Innovations in Traditional Foods

Charis M. Galanakis

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780128148877
• eBook ISBN: 9780128148884
• Topic: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Subtopic: Scienze dell'alimentazione

Innovations in Traditional Foods addresses the most relevant topics of traditional foods while placing emphasis on the introduction of innovations and consumer preferences. Certain food categories, such as fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes, vegetables, mushrooms, roots and tubers, table olives and olive oil, wine, fermented foods and beverages, fish, meat, milk and dairy products are addressed. Intended for food scientists, technologists, engineers and chemists working in food science, product developers, SMEs, researchers, academics and professionals, this book provides a reference supporting technological advances, product development improvements and potential positioning in the traditional food market.- Addresses the most relevant topics of traditional foods while placing emphasis on the introduction of innovations and consumer preferences- Provides a reference supporting technological advances, product development improvements, and potential positioning in the traditional food market- Contains coverage of various food categories, including fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes, vegetables, mushrooms, roots and tubers, table olives and olive oil, wine, fermented foods and beverages, fish, meat, and milk and dairy products

Chapter 1

Introduction

Machiel J. Reinders¹, Marija Banovic² and Luis Guerrero³, ¹Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen Economic Research, The Hague, The Netherlands, ²MAPP Centre, Department of Management, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, ³IRTA—Food Technology Center, Finca Camps i Armet, Monells, Spain

Abstract

Traditional foods are defined as food products of which (1) the key production steps are performed in a certain area at national, regional or local level, (2) are authentic in their recipe (mix of ingredients), origin of raw material, and/or production process, (3) are commercially available for about 50 years, and (4) are part of the gastronomic heritage. This chapter provides an introduction to traditional foods, for example, definitions of traditional foods, specific aspects of traditional food products like geographical differences, designation of origin labeling and the traditional character, followed by an introduction to innovations in traditional foods. In addition, it focuses on consumer perceptions of traditional foods. Finally, it provides a brief introduction to consumer acceptance of (traditional) food innovations and possibilities for the introduction of innovations in traditional food products.

Keywords

Traditional foods; designation of origin labels; consumer perceptions; innovation; consumer acceptance

1.1 Introduction

The 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage and recent Special Eurobarometer 466 (European Commission, 2017) shows that more than half of Europeans are involved in the field of cultural heritage or traditional activities. Although the most common forms of involvement in cultural heritage are visits to monumental sites, museums, festivals, or by living in a historic environment or city, about 8% of these people also actively engage in traditional activities like traditional cooking. It is therefore not surprising that an important role in cultures and traditions is played by traditional foods (Weichselbaum et al., 2009). They include foods that have been consumed locally or regionally for an extended time period. Traditional foods reflect and protect a culture’s gastronomic heritage in people’s daily diets and are part of a culture’s identity. As such, it is evident that traditional foods form very important foundations for families and social relationships, in which ultimate satisfaction with food goes beyond sensory perceptions alone, but is also a matter of shared identities (Ayxela, 2014; Cayot, 2007).

In addition to its cultural importance, traditional foods are also of high economic and social importance in many countries. For the production of traditional foods, typically local products are used. Cultivation and commercialization of local products contribute to the development, diversification, and sustainability of many rural areas (Trichopoulou et al., 2007). For example, local or traditional food can play an important role in the sustainable tourism experience because it appeals to tourists’ desire for authenticity within the holiday experience (Sims, 2009). In addition, production of traditional foods protects rural areas from depopulation and generates employment. To illustrate, the traditional food sector accounts for over 70% of the total employment generated by the European food industry (Guerrero et al., 2016).

In the last few decades, both food companies and consumers have shown a growing interest in local foods and foods with a traditional character (Pieniak et al., 2009; Trichopoulou et al., 2007; Vanhonacker et al., 2013). Consumer demand for these products may be a counter-reaction toward globalization and the industrialization of food production (Fernández-Ferrín et al., 2018; Jordana, 2000). The tendency of consumers to “return to their roots” has become a strong force in all European countries; and the consumption of foods that are considered “homemade” and offer distinctive value based on local content increasingly adds meaning to consumers’ lives (Steenkamp and de Jong, 2010). As such, Steenkamp and de Jong (2010, p. 20) state that consumers have a preference for locally produced products as a beacon to “survive in a rapidly changing world in which old certainties seem to crumble and new cultural influences are feared or rejected.” Furthermore, traditional foods are often perceived as having a higher quality (Chambers et al., 2007) and being more sustainable (Risku-Norja et al., 2008). These perceptions will be discussed later on in this chapter.

