Abstract
Plant factories with artificial lighting (hereafter PFALs) garner considerable attention around the world as a way to solve problems related to agriculture, resources, and the environment. Although many companies in various regions have entered the PFAL business, they are faced with numerous technical and business challenges. Although many studies have been undertaken on technical issues concerning PFALs, only a few have been on the business and management aspects, including marketing. However, to succeed in business, understanding consumer perceptions and needs regarding PFALs and their products is essential. This chapter provides a summary of recent studies carried out in Japan and Hong Kong that attempt to explore consumers’ awareness, perceptions, and understanding of leaf vegetables produced at PFALs. These studies also attempt to identify the factors that influence consumers’ impressions of PFAL-produced vegetables. Moreover, the chapter contains a brief discussion of the potential demand for the products and the critical importance of marketing activities, such as market research and promotions, and education for the steady development of the PFAL industry.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Here, we presented a phrase “plant factory,” but in general, “plant factory” is considered the more general term, including plant factories with sunlight.
- 2.
JA stands for Japan Agricultural Cooperatives.
References
Ares G, Deliza R (2010) Studying the influence of package shape and colour on consumer expectations of milk desserts using word association and conjoint analysis. Food Qual Prefer 21:930–937
Ares G, Ana G, Adriana G (2008) Understanding consumers’ perception of conventional and functional yogurts using word association and hard laddering. Food Qual Prefer 19:636–643
FAO (2009) How to feed the world: 2050. High expert forum, 12–13 October 2009. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome
Guerrero L, Claret A, Verbeke W et al (2010) Perception of traditional food products in six European regions using free word association. Food Qual Prefer 21:225–233
Isojima A (2009) Consumer needs regarding purchasing agricultural products. Association of Agriculture and Forestry Statistics, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Japan Greenhouse Horticulture Association (2015) A report on introduction support of next generation horticulture. Japan Greenhouse Horticulture Association, Tokyo, pp 89–109
Kozai T (2013) Plant factory in Japan: current situation and perspectives. Chron Hortic 53(2):8–11
Kozai T (2014) Role of plant factory with artificial light (PFAL) in urban horticulture and next generation lifestyle. Presentation at the meeting of the international conference on vertical farming and urban agriculture, September 9–10, 2014, Nottingham
Kunugita N (2008) Investigation of the relationship between knowledge concerning radiation and the level of anxiety toward radiation in student nurses. J Univ Occup Environ Health 30(4):421–429 (in Japanese)
Kurihara S, Ishida T, Suzuki M et al (2014) Consumer evaluation of plant factory produced vegetables. Focus Mod Food Ind 3(1):1–9
Mitsibishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd (2013) Consumer survey on plant factory produced vegetables. (in Japanese)
Son JS, Do VB, Kim KO et al (2014) Understanding the effect of culture on food representations using word associations: the case of “rice” and “good rice”. Food Qual Prefer 31:38–48
Suzuki T (2014) The problems of analyzing the factors behind people’s anxiety based upon the use of true-false test in regards to their knowledge of radiation. Japan J Sci Commun 15:3–16 (in Japanese)
United Nations (2015) World population prospects: the 2015 revision. United Nations, New York
Yamori W, Zhang G, Takagaki M et al (2014) Feasibility study of rice growth in plant factories. J Rice Res 2(119):1–6
Yano Y, Nakamura T, Maruyama A (2015) Consumer perceptions toward vegetables grown in plant factories using artificial light – an application of the free word association method. Focus Mod Food Ind 4:11–18
You Z, Zhang X, Chen CH et al (2013a) Impact of relevant knowledge on purchase intention of plant-factory-produced plants: case study in both Singapore and Japan. Focus Mod Food Ind 2(2):63–69
You Z, Zhang X, Koyama S (2013b) Informational vs. emotional appeals of logo design in influencing purchase intentions for plant-factory-produced vegetables. Int J Adv Psychol (IJAP) 2(4):224–230
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yano, Y., Nakamura, T., Maruyama, A. (2016). Consumer Perception and Understanding of Vegetables Produced at Plant Factories with Artificial Lighting. In: Kozai, T., Fujiwara, K., Runkle, E. (eds) LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1848-0_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1848-0_25
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-1846-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-1848-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)