Mara Del Baldo- Department of Economics, Society and Politics, School of Economics, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
In the context of the agri-food industry, innovative start-ups have come into the spotlight as key drivers of innovation, sustainability and food safety orientation. Prior studies have produced significant knowledge on these topics but have mainly addressed established enterprises, while little is known about agri-food start-uppers and their contribution to social and eco-innovation. To fill this gap, this paper explores new entrepreneurial initiatives in the agri-food industry to understand how and why food safety, as well as environmental and social sustainability issues, are incorporated into their business models. The empirical analysis—based on four Italian start-ups—points out start-uppers' awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and promoting sustainability and health. In this vein, innovation is driven by the start-upper desire to actively contribute to educate the consumer on healthier and more sustainable food and trigger more sustainable lifestyles. Accordingly, their businesses, given their agility and flexible models, are by nature among the first to propose innovative solutions that incorporate the principles of circular economy and sustainability.
The agri-food industry has been defined by the EU - European Commission (2007) as the combination of the primary sector (agriculture, hunting and forestry) and the food industry (manufacture of food products, beverage, and tobacco) (EU - European Commission, 2007; Tell et al., 2016). It is regarded as an important part of the EU economy in terms of jobs and GDP. However, the agri-food industry has traditionally been considered conservative, mature and with a low level of innovation (Costa and Jongen, 2006; Sarkar and Costa, 2008; Cuerva et al., 2014; Triguero et al., 2018; Triguero, 2019). Worldwide—including Italy —small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent the majority of agri-food companies (Di Vita et al., 2013; Banterle et al., 2016; Bentivoglio and Giampietri, 2016; European Commission, COMSE, 2020). Traditionally, these companies have suffered from the lack of material and immaterial resources (Karaman et al., 2011; Corallo et al., 2020) i.e., financial resources, qualified staff, R&D activities, collaboration, information sources and public financing (De Martino and Magnotti, 2018). Nevertheless, global trends for the future of the agri-food system—such as sustainability, climate change, food safety and health—have forced companies to make major transformations and revise their business models (European Parliament, 2019; FAO, 2019).
In this vein, innovative startups—newly created and innovation-based enterprises—have come into the spotlight as key drivers of innovation within the agri-food system (Graziano, 2020).
Prior studies have produced significant knowledge on innovation in the agri-food sector by investigating how companies deal with different practices and tools aimed at promoting food safety (Karaman et al., 2011; Zhou et al., 2016; Steponavičiene et al., 2017; Rezaei et al., 2018; Da Cunha et al., 2019; Asante et al., 2020; Baur, 2020; Reddy et al., 2020). However, they have mainly focused on established enterprises by analyzing the characteristics of the business and/or the context that can foster innovation, while little is known about the purpose of innovation and entrepreneurs' motivations behind innovation, especially with reference to star-ups. In particular, it is unknown whether agri-food start-uppers pursue typical business goals—such as cost reduction and product differentiation—or align with the call for a deep evolution of the agri-food system at the global level by triggering paths of social and eco-innovation (Jové-Llopis and Segarra-Blasco, 2018; Cuerva, 2019). The latter are incorporated in the business model and grounded on entrepreneurial/managerial orientation (Rankin et al., 2011; Tell et al., 2016) driven by a set of values (Schwartz, 1992; Schwartz et al., 2012) that translates into a social and environmental orientation (Tomczyk et al., 2013; Marques et al., 2014). In this regard, prior research addressing the Italian context is still limited (Brunori et al., 2013; Asioli et al., 2014; Bentivoglio and Giampietri, 2016; Malorgio et al., 2016; Corallo et al., 2020; Ghisellini and Ulgiati, 2020; Cesaroni et al., 2021; Palazzi and Sentuti, 2021).
Hence, to fill this gap, this paper explores new entrepreneurial initiatives in the agri-food industry, to understand how and why food safety, environmental and social sustainability issues are incorporated into their business models. Specifically, the study aims to answer the following questions: What are the start-uppers' objectives and personal motivations? What are the drivers of agri-food innovation? How do start-uppers implement food safety in their business models?
To reply to these questions, an empirical analysis has been carried out based on four Italian start-ups operating in the agri-food systems.
The remainder of the chapter is organized as follows: Section Literature review presents the theoretical background, focusing on circular economy and new business models, and directing the attention to the innovation and food safety in the agri-food system. Section Background/context: Agri-food and start-up in Italy introduces the empirical context, the methods and the case studies, and Section Discussion discusses the main findings. Finally, Section Conclusion draws conclusions in terms of implications, limitations and further research steps deriving from the study.
Literature review
Circular economy and the emergence of new business models
For decades, companies have adopted a linear economic model, based on ‘take, make, and dispose' (Murray et al., 2017; Hopkinson et al., 2018). However, the awareness that the resources available are not infinite, along with the need to mitigate the effects of climate change (water pollution, rising sea levels and extreme weather events) caused by the industrial processes on the planet are progressively stimulating companies to adopt sustainable production models (Brinkmann et al., 2014; Yu et al., 2021).
The importance of closing material cycles (Aguilar Esteva et al., 2021) as a crucial element in a sustainable system, has shown the need to move to a logic of ‘reuse, recycle, and recover' (David et al., 2019), typical of the Circular Economy (CE).
CE is regarded among the main instruments to deliver a sustainable world for future generations (Rodriguez-Anton et al., 2019) and as an effective option to respect the planet, ranging from sustainable production systems to the reduction of waste generated, both at the industrial and the individual levels (Rizos et al., 2016; Zucchella and Previtali, 2019). Although there is no single definition of CE, the most shared one (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2012) considers CE restorative and regenerative by design since it aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles. This new economic model enables key policy objectives such as generating economic growth, creating jobs and reducing environmental impacts, including carbon emissions.
The inclusion of the transition to the CE among the objectives set by the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities1 marks the intention to disseminate circular production practices among European companies (Bassi and Dias, 2020; Lucarelli et al., 2020; Giacomelli, 2022). In the absence of mandatory rules (Schneider et al., 2018), sources of soft law, best practices and guidelines, together with the crosshairs issued by the various international and national organizations (European Commission, 2015, 2017; UN, 2015), highly contribute to CE progression (De Cabo et al., 2019). However, to be operationalised and not limited to only a few responsible companies (Marques et al., 2014; Lombardi et al., 2015; Oncioiu et al., 2018) CE requires a change in current business models (Bocken et al., 2016; Geissdoerfer et al., 2018). Moreover, besides the reconversion of the existing ones (Kulins et al., 2016; Ritter and Pedersen, 2020), there is a call for new business models capable of incorporating the CE paradigm (Linder and Williander, 2015; Zucchella and Previtali, 2019), particularly in the agri-food sector (Esposito et al., 2020). The growing attention paid by policy makers, non-governmental organizations and scholars has prompted agri-food companies to incorporate sustainability into their strategies, putting food safety, production traceability, product quality and respect for the environment at the core (Sica et al., 2018).
Business model—one of the theoretical foundations in economics that has gained momentum both in the theoretical and practical fields (Zott et al., 2011; Clauss et al., 2021)—defines how a company provides value to customers and transfers payments to profit (Teece, 2010). It describes the logic of how an organization creates, delivers and controls value (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010).
Despite different definitions, there is a general agreement on the interconnected key elements of a BM: value proposition, value creation and value capture (Clauss, 2017). The dynamic dimension is inherent to the concept of business models (Fjeldstad and Snow, 2018). Business model innovation is seen as a key to companies' competitiveness, renewal and growth (Johnson et al., 2008; Santos et al., 2009; Johnson, 2010; Lambert and Davidson, 2013). A flexible business model incorporates innovation through radical changes, such as the one triggered by digital transformation (Breier et al., 2021; Clauss et al., 2021; Vaska et al., 2021), thus eliciting new opportunities to achieve, which are particularly urgent in a relatively mature and slow-growing sector such as the agri-food sector (Franceschelli et al., 2018).
Innovation in the agri-food sector
Several studies have investigated the factors concerning the activities enabling firms to conceive, develop and introduce new products, services and processes (Bossle et al., 2016; Cuerva et al., 2020). Among these, innovation has been proven to be the result of R&D activities and market orientation (Avermaete et al., 2004), qualified staff and enhanced sources of information (Avermaete et al., 2004), and collaboration along the supply chain (Carraresi and Banterle, 2015; Gonzales-Moreno et al., 2019). Moreover, it has been argued that innovation is affected by both internal factors (company size and the firm's age, among others) and external factors, such as regional economic performance Lefebvre et al., 2015, public policies and the endowment of internal and external resources (Capitanio et al., 2010a; De Martino and Magnotti, 2018). Innovation capability is one of the most important factors in seizing new opportunities and enhancing competitiveness within the agri-food sector (Menrad, 2004; Rama, 2008; Capitanio et al., 2010b; Jové-Llopis and Segarra-Blasco, 2018).
In the past decade empirical research has been predominantly based on European countries and on the sectors of media, information technology and biotechnology, while the agri-food sector has received limited attention (Baregheh et al., 2014; Ulvenblad et al., 2014), except from a few relevant contributions (see Beuchelt and Zeller, 2012; Galli and Brunori, 2013), among others), solicited by the scientific community (i.e., the special issue of International Journals Entrepreneurship and Innovation, vol 15, issue 3, 2014).
Over the coming decade, the EU agriculture and agri-food sector are expected to provide higher productivity of healthy, safe and nutritious food, preserving natural resources as well in accordance to European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (European Commission, 2010, 2012; EU, 2012) aimed to encourage innovation to meet the growing global demand for food and contrast ecosystem degradation and resources overexploitation (Wang et al., 2022). This objective requires robust investments to strengthen research, development and technological innovation (Giampietri et al., 2015), which can be accomplished through interactive approaches that bring together public and private sectors and involve stakeholders (farmers, businesses, NGOs, advisors, researchers) to create a cross-fertilization of science and practice, sharing knowledge and experiences, and speed up the innovation process that is crucial for many agri-food SMEs (Caiazza et al., 2014; Grosso et al., 2021). Innovation in small firms is associated with entrepreneurial features and internal capabilities as well as networking activities and collaborations useful to grasp information, external resources and other inputs (Romijn and Albaladejo, 2002).
In the agri-food- traditionally regarded as a sector with low research intensity (Minarelli et al., 2015)—companies should not innovate in isolation, but should embed their innovation activities in ecosystem populated by a network of actors and institutional framework conditions (Menrad, 2004; Corcoles, 2019). Indeed, networks and clusters play an important role in innovation processes (Pittaway et al., 2004; Musso and Francioni, 2015), especially when it comes to the competitiveness of a sector populated by SMEs, whose success depends on their flexibility and ability to interact with external partners to overcome internal restrictions (Neven and Droge, 2001; Di Vita et al., 2013; Bresciani, 2017). The agri-food entrepreneurs who have developed a more specialized managerial outlook have usually adopted new business models based on a network approach (Lawson et al., 2008; Brinkmann et al., 2014), or taken the form of hybrid organization in-between the for-profit sector and the non-profit sector (Boyd et al., 2009) to pursue the social and environmental goals.
The agri-food sector requires more and continuous innovation2 to improve the productivity of agricultural products and to adapt to input/output market developments and changes in resource quality and availability (OECD, 2013; Borychowski et al., 2020). This particularly applies to Italy, which is facing intense competition, especially from emerging countries (Materia, 2012; Maietta, 2014; Giacosa et al., 2017).
Innovation in the food sector can involve the development of new ingredients, new or significantly improved food products, new methods of food preservation, new ways of packaging and new marketing or organizational methods in the workplace or external relations. It represents a strategic factor that allows the reduction of production costs as well as the possibility to fulfill consumer expectations in terms of food quality, safety, ease of use and storability (Capitanio et al., 2010b).
Innovations introduced by agri-food firms are often incremental (Earle, 1997; Zouaghi and Sanchez, 2016), conservative (Costa and Jongen, 2006; Sarkar and Costa, 2008) and oriented to minimize production costs (Bigliardi and Galati, 2016) or improve product quality because of the increased consumers' attention to product quality and food safety (Shukla et al., 2018; Corallo et al., 2020).
In the last decade, the growing awareness of environmental and social issues on the global scale—boosted by the current pandemic (FAO, 2019)—has triggered processes of business model innovation in the agri-food system aimed at incorporating circular economy practices and eco-innovation (Rankin et al., 2011; Rabadán et al., 2021) and has allowed agri-food companies to pursue and combine high financial performance and social and environmental objectives (Tell et al., 2016; Bigliardi and Filippelli, 2021). Agri-food firms have been the focus of attention of governments and NGOs due to the effect that their production has on natural resources and the communities they operate in (Hartmann, 2011; Long et al., 2020). The potential vulnerability of agri-food companies to public opinion has driven them to integrate, within their corporate strategies, measures that incorporate social, environmental and ethical concerns in accordance with stakeholders's expectations, who are more attentive to food safety and food security [Lombardi et al., 2015; World Health Organization (WHO), 2020; Ammirato et al., 2021].
In this regard, eco-efficiency drives the interaction between ecological conditions and socio-economic factors as well as the combination of agricultural economic development and environmental protection (Pang et al., 2016; Deng and Gibson, 2019; Coluccia et al., 2020; Golas et al., 2020; Yanlin et al., 2020). Agricultural eco-efficiency requires less natural resource consumption and environmental pollution within the ecosystem (Deng and Gibson, 2019; Liu et al., 2020). Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations have gained momentum in driving agri-food firms toward responsible conduct and orienting their policies to pursue sustainability objectives as requested by the 2030 Agenda (UN, 2015). At the firm level, organizational moral motives, to act in accordance with ethical norms in society, are crucial in the product innovation processes of agri-food firms when aiming for socially responsible outcomes.
Innovation and food-safety
Food safety is synonymous with health protection and is an integral part of the values and innovative strategy of agri-food companies [Giraud-Héraud et al., 2009; Hammoudi et al., 2009; Pinstrup-Andersen, 2009; Griffith et al., 2010; FAO, 2019; World Health Organization (WHO), 2020; Yadav et al., 2021]. How a company deals with food safety is reflected in its strategies and business model, and, as a result, its processes and activities (Malorgio et al., 2016).
Food safety requires specific managerial, organizational and technical skills (Karaman et al., 2011; Asioli et al., 2014) and implies an orientation toward innovation (De Martino and Magnotti, 2018) that involves significant investments (Mensah and Julien, 2011; Asioli et al., 2014).
Being that a large number of agri-food companies are small, the lack of financial resources may represent an obstacle to the implementation of innovative food safety systems (Avermaete et al., 2004; Tomašević et al., 2013). The costs associated with food safety are often perceived as too high (Karaman et al., 2011; Asioli et al., 2014; Aung and Chang, 2014; Corallo et al., 2020). Indeed, managing food safety entails investing in new plants, new technologies and equipment, staff training and consultancy services (Mensah and Julien, 2011; Tomašević et al., 2013; Cavaliere et al., 2016; Hessing et al., 2020). In this vein, the lack of technical skills, adequate knowledge of quality management systems and trained personnel have been identified as the main barriers to the implementation of HACCP (Karaman et al., 2011), traceability systems in the agri-food industry (Bosona and Gebresenbet, 2013; Corallo et al., 2020), and food safety systems in agriculture (Rezaei et al., 2018).
Several contributions have pointed out the benefits of food security, including the ability to strengthen and protect corporate image and customer relations and ensure the transparency of production processes and the entire supply chain (Asioli et al., 2014; Mattevi et al., 2016). The practices and tools used to develop food safety create consistency with the values of the top management and improve the company's image and reputation, resulting in significant competitive advantages (Palazzi and Sentuti, 2021).
The factors that motivate companies to adopt food safety practices and systems can be traced back to external and internal factors (Mattevi et al., 2016; Corallo et al., 2020).
Among the main external drivers are the obligation to comply with the legislation (Mensah and Julien, 2011; Kirezieva et al., 2015; Mattevi et al., 2016; Corallo et al., 2020), the pressure from the rules and the social issues that are specific to the context where the company operates (Golini et al., 2017; Baur, 2020), social norms that push the entrepreneurs/managers to engage in food safety practices (Rezaei et al., 2018) and the pressure of the social environment that enhances their awareness and encourages them to engage in more responsible behaviors in the area of product safety (Zhou et al., 2016), growing expectations on the part of consumers who are increasingly attentive not only to the quality and healthiness of products but also to the ethical, social and environmental implications of their production processes along the entire food supply chain (Grimm et al., 2014; Lokunarangodage et al., 2015; Faisal and Talib, 2016). In this sense, the introduction of traceability systems (Asioli et al., 2014) or quality standard certifications (Cavaliere et al., 2016) can be used by companies in the agri-food system as a tool to guarantee consumers a safe and quality product. Indeed, in the last few years the interest of agri-food SMEs and startup companies in the use of certification schemes has grown considerably (Gusmerotti et al., 2019).
Several prior contributions on innovation in the food industry have illustrated theoretical concepts with case studies but they have mainly addressed large firms. By contrast, empirical evidence about innovation patterns in small agri-food firms remains sparse (Avermaete et al., 2004) and calls for further investigation (Franceschelli et al., 2018).
Background/context: Agri-food and start-up in Italy
Agri-food production is a key component of the Made-in-Italy brand. Each year a huge quantity of high-quality products are exported all around the world and contribute to both the economy and the overall image of Italy (Del Giudice et al., 2012).
In 2020, the food and beverage (F&B) industry employed 4.82 million people in Europe with a turnover of 1.2 trillion euros and 366 billion of added value (Food Drink Europe, 2020). The F&B is among the largest manufacturing employer sector and major source of innovation (Kafetzopoulos et al., 2020); 59% of food companies have the necessary skills to tackle digital transformation. In Europe, the highest density of robotics is recorded in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy (ISTAT, 2018/2019). In Italy the sector has recorded positive performances closely linked to products connoted by designation of origin and geographical indication, such as Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin (DOCG), Designation of Controlled Origin (DOC) and Typical Geographical Indication (IGT), Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or Guaranteed Geographical Specialties (TSG) certifications, which are the driving forces of Italian export, with value representing about 19% of the total Italian agri-food economy (CREA, 2020).