However, on the other hand, the accelerating trend toward an integrated global food market could also mean that food producers feel forced to move from their traditionally developed foods to a global approach, in which they develop their products in order to be marketed on a global level (Steenkamp and de Jong, 2010). In addition, increased consumer demands for nutritional and healthy food put at risk many traditional foods as well as traditional processing techniques still available today (Banović et al., 2018). Extending or developing skills and production techniques to promote the nutritional and health aspects of their products allow traditional food producers (which consists typically of small and medium sized enterprises—SMEs) to maintain or expand their market shares and/or profitability in a highly competitive and globalized food market (Stewart-Knox and Mitchell, 2003). Jordana (2000) already indicated that traditional foods have good prospects to grow in the future, if they would succeed in innovation. However, the traditional food sector faces the challenge in terms of a possible incongruence between the concept of traditional food and the concept of innovation (Guerrero et al., 2012; Vanhonacker et al., 2013). Innovations put at risk many traditional foods as well as traditional processing techniques still available today. As a consequence, the traditional food sector has to weigh improvements in the safety, health, and convenience of their products by means of different innovations against keeping the traditional character of their products.

Following these considerations, this book aims to provide a reference supporting the companies producing traditional food products with regard to technological advances, product development improvements, and potential positioning in the traditional food market. The ultimate goal is to support the scientific community, knowledge transfer agents, professionals, and enterprises that aspire to introduce and develop innovations in traditional food products. This introductory chapter first starts with providing definitions of traditional foods and traditional food products from a consumer perspective. Subsequently, a short elaboration will be provided on innovation in traditional foods. Additionally, since insights in consumers’ perceptions are imperative for a successful market introduction of innovations in traditional foods, this chapter closes with two sections that focus on consumer acceptance of innovations in general and consumer acceptance of innovations in traditional foods in particular.

1.2 Definition of Traditional Foods

Literature provides several definitions of traditional foods. According to Bertozzi (1998) a traditional food product is a “representation of a group, it belongs to a defined space, and it is part of a culture that implies the cooperation of the individuals operating in that territory” (see also Pieniak et al., 2009, p. 102). Jordana (2000, p. 147) derived from this definition the following: “In order to be traditional, a product must be linked to a territory and it must also be part of a set of traditions, which will necessarily ensure its continuity over time.” The fact that traditional foods are linked to both a certain territory and a particular tradition, is also resonated in another definition of traditional foods that has been developed through the work of the EuroFIR Network of Excellence and looks at the specific features that are distinguishing these foods from other similar foods within the same category (Weichselbaum et al., 2009). Traditional foods are determined and defined by the particular use of traditional ingredients (i.e., raw materials of primary products) which have been used in identified geographical areas (and remain in use), the traditional composition (in terms of ingredients), and the traditional type of production and/or processing method that has been passed down through generations. Based on all these definitions, more recently, the following definition was derived: Traditional food products are food products of which (1) the key production steps are performed in a certain area at national, regional or local level, (2) are authentic in their recipe (mix of ingredients), origin of raw material, and/or production process, (3) are commercially available for about 50 years, and (4) are part of the gastronomic heritage (Gellynck and Kühne, 2008; Kühne et al., 2010, p. 629).

1.2.1 Geographical Differences

Geographical location is a necessary condition to classify certain food products as traditional food products; and traditional foods are key to differences in dietary patterns between countries and regions. There is a large diversity in the production of traditional foods in Europe and, in general, two different cultural food systems can be distinguished. On the one hand, there are the northern European countries where the number of foods that are traditionally produced is relatively small. On the other hand, there are the southern European countries with a relatively high amount of traditional food products (Jordana, 2000). Besides different climate conditions in the northern and the southern European countries, the reasons for this difference include a greater concentration of smaller food enterprises and a wider variety of production systems and end products in southern Europe, resulting in traditional products having a greater significance and economic weight (Jordana, 2000). As a consequence of this division, traditional food consumption is higher in southern Europe than in northern Europe.

Notwithstanding this two different cultural food systems of Europe, all European countries have their own specific food products that are lin...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Food Innovation and Tradition: Interplay and Dynamics
• Chapter 3. Consumer Perspectives About Innovations in Traditional Foods
• Chapter 4. Open Innovation and Traditional Food
• Chapter 5. Fruits and Vegetables
• Chapter 6. Sourdough Bread
• Chapter 7. Traditional Foods From Tropical Root and Tuber Crops: Innovations and Challenges
• Chapter 8. Olive Fruit and Olive Oil
• Chapter 9. Wine
• Chapter 10. Fermented Foods and Beverages
• Chapter 11. Meat Snacks: A Novel Technological Perspective
• Index