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Abstract
In industrialized countries, the last 40 years has seen a marked change in the average level of per
capita calorie intake, which has led to increased growth in overweight and obesity rates. There are many
reasons to encourage public intervention aimed at facing the problems associated with excess body weight,
and to promote healthy dietary habits. Among the public policies set out to reduce obesity rates, an important
role is played by information measures. The purpose of this work is to analyse for the consumers the
importance of food information in the allocation of free time, and to investigate the variables that affect the
search for information. Following Drichoutis et al. (2008) we developed a conceptual framework through
variables that affect the time spent searching for information. The study was conducted through an empirical
analysis, and the sample consisted of 300 Italian consumers, 150 resident in Lombardy (northern Italy), and
150 in Apulia (southern Italy). The interviews were conducted in small shops, supermarkets and
hypermarkets. For small shops we selected greengrocers, butcher's shops and shops selling dairy products.
The data were analysed through OLS regression and ordinal regression models. The study, for the south
sample, showed a relationship between the consumer willingness to devote time to information search and
work flexibility, information stock, nutritional knowledge. In the case of northern sample, another variable
that affects the time allocated for information search is BMI.