True cost accounting in agri-food networks
A German case study on informational campaigning and responsible implementation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12949832 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Amelie Michalke (0000-0002-7380-0231, Universität Greifswald, corresponding author), Lennart Stein (0000-0001-6782-4096, Universität Greifswald), Regis Fichtner (Universität Greifswald), Tobias Gaugler (0000-0002-0992-4141, Universität Greifswald), Susanne Stoll-Kleemann (0000-0003-4118-3408, Universität Greifswald) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 2269-2285 |
| Publication date | 2022-02-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainability Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1862-4057 • E-ISSN: 1862-4065 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11625-022-01105-2 |
| OpenAlex | W4214593021 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 39 |
There is broad scientific consensus that current food systems are neither sustainable nor resilient: many agricultural practices are very resource-intensive and responsible for a large share of global emissions and loss of biodiversity. Consequently, current systems put large pressure on planetary boundaries. According to economic theory, food prices form when there is a balance between supply and demand. Yet, due to the neglect of negative external effects, effective prices are often far from representing the ‘true costs’. Current studies show that especially animal-based foodstuff entails vast external costs that currently stay unaccounted for in market prices. Against this background, we explore how informational campaigning on agricultural externalities can contribute to consumer awareness and tolerance of this matter. Further, we investigate the socially just design of monetary incentives and their implementation potentials and challenges. This study builds on the informational campaign of a German supermarket displaying products with two price tags: one of the current market price and the other displaying the ‘true’ price, which includes several environmental externalities calculated with True Cost Accounting (TCA). Based on interpretations of a consumer survey and a number of expert interviews, in this article we approach the potentials and obstacles of TCA as a communication tool and the challenges of its factual implementation in agri-food networks. Our results show that consumers are generally interested in the topic of true food pricing and would to a certain extent be willing to pay ‘true prices’ of the inquired foods. However, insufficient transparency and unjust distribution of wealth are feared to bring about communication and social justice concerns in the implementation of TCA. When introducing TCA into current discourse, it is therefore important to develop measures that are socially cautious and backed by relevant legal framework conditions. This poses the chance to create a fair playing (‘polluter pays’) with a clear assignment of responsibilities to policy makers, and practitioners in addition to customers
Business · Common Agricultural Policy · Economics · European union · Externality · Incentive · Industrial organization · International economics · Microeconomics · Public economics · Transparency (behavior · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Marketing
Systemic perspectives on agroecology’s potential to transform European agriculture and food systems
Buying intention of True Price labelled food products for different motive-based consumer segments
The impact of labelling “true price” on effectiveness and consumer acceptance
Climate true‐cost analysis of industrial goods and its regulatory implications on value chains and global competition
Towards true prices in food retailing
Dietary change and land use change
From Necrocene to Naíocene—promising pathways toward sustainable agri-food systems
Identifying Future Study Designs for Mental Health and Social Wellbeing Associated with Diets of a Cohort Living in Eco-Regions
Introducing the Food Value Framework (FVF) to empower transdisciplinary research and unite stakeholders in their efforts of building a sustainable global food system
Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits
Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future
Reducing meat consumption in developed and transition countries to counter climate change and biodiversity loss
Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers
Global Warming of 1.5°C
Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse
Normative Influences on Altruism
Who cares about ecology? Personality and sex differences in environmental concern1
The Impact of Food Prices on Consumption
Feeding ten billion people is possible within four terrestrial planetary boundaries
Mind the Gap
Committed vs. uncommitted meat eaters
Gender, Values, and Environmentalism
Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency
Agriculture production as a major driver of the Earth system exceeding planetary boundaries
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |