title: Carbon footprint as an instrument for enhancing food quality: overview of the wine, olive oil and cereals sectors.
abstract: The quantification of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions represents a critical issue for the future development of agro-food produces. Consumers' behaviour could play an important role in requiring environmental performance as an essential element for food quality. Nowadays, the carbon footprint (CFP) is a tool used worldwide by agro-food industries to communicate environmental information. This paper aims to investigate the role that CFP could have in consumers' choices in three significant agro-food sectors in the Mediterranean area: wine, olive oil and cereals. A critical review about the use of CFP was carried out along the supply chain of these three sectors, in order to identify opportunities for enhancing food quality and environmental sustainability and highlighting how environmental information could influence consumers' preferences. The analysis of the state of the art shows a great variability of the results about GHG emissions referred to agricultural and industrial processes. In many cases, the main environmental criticisms are linked to the agricultural phase, but the other phases of the supply chain could also contribute to the increased CFP. However, despite the wide use of CFP by companies as a communication tool to help consumers' choices in agro-food products, some improvements are needed in order to provide clearer and more understandable information. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Studies, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Viale Pindaro, 42-65127 Pescara, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pattara
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Foggia, Via Caggese, 1-71121 Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Studies, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Viale Pindaro, 42-65127 Pescara, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Antrodicchia
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Studies, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Viale Pindaro, 42-65127 Pescara, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cichelli
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D058572:Carbon Footprint; D002523:Edible Grain; D063427:Food Quality; D006801:Humans; D000069463:Olive Oil; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D000069463:Olive Oil
keywords: carbon footprint; cereals; environmental footprint; life cycle assessment; olive oil; wine