Among the agri-food sector, whose structure is very diversified, SMEs represent a leading player. They generate 40% of the turnover and added value and guarantee over half of the jobs. There are over 63,000 SMEs of which 6,250 have more than 9 employees and 2,550 have more than 19 employees (ISTAT, 2018/2019). SMEs in F&B are showing great resilience (Bentivoglio and Giampietri, 2016). Their strengths are represented by the following elements: a wide range of high-quality products; close ties with the territory and the Italian cultural (tangible and intangible) heritage; high safety standards; and the ability to combine tradition and revitalize it through process and product innovation. The macro-areas of specialization include: nutrition and health consumer promotion; the nutritional enhancement of traditional Italian agri-food products; food safety that authorizes new technologies for food safety and the integrity of the agri-food supply chains in a global scenario; and sustainability of the Italian agri-food chain (Caiazza and Volpe, 2014; Caiazza, 2015).
Currently, agri-food is the second most important manufacturing sector in Italy, and despite the current economic crisis, it boasts a positive performance. However, this requires innovation competence to be enhanced since it represents the main driver of growth productivity and competitiveness. In this context, improving regional networks and agri-food clusters is a way to enhance and/or trigger innovation competence (Bentivoglio and Giampietri, 2016) and achieve long-term sustainability, facing significant challenges such as over-exploitation of agricultural resources, excessive use of inputs and pollution (Poppe, 2014).
On the one hand, the Italian agri-food sector represents an excellence thanks to its quality, food safety, cutting-edge technological innovation, sustainability, biodiversity and respect for tradition (Tiozzo et al., 2019).
On the other hand, the Italian agri-food industry must face several challenges. The process of valorising typical productions involves different dimensions: the nutritional and hedonistic one up to the technological, service, safety, authentication, traceability and certification aspects of the products; implementation of enabling technologies, industrial biotechnologies and nanotechnologies, advanced materials and manufacturing systems. To preserve their competitiveness in digitalisation, internationalization and the improvement of skills, start-ups often rely on external (European Commission, COMSE, 2020) and alternative financing forms such as crowdfunding (Cillo et al., 2019).
Methodology
The empirical study below introduced aims to understand how food safety and sustainability issues are incorporated into the motivations for creating start-ups and how they contribute to shaping the business model. Namely, the analysis addresses the following questions: RQ1: What are the start-uppers' objectives and personal motivations? RQ2: What are the drivers of agri-food innovation? RQ3: How do start-uppers interpret and implement food safety in their business models?
The empirical analysis was conducted in Italy since the agri-food industry represents a strategic sector for the national and European economies (CREA, 2020).
A qualitative approach based on multiple case studies (Yin, 2003; Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007) was carried out focusing on four Italian innovative agri-food start-ups. The case study approach is useful to investigate a phenomenon in its real-life context and is widespread in the context of small business research since it favors the in-depth analysis of concrete experiences or new areas of research (Eisenhardt, 1989; Ryan et al., 2007).
With respect to the research objectives the inductive approach, widely used in international management literature (Flick, 2009), allows researchers to understand, through in-depth analysis, complex phenomena characterized by a high level of inhomogeneity or a high degree of novelty and dynamism. This methodology is particularly suited to experimental research strategies (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1989). According to the explorative nature of the research questions, an interpretive-based methodology based on qualitative techniques was selected (Yin, 2014). The empirical research was based on the following steps: selection of the case studies among Italian agri-food start-ups registered at the end of 2020; collection of information through primary and secondary sources, including the company website, sector magazines, newspapers and direct semi-structured interviews addressed to start-uppers (Eisenhardt et al., 2016). The method of triangulation was applied to counteract the weaknesses of each source of data with the strengths of the others (Denzin, 2017).
The research strategy and the information sources are depicted as follows (Figure 1).
Figure 1. The research design. Source: author's elaboration.
According to Italian Law 221/2012, innovative start-ups must meet at least one of the following three requirements: (1) investments in R&D activities; (2) hiring experienced researchers; and (3) holding a patent. A sample of innovative start-ups was selected within the agri-food industry from the Bureau van Dijk database AIDA, which includes a specific section for innovative start-ups.
By the end of 2020 more than 30,000 companies were included in the Italian agri-food sector belonging to the manufacturing and beverage industries (Ateco Sector codes 10 and 11). A further selection was made of active companies providing a phone number and an email address for a total of 6.159. Among these 104 companies were represented by innovative start-up.
The number of companies was supplemented with those included in the Bravo Innovation Hub Agrifood, the acceleration program promoted by Italian Minister of Economic Development as part of the Project “Enterprises and Competitiveness including 66 companies” proposing innovative solutions in the agri-food chain.
Fifteen companies located in Northern and Central Italy were extracted from the sample, on the basis of the prevailing geographical distribution pointed out by prior research (Cesaroni et al., 2021; Palazzi and Sentuti, 2021): more than 50% of agri-food businesses active for less than 9 years are in fact located in the Northern Italy and 20% in Central Italy. All 15 companies were contacted by email and 4 of them were willing to cooperate (Table 1).
Table 1. The selected case-studies.
A key step was to define the method used for data collection and analysis from primary sources through a research protocol aimed to ensure reliability (Yin, 2014) and determine focal elements, including the identification of the key informant people, the lenght of interviews and the questions to be addressed to the start-uppers through semi-structured interviews (Qu and Dumay, 2011; Waddock, 2021). Specifically, the topics included: personal information; professional training courses; reasons for starting the business; orientation toward sustainability objects; attention to food safety and its implementation within the business model.
Online interviews through zoom and meet platforms were carried out from February to December 2021. In total, 8 recorded interviews lasting about 40 min each were done. The interviewees were invited to introduce themselves and talk about their start-ups and innovation processes. To elicit the discourse on how the decision to launch the start-up was born, the interviewees were allowed to speak freely about their company's story, focusing on the phases related to its conception and start-up. We then asked questions to understand if and how the issue of food safety affects the company's choices and behaviors (from the point of view of production, distribution, communication, etc.), and we focused on the most innovative aspect of their startup and what their objectives and personal motivations are.
Magila Aquaponic farms3
Magila is a family business and was founded by Laura (28 years old) who is currently the general director (sole administrator) and her parents. It is a micro enterprise with 3 employees in total. They decided to focus on a new production concept system called aquaponics, which combines environmental sustainability and technological innovation applied to agri-food production. During the interviews, Laura pointed out that: “Like my parents, I have always put environmental issues and the quality of food at the core”. Laura obtained a degree in Environmental Sciences from Bicocca University of Milan, and she did several internships related to the environment. The idea of the indoor greenhouse was born to adapt to the family shed and create a more protected environment for the plants. Laura has participated in numerous initiatives in which start-ups in the agri-food sector were present. For intance, in July 2019, through the Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster, Magila participated in the selection for the presentation of innovative projects within the European project VIDA (Value-added Innovation in food chains for the acquisition of knowledge and skills in support of innovation). Three years ago Laura decided to create a business based on aquaponics and was supported by her family who decided to invested in the project starting to grasp information, and interact with experts in aquaponics. The latter consists of a soilless agricultural technique derived from the integration of the aquaculture system (fish farming) and hydroponic cultivation (the cultivation of plants in aqueous solutions of nutritional salts) with continuous recycling and an integrated ecosystem, without the use of pesticides and fertilizers. The salads and micro-greens cultivated using this techinque are healthy products with a low environmental impact (about 90% water savings) and are characterized by a higher nutrient concentrations than products obtained with traditional methods.
Magila sells its products directly to local consumers (both private and businesses).
She is aware of the urgent need to incorporate sustainabile innovation in the agri-food business model, as her words testify: “The average farmer who has been doing agricultural activities for generations lacks an innovative vision. If a plant is sick, it is normal to use medicine. A healthy collaboration between man and technology (for instance, the use of drones in agriculture) is essential to innovate agriculture and to tackle environmental problems. Moreover, the consumer should understand that it is better to choose seasonal products, produced close to the area where they live”.
Future Farm Srl4
Massimo Gualerzi is a cardiologist who has been involved in the prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases for many years. He decided to set up a company whose mission is to create quality products that help people diversify their diet to protect their health and that have no impact on the environment. Future Farm Srl was established in 2017 and based in the province of Lecco. It produces single flavor juices, consisting of fruit and vegetables only. The kit “Biodetox Strong Smoothie” is obtained using only organic ingredients, like seasonal fruit and vegetables harvested by hand, recycled paper for packaging and plastic-free packaging.
Initially, the company was made up of two partners: Massimo and a colleague, who took care of the operational part of the production. When they conceived the “Dr. Farmer” product line, the company “The Longevity Suite” was established and incorporated into Future Farm Srl. The financial provisions (600,000 the first time and 1,000,000 the second time) were collected through crowdfunding. Dr. Farmer juices are distributed in 18 Italian centers and directly delivered to final consumers attentive to health, weight loss, fitness and detox.
The company has also implemented co-branding strategies and training programs to improve external beauty, physical fitness and mental well-being. According to Massimo, “the consumer should try to consume seasonal foods and focus on quality. People usually don't know how to distinguish quality food from unhealthy food and are often misled by the advertising messages. In the Longevity Suite centres, people's lifestyles are changed”.
