AIM OF STUDY: THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON THE PREFERENCE FOR AND CONSUMPTION HABITS OF BLUEBERRIES (VACCINIUM CORYMBOSUM L.) IN AN EMERGING MARKET. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO ANALYZE THE DETERMINANTS OF BLUEBERRY CONSUMPTION IN CHILE AND EVALUATE TO WHAT EXTENT TRADITIONAL FACTORS, SUCH AS INCOME AND PRICE, ARE MORE DETERMINANT THAN OTHER ATTITUDINAL FACTORS AND LIFESTYLES. AREA OF STUDY: THE BIOBÍO REGION (CHILLÁN CITY), THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT REGION IN CHILE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A FACE-TO-FACE SURVEY IS APPLIED TO A RANDOM STRATIFIED SAMPLE. THE SURVEY COLLECTED INFORMATION ON ADOPTION OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, KNOWLEDGE OF BLUEBERRIES AS A NATURAL FUNCTIONAL FOOD, SOME SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, AND TRADITIONAL ECONOMIC FACTORS. A HECKMAN MODEL IS ESTIMATED BY THE MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD. MAIN RESULTS: RESULTS SUGGEST THAT HIGHER BLUEBERRY CONSUMPTION IS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADOPTION OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, A HIGHER SELF-PERCEPTION OF HEALTHY HABITS, AND THE RECOGNITION OF BLUEBERRIES AS A NATURAL FUNCTIONAL FOOD. THE NUTRITIONAL STATUS REFLECTED THAT PEOPLE WITH A LOWER BODY MASS INDEX CONSUME FEWER BLUEBERRIES. FINALLY, TRADITIONAL FACTORS, SUCH AS INCOME AND PRICE, ARE SHOWED TO BE MORE INFLUENTIAL ON BLUEBERRY CONSUMPTION THAN ATTITUDINAL AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: CHILEAN CONSUMERS PERCEIVE BLUEBERRIES AS A HEALTHY PRODUCT, WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ADOPT HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES. DOMESTIC MARKETS SHOULD BE SUPPLIED WITH HIGHER QUALITY PRODUCT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE DEMAND IS PRICE INELASTIC. BRANDING AND PACKAGING WITH FUNCTIONAL CLAIMS COULD BE AN EFFICIENT STRATEGY TO INCREASE DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION.

THIS ARTICLE FOCUSES ON THE EMERGING BOTTLED CHILEAN RED WINE MARKET AND STUDIES THE MAIN DETERMINANTS OF THE CONSUMER PRICE OF WINE SOLD ON THE DOMESTIC MARKET. A HEDONIC PRICE FUNCTION WAS ESTIMATED FOR A SAMPLE OF 810 WINES USING A QUANTILE REGRESSION (QR) MODEL. THE DATABASE CONTAINS THREE VARIABLE GROUPS TO EXPLAIN PRICE: OBJECTIVE VARIABLES (NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND VINE QUALITY DESIGNATIONS), SUBJECTIVE VARIABLES (WINE SCORE) AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES USED BY WINE PRODUCERS. RESULTS SHOW THAT SOME OBJECTIVE VARIABLES HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON PRICE THAN THE WINE SCORE (A SUBJECTIVE VARIABLE) AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES, WHICH VARY FOR EACH QUARTILE OF PRICES ANALYSED. FINALLY, THIS INFORMATION WILL ALLOW COMPANIES TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT MARKETING STRATEGIES TO INFORM THE CONSUMER ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SOME VARIABLES IN THE PRICE OF THEIR PRODUCT.

CHILE HAS REDUCED ITS POVERTY LEVELS AT AN INCREASINGLY FAST RATE, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS, AND THE CHANGES THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE HAVE GIVEN WAY TO A NEW RURALITY. THIS STUDY ALLOWS US TO QUANTIFY THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED ON RURAL AND URBAN AREAS DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN YEARS 2000 AND 2011. THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH SHOW A DEEP CHANGE IN THE INTERACTION OF RURAL HOMES WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT.