitative interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and quantitative surveys, this research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how globalization shapes culinary identities, influences food choices, and impacts local food economies and health. Ultimately, the study underscores the need for sustainable food practices that balance global influences with the preservation of cultural heritage, ensuring that food continues to serve as both a source of nourishment and a symbol of cultural identity in a globalized world.

‘Like an older family member’: Young Africans’ perceptions of Coca-Cola’s sugar-sweetened beverage brand in South Africa and Nigeria

This paper, through an examination of the perceptions of a purposefully enlisted set of young Africans from Nigeria and South Africa, brings to the fore how Coca-Cola is embedded culturally and symbolically in the lives of these consumers, who liken the sugar-sweetened, multinational beverage to ‘an older family member’ and regard it as a ‘local’ drink and brand. The paper highlights how this has the propensity to enhance the enthusiastic and habitual consumption of Coca-Cola by these young Africans and their contemporaries with similar perceptions. Located within a qualitative research design, the study, amongst other reasons, was conducted against the backdrop of the surge in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Africa and other low- and middle-income countries and the increasing targeting of these regions by multinational food and beverage companies for their growth and profit, as consumers in the global north become more health aware.

Safety Incidents and Situation Awareness Amongst Maintenance Personnel in the Food Manufacturing Industry

Enabling high levels of situation awareness (SA) represents an essential design element of a human-centered work environment. SA has been studied extensively in the fields of aviation, power transmission, and transportation but has received much less attention in the manufacturing work environment. In this article, 52 maintenance safety investigations resulting from recordable injuries occurring over a 72-week period in a multinational food manufacturing company are analyzed from a SA perspective. It was found that 20 of these incidents were the result of SA errors while 18 were not; a total of 14 incident investigations did not provide enough detail allowing for an appropriate determination of the incident’s SA-relatedness. We argue that this analysis contributes to a better understanding of the causal factors involved in maintenance safety incidents and subsequently aids researchers and organizations in developing more effective procedural, design, and training modifications.

Implementation of sustainability activities in food retail chains

PurposeThis study aims to examine the implementation of sustainability activities in food retail chains operating in the Czech market and discusses the specific activities that influence their implementation.Design/methodology/approachUsing the neo-institutional theory as a framework, the research employs qualitative content analysis with an explanatory and inductive approach based on the stratification of data collected by multiple-round, personal, face-to-face interviews by the researchers with managers of the Czech headquarters of multinational food retail chains.FindingsThere is lively development in activities in the fields of the environment and social welfare, while the activities in governance and economic resilience are more stabilised. To remain ahead of the competition, retail chains aim to implement and communicate as many activities as possible where at least some links to sustainability can be found. A lack of benchmarks and clear definitions reduce the ability to determine their degree of engagement. Thus, market actors are inundated with sustainability claims leading to inflation of the concept, while significant achievements are drowned.Originality/valueThis paper, based on empirical research, contributes to the current literature by showing inflation of the sustainability concept as one of the key effects of retail-chain competition. In this context, it also strengthens previous findings on the profitability motive behind sustainability activities. Moreover, we have developed our own stratification method, enabling differentiation between activities getting the most attention due to their progressive phase and those where development is in the background.

Impact of Globalization on Consumer Food Behaviour: A Comprehensive Review

The current market dynamics, including consumer food behaviour, are profoundly influenced by the processes of civilizational and cultural evolution, as well as the ongoing globalization phenomena. The discourse begins with an exploration of the theoretical underpinnings of globalization and its intersection with consumer food behaviour. It further delves into the broader phenomenon of globalization in the contemporary era and elucidates its specific impacts on the dietary and purchasing habits of consumers. The reviewed studies indicate that globalization has significantly influenced various aspects of consumer food behaviour. These include changes in grocery shopping patterns, an increased frequency of fast food consumption, and a heightened interest in both comfort foods and novel dining experiences. The pervasive reach of global media, multinational food corporations, and international supply chains has facilitated the widespread availability and popularity of diverse food products and dining practices across different cultures and regions. However, globalization's impact is not unidirectional. It has also catalysed the emergence of counter-movements and alternative consumer attitudes. There is a growing preference for locally sourced and environmentally sustainable food products, reflecting a backlash against the perceived homogenizing effects of globalization. Movements such as the Slow Food movement advocate for traditional and regional cuisine as a means of preserving cultural heritage and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Additionally, heightened awareness of food safety and quality has led to an increased demand for organic and non-genetically modified food products.