InovaFood Srl natural inventions5
Stefano Pillot is 52 years old and has been working in the ice cream sector for years. After getting a degree in agricultural sciences in 2003, he took over the trading company where he worked, transformed it into a production company and founded the Galatea brand, to produce artisanal ice cream. Galatea belongs to the small Gelinova group. He then founded with his wife the start-up Inovafood Srl, based in Pordenone, to carry out research and development in the agri-food sector and generate innovations beneficial to Galatea and Golosa, a company that focuses on confectioneries. Stefano and his wife are start-up partners, and they only have one employee, a food technologist. Currently, InovaFood is carrying out research trying to find a sugar substitute to improve health. Food safety rests on both the use of technology and raw materials.
In this regard Stefano affirmed that: “Large distribution networks are being more and more attentive to traceability, natural and organic products. To improve food safety and increase the quality of their diet, consumers, who are poorly informed, need more information and knowledge on the labels and must be encouraged to consume better products”.
Smart Farm Srl Società Agricola
Matteo Fecchio is a 33-year-old agricultural expert who, after graduating, set up a sole proprietorship operating in two production lines: a more traditional one, devoted to cultivating aromatic plants addressed to the fruit and vegetable market, and an innovative one, focused on a micro-algae project known at the University of Padua. After 3 years of experimentation, in 2020 Matteo, with the support of financing partners, set up a production plant of a superfood, a micro-algae called spirulina, used for its properties in the field of nutraceuticals. Today the Smart farm Srl Società Agricola has been legally constituted as a start-up, to introduce several types of algae and improve the production and efficiency of spirulina, combining the extraction of essential oils from medicinal plants. The start-up is also evaluating the insect breeding project for food use. A further innovative aspect concerns the technologies adopted to obtain new generation foods, making them accessible to all, and the sustainable agricultural model, attentive to both economic and environmental issues through the use of renewable sources. Matteo and his partners collaborate with other agrifood companies and universities (Padua and Pisa) on projects focused on the reuse of organic waste in cultivating algae. The founder affirms: “We are facing several problems due to bureaucracy to guarantee food safety in accordance with the law and the required controls. As a consequence, we need to lower production costs as much as possible during the cultivation phase and to adopt new sales strategies such as online commerce. Many farmers do not have an innovative mentality and do not understand the importance of online commerce and the use of innovative technologies to increase product quality”.
A synthesis of the main findings useful to answer the research questions is provided in the table below, which includes some excerpts drawn from the interviews (Table 2).
Table 2. Main findings outiline.
Discussion
Drawing from the case studies, innovation in agri-food start-ups is mainly guided by objectives such as ensuring better food safety of products, improving organoleptic quality, and implementing a sustainable production process. Behind these objectives, and referring to the first research question, start-uppers' motivations often have nothing to do with traditional profit orientation and are strongly linked to personal and familial values and beliefs (Schwartz et al., 2012). Environmental sustainability deeply affected their choices to become entrepreneurs and is among the main reasons that led them to decide to start their businesses. Start-uppers are convinced of the importance of protecting the environment, sustainability and health. In this vein, innovation is driven by the desire to leave a healthier environment or educate the consumer on healthier and more sustainable food by triggering more sustainable lifestyles (Lombardi et al., 2015). For instance, InovaFood Srl uses social media and organizes webinars to promote food safety and sustainability issues.
In some cases, such as Magila Aquaponic, they are inspired by the desire to reinterpret traditional products or production processes. They are driven by the desire to ensure food safety beyond legislation compliance because they feel the ethical responsibility of their entrepreneurial actions in the agri-food system (Brunori et al., 2013; Jové-Llopis and Segarra-Blasco, 2018). Start-uppers are also aware that consumers are more concerned with sustainability and food safety due to the Covid pandemic, which has led them to be more attentive to health, thus encouraging them to boost innovation that manifests through sustainable products and processes i.e., the use of energy retrieved from renewable sources and recycled materials (Baregheh et al., 2014; Bocken et al., 2016; Bassi and Dias, 2020).
In relation to the second research question—the drivers of food safety for businesses—the results from prior studies have highlighted two main drivers: pressure from stakeholders (Grimm et al., 2014; Lokunarangodage et al., 2015; Faisal and Talib, 2016; Golini et al., 2017; Baur, 2020) and internal factors attributable to the desire of the management to improve the corporate image and reputation (Aung and Chang, 2014). In this vein, results from the case studies mark the relevance of intrinsic reasons that trigger the entrepreneurial orientation and the will to create consistency with basic values, which can help to explain individual decision making, attitudes and behaviors (Schwartz et al., 2012).
With regard to the third research question results drawn from the analysis point out that food safety is integrated in the business model. processes. Therefore, it is not only in compliance with legislation and the adoption of ad hoc solutions to solve contingent problems through a reactive approach; rather, it is much more since food safety is an integral part of the corporate values and strategy. The barriers pointed out by previous studies in terms of excessive costs (Karaman et al., 2011; Asioli et al., 2014; Aung and Chang, 2014; Corallo et al., 2020; Hessing et al., 2020), the lack of financial resources and public contributions (Tomašević et al., 2013), the lack of partners and suitable technologies, do not seem to hinder innovation. The analyzed companies manifest a tension surrounding food safetythat overcomes the lack of skills, experience and information (Mattevi et al., 2016) by accessing external resources and activating partnerships with actors belonging to the entrepreneurial ecosystems (i.e., universities, research centers, etc.) (Giacosa et al., 2017).
Conclusion
High-intensity and rough traditional agricultural production methods have led to structural imbalance and the functional degradation of several ecosystems (Horton et al., 2016). Sustainable agri-food eco-systems share data and information among farmers, businesses and consumers and apply transparent and dynamic decisions. Therefore, contemplating food security and sustainability in the business model is a key challenge for agri-food companies called to embody circular economy processes, especially for small and young agri-food companies that suffer from structural limits, making it more difficult to invest and innovate (Costa and Jongen, 2006; Sarkar and Costa, 2008; Cuerva et al., 2014; Triguero et al., 2018; Triguero, 2019). However, the complexity, fragmentation and barriers of the agri-food system can be overcome through collaborating with stakeholders both public and private organizations—starting with universities (Menrad, 2004; Corcoles, 2019). Partnerships between agri-food start-ups and universities are essential to foster innovation (in terms of nutrition and health claims, certification and product traceability, development of technologies for high quality and healthy products) and to improve food safety, as well as raise consumer awareness of food safety (Karaman et al., 2011; Mensah and Julien, 2011; Asioli et al., 2014; Caiazza and Volpe, 2014; Malorgio et al., 2016; De Martino and Magnotti, 2018). The whole system must enhance its contribution of small producers, who have innovative ideas, are particularly attentive to food security and offer an important contribution to leverage local economies [World Health Organization (WHO), 2020]. Start-ups, given their agility and flexible models, are by nature among the first to propose innovative solutions. Innovative technologies are fundamental in the start-up world of agri-food, including the agritech sector, the development of technologies for traceability and food safety (Karaman et al., 2011; Zhou et al., 2016; Steponavičiene et al., 2017; Rezaei et al., 2018; Da Cunha et al., 2019; Asante et al., 2020; Baur, 2020; Reddy et al., 2020) and the design of solutions to satisfy new consumption models and the creation of new products.
Value and implications
Studying objectives that guide innovation and start-uppers' motivations behind innovation in the agri-food sector is relevant to understanding whether and how newly created and innovation-based enterprises are sensitive to global trends for the future of the agri-food system and ready to take on the challenge.
This study highlights that even in a traditional sector such as the agri-food, new entrepreneurial figures are emerging, driven by the sensitivity to sustainability, environment, health, and food security [World Health Organization (WHO), 2020]. This study is also valuable for enabling policymakers to identify the levers on which to promote an entrepreneurial culture more oriented toward the agri food industry trends This is particularly relevant in Italy, which hosts two of the most important international accelerators (Start-up BookCamp, FoodTech and FoodForward), and where food-tech (‘from the farm to the fork') leverages innovative digital technologies for the production, storage, processing, packaging, control and distribution of food (Asioli et al., 2014; Malorgio et al., 2016; Corallo et al., 2020). Moreover, Italy covers a strategic positioning on the CE also due to the increasing regulatory focus (e.g., law 221, 28 December 2015; ‘Toward a model of Circular economy for Italy' and other legislative decrees) (Ghisellini and Ulgiati, 2020).
Given the results, this study contributes to pointing out the drivers of this orientation grounded on sustainability-oriented business models and emphasizes the relevance of the start-uppers values.
Limitations and further research
This study has some limitations that can be addressed in further research. First, results cannot be generalized since they are drawn from the analysis of a limited number of cases. Case studies are not based on statistical generalization (Tsang, 2014), while they can provide an analytical generalization that derives from the observation of a specific phenomenon, aiming to determine theory understanding and explanations useful for other cases (Yin, 2013). At the moment, four start-uppers have been interviewed, but data collection relative to additional case studies is still ongoing. Further interviews will be useful to reach a satisfactory level of “theoretical saturation” (Eisenhardt, 1989). Accordingly, future research could investigate both the objective of innovation and the motivations of start-uppers by reiterating the analysis on a more ample sample, including mature agri-food companies, and adopting a comparative perspective. Finally, the methodological approach could be complemented by adopting a quantitative-based analysis perspective to carry out a survey addressed to all companies populating the agri-food system, in Italy and/or in other European countries.
