Profiling Citizens on Perception of Key Factors of Food Security

The urban agro-ecological transition, including food policies, may be crucial in facing environmental emergencies and improving agri-food systems, but is also a key factor in solving political and social issues with an agro-ecological approach. The main feature of food policies is being developed on different levels and in different sectors of intervention, in a multidisciplinary approach, involving different policy areas and stakeholders belonging to public and private bodies, civil society and NGOs. Urban food policies in Italy were implemented through two key events: the first was the institutionalization of metropolitan cities, and second was the World Exposition hosted by Milan in 2015. A stronger development of food policies can be observed in the northern and central regions of Europe, thanks to the influence of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact; other important examples of food policy implementations are being carried out by the municipalities of Lucca, Pisa, Livorno and Bari. However, the development of these policies has not taken place inside a defined and organic national legal food system framework, so each urban policy is implemented mainly through private initiatives by business and civil society. The Metropolitan City of Bari (MCB) aims to promote the transition of European food systems to efficient resource use and low carbon emissions, including the promotion of sustainable diets. Its “Manifesto for Sustainable Food Transition”, drafted inside the “FoodShift 2030” Project, is the evidence of the city’s commitment to setting the right direction for a local and urban food policy. In the light of this multifaceted scenario, this research aimed to identify MCB citizens’ profiles based on their demographic characteristics, viewpoints on food security, perceptions of the key factors related to food security. Between July and November 2022, an online survey was conducted among citizens of the MCB, to collect data on citizens' perceptions of food security and the importance they attached to 46 food security items selected from the existing thematic scientific literature. Descriptive analysis, principal component analysis and K-means cluster analysis were applied to the database. Four clusters of citizens were obtained and labelled based on socio-economic characteristics and key factors influencing food security perceptions. Specifically, the “Law-confident” (45% of citizens) and “Hedonist” (36%) showed the greatest confidence in “governance” and “quality certification” aspects. The “Capitalist” (15%) and “Conservatory” (4%) clusters were relatively small groups, characterized respectively by a positive perception of the standardization of food production and governance power, with a focus on strategies regarding food policy implementation, reduction of food loss and waste (FLW) and improvement of food quality certifications systems. The proposed approach and results may support EU policy makers in identifying key macro-areas and matters toward which to direct public funding to improve food security in urban areas, and to put in place actions enhancing citizens’ knowledge and awareness of key food security issues.