scholarly journals Do Europeans consider sustainability when making food choices? A survey of Polish city-dwellers

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Rejman ◽  
Joanna Kaczorowska ◽  
Ewa Halicka ◽  
Wacław Laskowski
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Random Group ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Diet ◽  
Quota Sampling

AbstractObjectiveTo obtain a better insight into the conceptualization of sustainable consumption among consumers with special focus on food choice determinants. Previous studies show that people present positive attitude towards sustainable diet while their everyday food choices do not follow sustainable diet rules.DesignA structured questionnaire was designed and data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interview among a random group (n 600) of city-dwellers. Quota sampling was used in proportion to the city population. Cluster analysis (k-means method) was applied to identify consumer segments according to the determinants of food choices. Consumer segments were identified using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Duncan comparison of mean scores and cross-tabulation with χ 2. The Friedman test was applied to identify enablers and barriers of sustainable food choices.SettingCities in Mazovia, the best developed, central region of Poland.ParticipantsAdults (21–70 years old).ResultsConsumers are not familiar with the concept of sustainability and are not able to define it adequately. Only 6 % of the studied population indicated that sustainable consumption is connected with nutrition which has possibly less impact on the environment. Three segments of consumers were distinguished regarding their attitude to food choice determinants adequate to sustainable diet: Non-Adopters (17 %), Emergents (32 %), Adopters (51 %). Desire to improve health by decreasing body weight was the main driver for sustainable food choices, while prices were the main limitation.ConclusionsKnowledge dissemination on sustainability issues is needed to empower consumers to make more sustainable food choices and to make public health and food policy measures more effective.

scholarly journals Youngsters' Sustainable Food Choices in the Supermarket

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-140
Author(s):  
Charles Haverbeke ◽  
Joëlle Housmans ◽  
Isabel Marchand ◽  
Marina Mérola Teixeira ◽  
Anne-Mieke Vandamme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Attitude Behavior ◽  
The Impact

As climate change is gaining recognition and its impacts manifest, the role of the individual is increasingly being investigated. More specifically, the impact consumption has on both the environment and actors throughout the food chain is crucial in this role. