New Trends in Food Choice: What Impact on Sustainability of Rural Areas?

Abstract The purpose of our study is to understand the contribution traditional foods can give to the economic sustainability of rural areas by means of implementing research on extra-virgin olive oil in the region of Tuscany, where olive-growing has a strong multifunctional value and a superior reputation in terms of quality. This region also presents critical elements that can be attributed to high production costs and the price competition. In particular, we intend to verify the existence of a premium price for the Tuscan olive oil applying a choice experiment conducted on a representative sample of Tuscan consumers. The results define the characteristics of demand relative to three principal product attributes, which are site of origin, organic production technique, and prices. The discussions provide insights to define rural development policies based on promoting traditional quality productions