Data availability statement
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Author contributions
The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication.
Funding
This work was benefited from the contribution of the University of Urbino for the co-financing of publications by the Department of Economics, Society and Politics (year 2022) and for the University Scientific Research on the theme of the promotion of health and food safety “Food safety: Guidelines, strategies and performance of agrifood companies”.
Conflict of interest
The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Footnotes
1. ^The EU taxonomy includes: overarching environmental and climate objectives: the transition to a circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems, pollution prevention and control (European Commission, 2015).
2. ^The Oslo Manual defines innovation as the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service) or process, a new marketing method or a new organisational method in business practices, workplace organization or external relations (OECD/Eurostat, 2005).
4. ^https://www.dr-farmer.com/
5. ^https://www.galateagelati.it/azienda/https://www.inovafoodsrl.it/
References
Aguilar Esteva, L., Kasliwal, A., Kinzler, M. S., Kim, H. C., and Keoleian, G. (2021). Circular economy framework for automobiles: closing energy and material loops. J. Ind. Ecol. 25, 877–889. doi: 10.1111/jiec.13088
Ammirato, S., Felicetti, A. M., Ferrara, M., Raso, C., and Violi, A. (2021). Collaborative organization models for sustainable development in the agri-food sector. Sustainability 13, 2301. doi: 10.3390/su13042301
Asante, S. B., Ragasa, C., and Andam, K. S. (2020). Drivers of food safety adoption among food processing firms: a nationally representative survey in Ghana. Int Food Policy Res. Ins. discussion 01985. doi: 10.2499/p15738coll2.134207
Asioli, D., Boecker, A., and Canavari, M. (2014). On the linkages between traceability levels and expected and actual traceability costs and benefits in the Italian fishery supply chain. Food Control 46, 10–17. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.04.048
Aung, M. M., and Chang, Y. S. (2014). Traceability in a food supply chain: safety and quality perspectives. Food Control 39, 172–184. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.11.007
Avermaete, T., Viaene, G., Eleanor, J., Morgan, E. J., Pitts, E., Crawford, N., et al. (2004). Determinants of product and process innovation in small food manufacturing firms. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 15, 474–483, doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2004.04.005
Banterle, A., Cavaliere, A., and De Marchi, E. (2016). The Italian food industry in the era of the TTIP negotiate. Br. Food J. 118, 1930–1945. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-05-2016-0191
Baregheh, A., Hemsworth, D., and Rowley, J. (2014). Towards an integrative view of innovation in food sector SMEs. Int. J. Ent. Innov. 15, 147–158. doi: 10.17261/Pressacademia.2017.496
Bassi, F., and Dias, J. G. (2020). Sustainable development of small-and medium-sized enterprises in the European Union: a taxonomy of circular economy practices. Bus. Strat. Environ. 29, 2528–2541. doi: 10.1002/bse.2518
Baur, P. (2020). When farmers are pulled in too many directions: comparing institutional drivers of food safety and environmental sustainability in California agriculture. Agri. Hum. Values 37, 1175–1194. doi: 10.1007/s10460-020-10123-8
Bentivoglio, D., and Giampietri, F. A. (2016). The new EU innovation policy for farms and SMEs' competitivenss and sustainability: the case of cluster Agrifood Marche in Italy. Q. Access to Success, 16, 56–63.
Beuchelt, T., and Zeller, M. (2012). The role of cooperative business models for the success of smallholder coffee certification in Nicaragua: a comparison of conventional, organic and Organic-Fairtrade certified cooperatives. Renewable Agri. Food Sys. 28, 195–211. doi: 10.1017/S1742170512000087
Bigliardi, B., and Filippelli, S. (2021). Investigating circular business model innovation through keywords analysis. Sustainability 13, 1–23. doi: 10.3390/su13095036
Bigliardi, B., and Galati, G. (2016). Which factors hinder the adoption of open innovation in SMEs? Technol. Anal. Strat. Manage. 28, 1–17. doi: 10.1080/09537325.2016.1180353
Bocken, N. M. P., de Pauw, I., Bakker, C., and Van Der Grinten, B. (2016). Product design and business model strategies for a circular economy. J. Indu. Prod. Eng 33, 308–320. doi: 10.1080/21681015.2016.1172124
Borychowski, M., Stepien, S., Polcyn, J., Tosovic-Stevanovic, A., Calovic, D., Lalic, G., et al. (2020). Socio-economic determinants of small family farms' resilience in selected central and Eastern European countries. Sustainability 12, 10362. doi: 10.3390/su122410362
Bosona, T., and Gebresenbet, G. (2013). Food traceability as an integral part of logistics management in food and agricultural supply chain. Food Control 33, 32–48. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.02.004
Bossle, M. B., De Barcellos, M. D., and Vieira, L. M. (2016). Why food companies go green? The determinant factors to adopt eco-innovations. Br. Food J. 118, 1317–1333. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-10-2015-0388
Boyd, B., Henning, N., Reyna, E., Wang, D. E., and Welch, M. D. (2009). Hybrid Organizations: New Business Models for Environmental Leadership. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing.
Breier, M., Kallmuenzer, A., Clauss, T., Gast, J., Kraus, S., and Tiberius, V. (2021). The role of business model innovation in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 crisis. Int. .J. Hosp. Manage. 92, 102723. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102723
Bresciani, S. (2017). Open, networked and dynamic innovation in the food and beverage industry. Br. Food J. 119, 2290–2293. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-08-2017-0458
Brinkmann, P., Håkansson, A., Butiene, I., Kjærsgard, H., Mortensen, B. K., Martens, J., et al. (2014). The use of networks as a strategic approach of micro-enterprises in the agri-food sector. Int. .J. Ent. Innov. 15, 169–178. doi: 10.5367/ijei.2014.0156
Brunori, G., Malandrin, V., and Rossi, A. (2013). Trade-off or convergence? The role of food security in the evolution of food discourse in Italy. J. Rural Stud. 29, 19–29. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2012.01.013
Caiazza, R. (2015). Explaining innovation in mature industries: evidences from Italian SMEs. Technol. Anal. Strat. Manage. 27, 975–985. doi: 10.1080/09537325.2015.1038511
Caiazza, R., Volpe, T., and Audretsch, D. (2014). Innovation in agro-food chain. J. Ent. Commun. People Places Global Econ. 8, 180–187. doi: 10.1108/JEC-06-2014-0009
Caiazza, R., and Volpe, T. (2014). Agro-food firms' competitiveness: made in Italy in the world. Int. Rev. Manage. Bus. Res. 3, 1790–1796.
Capitanio, F., Coppola, A., and Pascucci, S. (2010a). Indications for drivers of innovation in the food sector. Br. Food J. 111, 820–838. doi: 10.1108/00070700910980946
Capitanio, F., Coppola, A., and Pascucci, S. (2010b). Product and process innovation in the Italian food industry. Agribusiness 26, 503–518. doi: 10.1002/agr.20239
Carraresi, L., and Banterle, A. (2015). Agri-food competitive performance in EU Countries a fiftene-year retrostpecive. Int. Food Agribus. Manage. Rev. 18, 37–62. doi: 10.22004/ag.econ.204135
Cavaliere, A., Peri, M., and Banterle, A. (2016). Vertical coordination in organic food chains: a survey based analysis in France, Italy and Spain. Sustainability 8, 569. doi: 10.3390/su8060569
Cesaroni, F. M., Giombini, G., and Marin, G. (2021). Recent trends of the Italian food manufacturing sector. Argomenti 18, 77–104.
Cillo, V., Rialti, R., Bertoldi, B., and Ciampi, F. (2019). Knowledge management and open innovation in agri-food crowdfunding. Br. Food J. 121, 241–258, doi: 10.1108/BFJ-07-2018-0472
Clauss, T. (2017). Measuring business model innovation: conceptualization, scale development and proof of performance. R&D Manag. 47, 385–403. doi: 10.1111/radm.12186
Clauss, T. T., Clauß, M., Breier, M., Sascha, K., and Raj, M. (2021). Temporary business model innovation – SMEs' innovation response to the COVID-19 crisis. R&D Manage. 52, 294–312. doi: 10.1111/radm.12498
Coluccia, B., Valente, D., Fusco, G., De Leo, F., and Porrini, D. (2020).Assessing agricultural eco-efficiency in Italian Regions. Ecol. Indic. 116, 106483. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106483
Corallo, A., Latino, M. E., Menegoli, M., and Striani, F. (2020). What factors impact on technological traceability systems diffusion in the agrifood industry? An Italian survey. J. Rural Stu. 75, 30–47. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.02.006
Corcoles, D. (2019). “The influence of collaboration with competitors on eco and non-eco-innovation: a study for the Spanish food industry,” in Research on Open-Innovation Strategies and Eco-Innovation in Agro-Food Industries, eds A. Triguero and A. Gonzales-Moreno (Oxford: Chartridge Oxford Books), 83–95.
Costa, A. I. A., and Jongen, W. M. F. (2006). New insights into consumer-led food product development. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 17, 457–465. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2006.02.003
CREA (2020). L'agroalimentare italiano settore chiave dell'economia leader in Europa per valore aggiunto agricolo, 2019, available at CREA: Food Drink Europe, Data and Trends, EU Food and Drink Industry, 2020, Edition. Available online at: https://www.crea.gov.it/-/crea-l-agro-alimentare-italiano-settore-chiave-dell-economia-leader-in-europa-per-valore-aggiunto-agricolo-1 (accessed May 03, 2022).
Cuerva, M. C. (2019). “Influence of suppliers and customers knowledge spurces on product and process eco-innovation in the food industry,” in Research on Open-Innovation Strategies and Eco-Innovation in Agro-Food Industries, eds A. Triguero and A. Gonzales-Moreno (Oxford: Chartridge Oxford Books), 73–82.
Cuerva, M. C., Triguero, A., and Corcoles, D. (2014). Drivers of green and non-green innovation: empirical evidence in Low-Tech SMEs. J. Cleaner Prod. 68, 104–113. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.10.049
Cuerva, M. C., Triguero, A., and Sáez-Martinez, F. J. (2020), “The way to be gree: determinants of eco-process innovations in the food sector,” in Sustainable Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, eds E. Lavere, R. Blacburn, C. Diaz-Garcia, A. Gonzales-Moreno (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar).
Da Cunha, D. T., de Rosso, V. V., Pereira, M. B., and Stedefeldt, E. (2019). The differences between observed and self-reported food safety practices: a study with food handlers using structural equation modeling. Food Res. Int. 125, 108637. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108637
David, A., Thangavel, Y. D., and Sankriti, R. (2019). Recover, recycle and reuse: an efficient way to reduce the waste. Int. J. Mech. Prod. Eng. Res. Dev. 9, 31–42. doi: 10.24247/ijmperdjun20194
De Cabo, R. M., Terjesen, S., Escot, L., and Gimeno, R. (2019). Do ‘soft law'board gender quotas work? Evidence from a natural experiment. Eur. Manage. J. 37, 611–624. doi: 10.1016/j.emj.2019.01.004
De Martino, M., and Magnotti, F. (2018). The innovation capacity of small food firms in Italy. Eur. J. Innov. Manage. 21, 362–383. doi: 10.1108/EJIM-04-2017-0041
Del Giudice, T., Nebbia, S., and Pascucci, S. (2012). The “young” consumer perception of functional foods in Italy. J. Food Prod. Market. 18, 222–241. doi: 10.1080/10454446.2012.666444
Deng, X., and Gibson, J. (2019), Improving eco-efficiency for the sustainable agricultural production: a case study in Shandong, China. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Chang. 144, 394–400. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2018.01.027
Di Vita, G., Bellia, C., Pappalardo, G., and D'Amico, M. (2013). The role of innovation and organization in small size wineries: the case of malvasia delle lipari PDO Wine1. Q. Access to Success 14, 107.
Earle, M. D. (1997). Innovation in the food industry. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 8, 166–175. doi: 10.1016/S0924-2244(97)01026-1
Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Acad. Manage. Rev. 14, 532–550. doi: 10.2307/258557
Eisenhardt, K. M., and Graebner, M. E. (2007). Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenge. Acad. Manag. J. 50, 25–32. doi: 10.5465/amj.2007.24160888
Eisenhardt, K. M., Graebner, M. E., and Sonenshein, S. (2016). Grand challenges and inductive methods: rigor without rigor mortis. Acad. Manage. J. 59, 1113–1123. doi: 10.5465/amj.2016.4004
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012). Towards the Circular Economy: An Economic and Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition. 24. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Cowes, UK.
Esposito, B., Sessa, M. R., Sica, D., and Malandrino, O. (2020). Towards circular economy in the agri-food sector. A systematic literature review. Sustainability 12, 7401. doi: 10.3390/su12187401
EU - European Commission. (2007). Economic Analysis of EU Agriculture: The Importance and Contribution of the Agri-Food Sector to the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas. DEV-RU 27295, European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Brussels, Belgium.
EU (2012). Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems in Transition–A Reflection Paper. European Commission, Standing Committee on Agricultural Research-Collaborative Working Group on Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (CWG AKIS), Brussels.
European Commission (2010). Communication from the Commission “Europe 2020 A strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” (COM (2010) 2020 final) (Brussels: European Commission).
European Commission (2015). “Communication from the commission to the European parliament, the council, the European economic and social committee and the committee of the regions,” in Closing the Loop—An EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy; European Commission. Brussels, Belgium.
European Commission COMSE. (2020). Europe's programme for small and medium-sized enterprises, 2020. Avaliable online at: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/cosme_it (accessed October 14, 2021).
European Commission. (2012). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the European Innovation Partnership' Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (COM). Brussels: European Commission.p. 79. Available online at: https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/sites/default/files/communication_on_eip_-_en.pdf (accessed May 3rd, 2022).
European Commission (2017). European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. Available online at: https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en (accessed October 14, 2021).
European Parliament. (2019). Eurobarometer. Food safety in the EU—Report. Brussels: ESFA European Food Safety Authority. Available online at: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/corporate_publications/files/Eurobarometer2019_Food-safety-in-the-EU_Full-report.pdf (accessed June 4, 2021).
Faisal, M. N., and Talib, F. (2016). Implementing traceability in Indian food-supply chains: an interpretive structural modeling approach. J. Foodservice Bus. Res. 19, 171–196. doi: 10.1080/15378020.2016.1159894
FAO (2019). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019: Safeguarding against Economic Slowdowns and Downturns. Rome, Italy.
Fjeldstad, O. D., and Snow, C. C. (2018). Business models and organization design. Long Range Plann. 51, 32–39. doi: 10.1016/j.lrp.2017.07.008
Food Drink Europe (2020). Data and trends of the European Food and Drink Industry 2020. Avaialable online at: https://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/resource/data-trends-of-the-european-food- and-drink-industry-2020/ (accessed November 04, 2020).
Franceschelli, M. V., Santoro, G., and Candelo, E. (2018). Business model innovation for sustainability: a food start-up case study. Br. Food J. 10, 2483–2494. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-01-2018-0049
Galli, F., and Brunori, G. (2013). Short food supply chains as drivers of sustainable development. Evidence document”, Working Paper Developed in the Framework of the FP7 Project FOODLINKS (GA No. 265287), Laboratorio di studi rurali Sismondi. Available online at: www.foodlinkscommunity.net/fileadmin/documents _organicresearch/foodlinks/CoPs/evidence-document-sfsc-cop.pdf (accessed October 14, 2021).
Geissdoerfer, M., Morioka, S., De Carvalho, M., and Evans, S. (2018). Business models and supply chains for the circular economy. J. Cleaner Prod. 190, 712–721. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.159
Ghisellini, P., and Ulgiati, S. (2020). Circular economy transition in Italy. Achievements perspectives and constraints. J. Clean. Prod. 243, 118360. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118360
Giacomelli, A. (2022). EU Sustainability Taxonomy for Non-Financial Undertakings: Summary Reporting Criteria and Extension to SMEs (Venice, University Ca'Foscari of Venice, Department of Economics Research Paper Series), 29.
Giacosa, E., Ferraris, A., and Monge, F. (2017). How to strengthen the business model of an Italian family food business. Br. Food J. 119, 2309–2324. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-03-2017-0124
Giampietri, E., Finco, A., and Del Giudice, T. (2015). Exploring consumers' attitude towards purchasing in short food supply chain. Q. Access to Success 16, 135–161.
Giraud-Héraud, E., Grazia, C., and Hammoudi, A. (2009). Agrifood safety standards, market power and consumer misperceptions. J. Food Prod. Market. 16, 92–128, doi: 10.1080/10454440903415717
Golas, M., Sulewski, P., Was, A., Kloczko-Gajewska, A., and Pogodzinska, K. (2020). On the way to sustainable agriculture-eco-efficiency of polish commercial farms. Agriculture 10, 438. doi: 10.3390/agriculture10100438
Golini, R., Moretto, A., Caniato, F., Caridi, M., and Kalchschmidt, M. (2017). Developing sustainability in the Italian meat supply chain: an empirical investigation. Int. J. Prod. Res. 55, 1183–1209. doi: 10.1080/00207543.2016.1234724
Gonzales-Moreno, A., Triguero, A., and Sáez-Martinez, F. J. (2019). Many or trusted partnersfor eco-innovation? The influence of breath and depth of firms' knowledge network in the food sector. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 147, 51–62. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2019.06.011
Graziano, T. (2020). “Rural entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology: narratives from the italian agrifood startup ecosystem,” in Handbook of Research on Agricultural Policy, Rural Development, and Entrepreneurship in Contemporary Economies, eds A. Jean Vasile, J. Subic, A. Grubor, and D. Privitera (Hershey, PA: IGI Global), 334–353
Griffith, C. J., Livesey, K. M., and Clayton, D. (2010). Food safety culture: the evolution of an emerging risk factor? Br. Food J. 12, 426–438. doi: 10.1108/00070701011034439
Grimm, J. H., Hofstetter, J. S., and Sarkis, J. (2014). Critical factors for sub-supplier management: a sustainable food supply chains perspective. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 152, 159–173. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2013.12.011
Grosso, C., Checchinato, F., Finotto, V., and Mauracher, C. (2021). Configuration challenges for the “Made in Italy” Agrifood industry. Int. J. Ind. Eng. Manage. 12, 151–162. doi: 10.24867/IJIEM-2021-3-284
Gusmerotti, N. M., Testa, F., Corsini, F., Pretner, G., and Iraldo, F. (2019). Drivers and approaches to the circular economy in manufacturing firms. J. Clean. Prod. 230, 314–327. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.044
Hammoudi, A., Hoffmann, R., and Surry, Y. (2009). Food safety standards and agri-food supply chains: an introductory overview. Eur. Rev. Agri. Econ. 36, 469–478. doi: 10.1093/erae/jbp044
Hartmann, M. (2011). Corporate social responsibility in the food sector. Euro. Rev. Agri. Econom. 38, 297–324. doi: 10.1093/erae/jbr031
Hessing, A., Schneider, R. M. G., Gutierrez, A., Silverberg, R., Gutter, M. S., and Schneider, K. R. (2020). The cost of food safety. EDIS 1, 1–5.
Hopkinson, P., Zils, M., Hawkins, P., and Roper, S. (2018). Managing a complex global circular economy business model: opportunities and challenges. Manage. Rev. 60, 71–94. doi: 10.1177/0008125618764692
Horton, P., Koh, L., and Shi Guang, V. (2016). An integrated theoretical framework to enhance resource efficiency, sustainability and human health in agri-food systems. J. Cleaner Prod. 120, 164–169. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.08.092
ISTAT (2018/2019). Trend of the Agricultural Economy, Year 2018, 2019. Available online at: www.istat.it (accessed October 14, 2021) [Trend of the agricultural economy (istat.it)].
Johnson, M. W. (2010). Seizing the White Space: Business Model Innovation Through Growth and Renewal (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing).
Johnson, M. W., Christensen, C. M., and Kagermann, H. (2008). Reinventing your business model. Harvard Bus. Rev. 86, 50–57.
Jové-Llopis, E., and Segarra-Blasco, A. (2018). Eco-innovation strategies: a panel data analysis of Spanish manufacturing firms. Bu. Strategy Environ. 27, 1209–1220. doi: 10.1002/bse.2063
Kafetzopoulos, D., Vouzas, F., and Skalkos, D. (2020). Developing and validating an innovation drivers' measurement instrument in the agri-food sector. Br. Food J. 122, 1199–1214. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-09-2019-0721
Karaman, A. D., Cobanoglu, F., Tunalioglu, R., and Ova, G. (2011). Barriers and benefits of the implementation of food safety management systems among the Turkish dairy industry: a case study. Food Control 25, 732–739. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.11.041
Kirezieva, K., Luning, P. A., Jacxsens, L., Allende, A., Johannessen, G. S., Tondo, E. C., et al. (2015). Factors affecting the status of food safety management systems in the global fresh produce chain. Food Control 52, 85–97. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.12.030
Kulins, C., Leonardy, H., and Weber, C. (2016). A configurational approach in business model design. J. Bus. Res. 69, 1437–1441. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.121
Lambert, S., and Davidson, R. (2013). Application of the business models in studies of enterprises success, innovation and classification: an analysis of empirical research from 1996 to 2010. Eur. Manage. J. 31, 668–681. doi: 10.1016/j.emj.2012.07.007
Lawson, R., Guthrie, J., and Cameron, A. (2008). Creating value through cooperation—an investigation of farmers' markets in New Zealand. Br. Food J. 110, 11–25. doi: 10.1108/00070700810844768
Lefebvre, V. M., De Steur, H., and Gellynck, X. (2015), External sources for innovation in food SMEs. Br. Food J. 117, 1, 412–430. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-09-2013-0276
Linder, M., and Williander, M. (2015). Circular business model innovation: inherent uncertainties. Bus. Strategy Environ. 26, 182–196. doi: 10.1002/bse.1906
Liu, Y., Zou, L., and Wang, Y. (2020). Spatial-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of agricultural eco-efficiency in China in recent 40 years. Land Use Policy 97, 104794. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104794
Lokunarangodage, C. K., Wickramasinghe, I., and Ranaweera, K. K. D. S. (2015). Constraints and compliances of traceability in low grown orthodox black tea manufacturing process. Am. J. Food Sci. Technol. 3, 74–81.
Lombardi, A., Caracciolo, F., Cembalo, L., Lerro, M., and Lombardi, P. (2015). How does corporate social responsibility in the food industry matter? New Medit 3, 2–9.
Long, M. A., Gonçalves, L., Stretesky, P. B., and Defeyter, M. A. (2020). Food insecurity in advanced capitalist nations: a review. Sustainability 12, 3654. doi: 10.3390/su12093654
Lucarelli, C., Mazzoli, C., Rancan, M., and Severini, S. (2020). Classification of sustainable activities: eu taxonomy and scientific literature. Sustainability 12, 16,6460. doi: 10.3390/su12166460
Maietta, O. W. (2014). Innovation Systems Research in the Italian Food Industry (No. 358) (Italy: Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples).
Malorgio, G., Biondi, B., and Perito, M. A. (2016). Strategic behaviour of Italian fruit and vegetables importers from South Mediterranean Countries faced with food safety standards. New Medit 3, 29–36.
Marques, P., Presas, P., and Simon, A. (2014). The heterogeneity of family firms in csr engagement: the role of values. Family Bus. Rev. 27, 3, 206–227. doi: 10.1177/0894486514539004
Materia, V. C. (2012). The Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System in Italy: dynamics, incentives, monitoring and evaluation experiences. Stu. Agri. Econ. 114, 71–78. doi: 10.7896/j.1214
Mattevi, M., Jones, J. A., and Griffith, C. (2016). Food supply chain: are UK SMEs aware of concept, drivers, benefits and barriers, and frameworks of traceability? Br. Food J. 118, 1107–1128. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-07-2015-0261
Menrad, K. (2004). Innovations in the food industry in Germany. Res. Policy 33, 845–878. doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2004.01.012
Mensah, L. D., and Julien, D. (2011). Implementation of food safety management systems in the UK. Food Control 22, 1216–1225. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.01.021
Minarelli, F., Raggi, M., and Viaggi, D. (2015). Innovation in European food SMEs: determinants and links between types. Bio Based App. Econ. 4, 33–53. doi: 10.13128/BAE-14705
Murray, A., Skene, K., and Haynes, K. (2017). The circular economy: an interdisciplinary exploration of the concept and application in a global context. J. Bus. Ethics 140, 369–380. doi: 10.1007/s10551-015-2693-2
Musso, F., and Francioni, B. (2015). Agri-food clusters, wine tourism and foreign markets. The role of local networks for sme's internationalization. Proc. Econ. Financ. 27, 334–343. doi: 10.1016/S2212-5671(15)01004-7
Neven, D., and Droge, C. L. M. (2001). “A diamond for the poor? Assessing Porter's Diamond Model for the analysis of agro-food clusters in the developing countries,” in Proceedings of the 11th Annual World Food and Agribusiness Forum and Symposium, 25–28. Available online at: https://www.agrifood.info/Agrifood/members/Congress/Congress2001Papers/Symposium/Neven.pdf (accessed June 04, 2021).
OECD/Eurostat (2005). Proposed Guidelines for Collecting and Interpreting Technological Innovation Data. Oslo Manual, 3th Edn. Paris.
OECD (2013). Agricultural Innovation Systems: A Framework for Analysing the Role of the Government (Paris: OECD Publishing).Available online at: http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=TAD/CA/APM/WP(2012)19/FINALanddocLanguage=En
Oncioiu, I., Căpuşneanu, S., Türke,?, M. C., Topor, D. I., Constantin, D. O., Marin-Pantelescu, A., et al. (2018). The sustainability of Romanian SMEs and their involvement in the circular economy. Sustainability 10, 2761. doi: 10.3390/su10082761
Osterwalder, A., and Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Gam and Changers, and Challengers. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Palazzi, F., and Sentuti, A. (2021). La sicurezza alimentare per le imprese italiane dell'agrifood: barriere, driver e benefici percepiti. Argomenti 18, 105–120.
Pang, J., Chen, X., Zhang, Z., and Li, H. (2016). Measuring eco-efficiency of agriculture in China. Sustainability 8, 398. doi: 10.3390/su8040398
Pinstrup-Andersen, P. (2009). Food security: definition and measurement. Food Secur. 1, 5–7. doi: 10.1007/s12571-008-0002-y
Pittaway, L., Robertson, M., Munir, K., Denyer, D., and Neely, A. (2004). Networking and innovation: a systematic review of the evidence. Int. J. Manage. Rev. 5, 137–168. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-8545.2004.00101.x
Poppe, K. (2014). The role of the European innovation partnership in linking innovation and research in agricultural knowledge and innovation systems. Agriregionieuropa 10, 37.
Qu, S., and Dumay, J. (2011). The qualitative research interview. Q. Res. Account. Manage. 8, 238–264. doi: 10.1108/11766091111162070
Rabadán, A., Álvarez-Ortí, M., Tello, J., and Pardo, J. E. (2021). Tradition vs. eco-innovation: the constraining effect of protected designations of origin (pdo) on the implementation of sustainability measures in the olive oil sector. Agronomy 11, 447. doi: 10.3390/agronomy11030447
Rama, R. (Ed). (2008). Handbook of Innovation in the Food and Drink Industry (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press).
Rankin, A., Gray, W., Boehlje, M. D., and Alexander, C. (2011), Sustainability strategies in US agribusiness: understanding key drivers, objectives actions. Int. Food Agribus. Manage. Rev. 14, 1–20.
Reddy, A. A., Ricart, S., and Cadman, T. (2020). Driving factors of food safety standards in India: learning from street-food vendors' behaviour and attitude. Food Security 12, 1201–1217. doi: 10.1007/s12571-020-01048-5
Rezaei, R., Mianaji, S., and Ganjloo, A. (2018). Factors affecting farmers' intention to engage in on-farm food safety practices in Iran: Extending the theory of planned behavior. J. Rural Stu. 60, 152–166. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.04.005
Ritter, T., and Pedersen, C. L. (2020). Analyzing the impact of the coronavirus crisis on business models. Ind. Market. Manage. 88, 214–224. doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.014
Rizos, V., Behrens, A., Van der Gaast, W., Hofman, E., Ioannou, A., Kafyeke, T., et al. (2016). Implementation of circular economy business models by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): barriers and enablers. Sustainability 8, 111212. doi: 10.3390/su8111212
Rodriguez-Anton, J. M., Rubio-Andrada, L., Celemín-Pedroche, M. S., and Alonso-Almeida, M. (2019). Analysis of the relations between circular economy and sustainable development goals. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. World Ecol. 26, 708–720. doi: 10.1080/13504509.2019.1666754
Romijn, H. A., and Albaladejo, M. (2002). Determinants of innovation capability in small electronics and software firms in southeast England. Res. Policy, 31, 7, 1053–1067 doi: 10.1016/S0048-7333(01)00176-7
Ryan, B., Scapens, R. W., and Theoblad, M. (2007). Research Method and Methodology in Finance and Accounting, 2nd Edn (London: Thomson).
Santos, J., Spector, B., and Van der Heyden, L. (2009). Toward a theory of business model innovation within incumbent firms. INSEAD Working Paper. Fontainebleau, France.
Sarkar, S., and Costa, A. I. A. (2008). Dynamics of open innovation in the food industry. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 19, 574–580. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2008.09.006
Schneider, T., Michelon, G., and Paananen, M. (2018). Environmental and social matters in mandatory corporate reporting: An academic note. Account. Perspect. 17, 275–305. doi: 10.1111/1911-3838.12173
Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Adv. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 25, 1–65. doi: 10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60281-6
Schwartz, S. H., Cieciuch, J., Vecchione, M., Davidov, E., Fischer, R., Beierlein, C., et al. (2012). Refining the theory of basic individual values. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 103, 663. doi: 10.1037/a0029393
Shukla, S., Singh, S. P., and Shankar, R. (2018). Modeling critical factors for assessing Indian food safety practices. Int. J. Q. Reliability Manage. 35, 2272–2288. doi: 10.1108/IJQRM-07-2017-0144
Sica, D., Malandrino, O., and Supino, S. (2018). The corporate social responsibility in the Italian agro-food sector. J. Health Sci. 2018, 358–364. doi: 10.17265/2328-7136/2018.05.005
Steponavičiene, A., Vasiliauskiene, N., Steponavičius, D., and Kurtkuviene, E. (2017). “Quality and food safety management systems applied to the Lithuanian food sector,” in Foodbalt 2017: 11th Baltic Conference on Food Science and Technology. “Food Science and Technology in a Changing World”, Jelgava. Conference proceedings/Latvia University of Agriculture. Jelgava: Latvia University of Agriculture.
Teece, D. J. (2010). Business models, business strategy and innovation. Long Range Planning 43, 172–194. doi: 10.1016/j.lrp.2009.07.003
Tell, J., Hoveskog, M., Ulvenblad, P., and Ulvenblad, P. O. (2016). Business model innovation in the agri-food sector: a literature review. Int. J. Soc. Ecol. Sustain. Dev. 7, 1–13. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-08-2015-0293
Tiozzo, B., Pinto, A, Mascarello, G., Mantovani, C., and Ravarotto, L. (2019). Which food safety information sources do Italian consumers prefer? Suggestions for the development of effective food risk communication. J. Risk Res. 22, 1062–1077, doi: 10.1080/13669877.2018.1440414
Tomašević, I., Šmigić, N., eki,ć, I., Zari,ć, V., Tomi,ć, N., and Rajković, A. (2013). Serbian meat industry: a survey on food safety management systems implementation. Food Control 32, 25–30. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.11.046
Tomczyk, D., Lee, J., and Winslow, E. (2013). Entrepreneurs' personal values, compensation, and high growth firm performance. J. Small Bus. Manage. 51, 66–82. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-627X.2012.00374.x
Triguero, A. (2019). “Does the sector matter? The role of open innovation in the adoption of eco-innovations in food versus non-food industries,” in Research on Open-Innovation Strategies and Eco-Innovation in Agro-Food Industries, eds A. Triguero and A. Gonzales-Moreno (Oxford: Chartridge Oxford Books), 61–72.
Triguero, A., Fernandez, S., and Sáez-Martinez, F. J. (2018). Inbound open innovative strategies and eco-innovation in the Spanish food and beverage industry. Sustain. Prod. Consump. 15, 49–64. doi: 10.1016/j.spc.2018.04.002
Tsang, E. W. K. (2014). Generalizing from research findings: the merits of casestudies. Int. J. Manage. Rev. 16, 369–383. doi: 10.1111/ijmr.12024
Ulvenblad, P., Hoveskog, M., Tell, J., Ulvenblad, P. O., Stahl, J., and Barth, H. (2014). “Agricultural business model innovation in Swedish productin: The influence of self-leadership and lean innovation,” in Proceedings of the DRUID Society Conference 2014 on Entrepreneurship-Organization-Innovation. Copenhagen Business School, June 16–18, Copenhagen.
UN (2015). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Available online at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld (accessed January 12, 2018).
Vaska, S., Massaro, M., Bagarotto, E. M., and Dal Mas, F. (2021). The digital trasnformation of business model innovation: a structured literature review. Front. Psychol. 11, 539363. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.539363
Waddock, S. (2021). Wellbeing economics narratives for a sustainable future. Hum. Manage. J. 6, 151–167. doi: 10.1007/s41463-021-00107-z
Wang, G., Shi, R., Mi, L., and Hu, J (2022). Agricultural eco-efficiency: challenges and progress. Sustainability 14, 1051. doi: 10.3390/su14031051
World Health Organization (WHO) (2020). Estimating the Burden of Foodborne Diseases. Available online at: https://www.who.int/activities/estimating-the-burden-of-foodborne-diseases (accessed January 2021)
Yadav, D., Dutta, G., and Kumar, S. (2021). Food safety standards adoption and its impact on firms' export performance: a systematic literature review. J. Cleaner Prod. 329, 1297. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129708
Yanlin, X., Zijun, L., and Liang, W. (2020). Temporal spatial differences in and influencing factors of agricultural eco-efficiency in Shandong Province, China. Cienc. Rural 50, 20190818. doi: 10.1590/0103-8478cr20190818
Yin, R. K. (1989). Case study Research—Design and Methods. Applied Social Research Methods Series, 2nd Edn, Vol. 5 (Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications).
Yin, R. K. (2013). Validity and generalization in future case study evaluations. Evaluation 19, 321–332. doi: 10.1177/1356389013497081
Yu, K. H., Zhang, Y., Li, D., Montenegro-Marin, C. E., and Kumar, P. M. (2021). Environmental planning based on reduce, reuse, recycle and recover using artificial intelligence. Environ. Impact Assess. Rev. 86, 106492. doi: 10.1016/j.eiar.2020.106492
Zhou, J., Yan, Z., and Li, K. (2016). Understanding farmer cooperatives' self-inspection behavior to guarantee agri-product safety in China. Food Control 59, 320–327. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.05.035
Zott, C., Amin, R., and Massa, L. (2011). The business model: recent development and future research. J. Manage. 37, 1019–1042. doi: 10.1177/0149206311406265
Zouaghi, F., and Sanchez, M. (2016). Has the global financial crisis had different effects on innovation performance in the agri-food sector by comparison to the rest of the economy? Trends Food Sci. Technol. 50, 230–242. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2016.01.014
Keywords: agri-food, innovation, food safety, start-up, sustainability, Italy, case-studies
Citation: Del Baldo M (2022) When innovation rests on sustainability and food safety: Some experiences from Italian agri-food start-ups. Front. Sustain. 3:889158. doi: 10.3389/frsus.2022.889158
Received: 03 March 2022; Accepted: 29 July 2022;
Published: 15 August 2022.
Edited by:
Gilberto Santos, Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave (IPCA), PortugalReviewed by:
Ioannis Arzoumanidis, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara, ItalyNicola Casolani, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara, Italy
Copyright © 2022 Del Baldo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Mara Del Baldo, mara.delbaldo@uniurb.it