arbiter
JournalsAccount

Weak pulse: a Q-methodology study of stakeholder viewpoints on barriers in European food legume value chains

Tobias Holmsgaard Rønn et al.

Food Policy2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.103033article
AJG 3ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

European ambitions for more sustainable food systems rely, in part, on expanding the production and consumption of food legumes. Yet European food legume value chains remain marginal, and EU and national level supporting policies are few. We apply Q–methodology to provide novel evidence about stakeholder perceptions of the relative importance of current value chain barriers and their interrelationship, while also exploring how these perceptions vary among stakeholders from different European countries. Based on a Principal Component Analysis of 91 Danish, German, Polish, and Spanish value chain stakeholders’ sorting of 28 barrier statements, we extract five shared viewpoints, pointing out the perceived most important barriers: (1) a lack of capacity for end-product production and use; (2) unattractive legume products; (3) governance, institutional and capacity gaps; (4) unfavorable food system conditions; and (5) a restricted domestic raw material production. Cross–country analyses reveal that some viewpoints are widely shared, whereas others are country–specific. Our findings underscore the need for a flexible portfolio of European and national policy measures, such as educational initiatives, institutional support, network development, and coordinated national and regional strategies, to effectively address the value chain barriers currently inhibiting the realization of the full potential of food legumes as a pathway toward a more sustainable European food system.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.103033

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{tobias2026,
  title        = {{Weak pulse: a Q-methodology study of stakeholder viewpoints on barriers in European food legume value chains}},
  author       = {Tobias Holmsgaard Rønn et al.},
  journal      = {Food Policy},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.103033},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Weak pulse: a Q-methodology study of stakeholder viewpoints on barriers in European food legume value chains

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.