The Microbiota, New Central Dogma of Biology Relationship between Microbiota and State of Health of Living Beens

Few other scientific disciplines have met with as much success in the biomedical field as Microbiomics . The foundations of Microbiomics follow the research of Pasteur, Koch and other famous microbiologists who studied the pathogenic power of bacteria, until more recent authors also demonstrated the beneficial role that many bacteria present in the intestinal flora have. It is up to Isaac Kendall, the definition of microbiota, which is the complex of microbes present in the intestine, and to have recognized its alteration, called dysbiosis, the cause of the most widespread diseases, furthermore he also described its role in other biological activities and on the immune system. Since then, a large group of authors have engaged in a real competition in order to search for the most unlikely pathogenetic connections between dysbiosis and many pathologies for which no certain cause has not been demonstrated yet. Thus an inexhaustible source of etiological hypotheses has fictitiously and randomly replaced our ignorance about the certain causes of diseases that affect humans. In this article Weare going to criticize firmly this improper use of scientific investigations conducted with the use of Microbiomics, highlighting the obvious contradictions of the results obtained and the close business connections with pharmaceutical and food multinationals.

Chained to the App: German Bike Couriers Riding into Digital Capitalism

In the digital age of platformization and digital capitalism, this study demonstrates the significant role of institutionalized relationships in influencing autonomy-control dynamics within platform companies. By contrasting multinational food delivery corporations with local cooperative courier services in Germany, we find that algorithmic management centralizes control in commercial platforms, thereby limiting worker autonomy. In contrast, cooperative models prioritize communication, trust, and self-determination. These findings underscore that works councils and collective representation of interests serve as countervailing powers in commercial platforms, actively advocating for worker protections. In summary, this study highlights the pivotal role of institutionalized relationships in shaping the evolving landscape of work, emphasizing their significance in achieving a more equitable and humane work environment.

Authenticating genuine Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) powders from fakes using stable isotope analysis and elemental profiling

Authenticating genuine Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) powders from fakes using stable isotope analysis and elemental profiling

Drivers of consumer food choices of multinational corporations’ products over local foods in Ghana: a maximum difference scaling study

IntroductionThe fundamental transformation of food systems and retail environments in low-income countries is influencing consumers' food choices and dietary habits in unfavourable directions through the consumption of highly processed, energy-dense foods, predominantly manufactured by multinational food corporations. This study aims to identify the principal factors driving consumers' preference for multinational foods over local foods in the urban Accra region of Ghana.MethodThis cross-sectional survey involving a random sample of 200 consumers conducted in March/April 2023 using interviewer-administered questionnaires employed a maximum difference scaling approach to investigate the drivers of urban Ghanaian consumer food choices for multinational food corporations' products over local foods. The maximum difference scaling modelling analysis utilized in this study identifies the primary drivers of multinational food corporations' product preferences and the associated trade-offs.ResultThe study discovered that food quality and safe packaging, perceived healthiness, taste and flavour, and nutritional value were the most significant factors driving consumer preference for multinational food corporations' products over local foods in Ghana. The criterion food quality and safe packaging had the significantly highest utility than all other attributes in terms of consumer preference for products/meals from multinational food corporations over local foods.ConclusionThe results of this study provide significant contributions to the existing body of research, as previous studies have not identified these factors as primary drivers of multinational food products. Public health authorities and nutritionists can use the study's findings to implement targeted quality assurance measures in local markets and to address the drivers in health education campaigns.

The Italian food environment may confer protection from hyper-palatable foods: evidence and comparison with the United States.

Multi-national food corporations may saturate country-level food systems with hyper-palatable foods. However, the degree to which global food corporations have been integrated into country-level food systems may vary. Italy has largely retained local food production and may have low hyper-palatable food (HPF) availability in the food supply. The study quantified the prevalence of HPF in the Italian food system and compared the hyper-palatability of similar foods across Italy and the United States, which has wide HPF saturation. A national food system dataset was used to characterize HPF availability in Italy. A representative sample of foods commonly consumed in both Italy and the US were collected and compared. Foods represented six categories: cookies/biscotti, cakes/merendine, salty snacks, industrial bread, frozen pizza and protein/cereal bars. A standardized definition from Fazzino et al. identified HPF. Less than one third (28.8%) of foods in the Italian food system were hyper-palatable. US HPF items had significantly higher fat, sugar, and/or sodium across most food categories (p values = 0.001 to 0.0001). Italian HPF items had higher fiber and/or protein relative to US HPF from the same category (p values = 0.01 to 0.0001). The Italian food system may confer protection from HPF exposure. HPF products in Italy had lower palatability-related nutrients and higher satiety-promoting nutrients.

Relevansi Budaya Keamanan Pangan dengan Implementasi Teknologi Industri 4.0 di Industri Pangan Indonesia

The application of food safety culture (FSC) which is influenced by human behavior with the development of industrial technology (IT) 4.0 with less human resources provides a challenge to understand the relationship between them. The research objective was to provide quantitative data and suggestions for improving the implementation of the FSC dimensions in synergy with the progress of IT 4.0. This research involved 35 participants from 18 local companies and 17 multinational food companies (MFC/PMA) for the survey and invited 7 selected participants from both of them to join the FGD. The FSC survey showed that the gap organizational maturity in FSC implementation between local companies (2.93) and PMA (3.62) in Indonesia was 0.7 (world best practice 4.0 – 5.0). The three main benefits and opportunities for implementing IT 4.0 were effectiveness and efficiency, safe and quality products, and early detection to prevent non-conformities or product recalls. There were three main IT 4.0 application areas, namely production, quality, and engineering. The three main forms of IT 4.0 implementation were advanced robotics, big data, and internet of things (IoT). The FGD results showed the relevance between FSC and IT 4.0. Activities in IT 4.0 helped the food industry to manage food safety and quality management system better, because technical problems that previously took time and thought can be implemented effectively and efficiently. Data analysis can be carried out more in-depth, actual, and accurate. Further research is recommended to see the strength of the relationship between FSC and IT 4.0 parameters to determine critical areas with quantitative research methods and advanced statistical data processing.

Workforce Diversity, Organisational Culture and Performance of Some Selected Multinational Food and Beverage Companies in Lagos Metropolis

The disruptions in the global economy introduced by covid-19 pandemic have foisted on organizational management the adoption of policies and initiatives of managing their diverse work groups. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of Workforce Diversity Dimensions (WFDDs) of sex, age and educational attainment on organisational performance (OP) and also the mediating effect of organisational cultural values (achievement values, employee involvement and equity) on the relationship between WFDDs and OP. Descriptive survey design was employed and a sample 464 respondents were drawn using Yemane (1967) method from among 3,280 employees of four selected Multi-National Companies (MNC(s)) in the Food and Beverage sub-sector of manufacturing companies operating in Lagos Metropolis. Data collected were analysed using both simple and multiple hierarchical regression statistical analysis. Results obtained of hypothesis One revealed that work force diversity dimensions (WFDDs) insignificantly influenced organizational performance (OP) with coefficient of determination at R2 = 0.0003. When the interaction term organizational cultural values were added to the regression model (MODEL 2), there was a significant increase in organizational performance of 16.3% (Δ R2 =0.163, p = 0.000) because R2 increased from 0.003 to 0.166. This result shows that organizational cultural values have enhancing effect on the relationship between workforce diversity dimensions on organizational performance. The study concluded that there should be a shift from that assumption suggesting direct positive effect of workforce diversity on performance. Rather, the context of the organisation in terms of the cultural values it emplaces will have any of the positive or negative consequences on the organisation performance. It is also suggested that leadership role and organisational business strategies can be investigated for their mediating contribution on the relationship between WFD and OP as further studies.

Smart energy sustainability hub in light of Industry 4.0

Smart energy sustainability hub in light of Industry 4.0

Creating Value for Sustainability by Transforming the Food Well-being Paradigm—Alternative New Food Product Development

Due to supply chain disruptions and sourcing uncertainties, multinational and large food manufacturers, retailers and suppliers are investing in New Food Product Development (NFPD) to add value and differentiate themselves from homogeneous food markets. However, for start-up food companies, especially in the NFPD field and within marketing research, this is difficult to do. This article’s aim is to analyse a microalgae milk pioneer and proteinalternative food technology company, its emerging NFPD, and its focused values, highlighting the differences with prior evolutions. A design science methodology and case study are applied. The findings show that technologydriven NFPD, with an integrative process, is promising. Moreover, a diversified and plant-based NFPD is encouraged as it creates sustainability values for consumer well-being by enhancing food technology and business performance. This study contributes to the NFPD literature and marketing research by improving current understandings of how to implement sustainability through technological breakthroughs and innovation in the NFPD process. In addition, it makes a methodological contribution by means of demonstrating how design science can help researchers think outside the box and create practical research to provide valuable solutions. Finally, this is the first study to use design science guidelines to create the NFPD value chain framework.

Sales forecasting of a food and beverage company using deep clustering frameworks

The competition among Food & Beverage companies has substantially increased in today's age of digitization. Sales forecasting is one of their main challenges. Due to space limitations, employee shortages, and rising online demand, retail sales forecasting became extremely important for Food and Beverage companies. This research analyzed the sales data of a multinational Food & Beverage Company. It proposed a framework using Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering, Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering (HAC), and Random Forest algorithm for forecasting sales. This model analyzes the impact of the weekends, holidays, promotional activities, customer sentiments, festivals, and socio-economic situations in sales data and is able to forecast sales ranging from one to 15 months. An investigation of the suggested model's performance compared to numerous cutting-edge sales forecasting techniques is carried out to show its efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that the proposed hybrid model surpasses current predicting and computing efficiency methods. The results of this study can help retail managers to allocate resources and manage inventories in well-informed ways. The findings suggest that combining many strategies may produce the most precise forecasts.

Where’s the yolk – did you just call that mayonnaise?

Research methodology The data for this case was collected from legal and business research databases (Lexis, ABI/INFORM)) and from business press sources (for example, Forbes, the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal). Emails between the Egg Board, the Food and Drug Administration and key players at Unilever are referenced throughout the case and were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service Compliance Branch and obtained pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Federal regulations and codes, as applicable, are also referenced (The US Code, the Code of Federal Regulations). Case overview/synopsis This short case presents the problems of Just Mayo, a start-up company, in maintaining and growing market share in an industry dominated by a well-established, multinational firm. In 2011 Hampton Creek (renamed Just, Inc in 2018) began operations as a manufacturer of plant-based food products. One of its earliest products was Just Mayo, a sandwich spread with all the attributes of traditional mayonnaise except without eggs or other dairy products. Shortly after Just Mayo was introduced, Unilever – a multinational conglomerate and food giant, sued Hampton Creek, claiming that use of the name “Just Mayo” amounted to false advertising and unfair competition. Complexity academic level This case is a learning tool for management, business law and ethics students at the undergraduate level. It was used in 2019 in a business law class at the sophomore and junior undergraduate level, where the focus was primarily on ethical considerations for all parties, understanding the role of regulatory agencies, and the legality of the strategies used. However, this case is equally applicable for a management or strategic management course with a focus on analyzing the tactics used for maintaining competitive advantage. A stakeholder analysis for various parties in either of these courses would also be suitable. Instructors addressing some of these topics together should find it particularly useful.

Human rights responsibilities of Nestle Swiss multinational food and beverage company

As more and more multinational companies emerge, they bring unlimited convenience and innovation to people's lives, benefiting generations of human beings, people's livelihoods are secured and multinational companies achieve financial freedom. However, at the same time, the conduct behind multinational corporations is a hot issue of concern to the whole society. In recent years, many multinational corporations have been exposed to have the problem of human rights violations, including illegal employment of child labourers and endless beating or even killing of them, which seriously violates the basic right of survival of children. The research in this paper is focused on explaining and analysing the behaviour behind the individual cases of illegal child labour at Nestlé, and suggesting relative legal penalties and guidelines for child protection, and finally suggesting solutions and recommendations for the current situation of human rights violations by transnational companies. It is recommended that Nestlé multinationals should focus more on direct regulation and be more concerned with the transformation of legal remedies, which is an important way to address the current problems. In general, Nescafe should be aware of the current problems and comply with the law, stop violating human rights and give children around the world a happy and pure childhood.

Global Food Production and Distribution Analysis using Data Mining and Unsupervised Learning.

Today's food industry is extensive and complicated, encompassing anything from subsistence agriculture to multinational food corporations. The mobility of food and food elements in food systems has a major impact on biodiversity preservation and the overall sustainability of our fragile global ecosystem. Identifying the human and livestock consumption patterns across regions and territories will optimize the dietary standards of the habitually undernourished and the expanding population without substantially increasing the amount of land under cultivation. Food preservation is the basis for economic advancement and social sustainability, so the food industry, both local and global, is fundamental to everyone. As a primary mechanism for ensuring global food preservation, there is currently a strong emphasis on accelerating food supply and decreasing waste. Thus, analyzing the production and distribution of food supply will boost economic sustainability. In this paper, we present a quantitative analysis of global and regional food supply to reveal the flow of food and feed products in various parts of the world. Using data mining and machine learning-based approaches, we seek to quantify the production and distribution of food elements. The study aims to employ artificial intelligence-based methods to comprehend the shift and change in supply and consumption patterns with timely distribution to meet the global food instability. The method involves using statistical-based approaches to identify the hidden factors and variables. Feature engineering is used to uncover the interesting features in the dataset, and various clustering-based algorithms, like K-Means, have been utilized to group and identify the similar and most notable features. The concept of data mining and machine learning-based algorithms has helped us in identifying the global food production and distribution subsystem. The identified elements and their relationship can help stakeholders in regulating various external and internal factors, including urbanization, urban food needs, the economic, political and social framework, food demand, and supply flows. The exploratory analysis helps in establishing the efficiency and dynamism of food supply and distribution systems. The outcome demonstrates a pattern indicating the flow of currently grown crops into various endpoints. Few countries with massive populations have shown tremendous growth in their production capacity. Despite the fact that only a few countries produce a large portion of food and feed crops, still it is insufficient to feed the estimated global population. Significant changes in many people's socioeconomic conditions, as well as radical dietary changes, will also be required to boost agricultural credit and economic foundations.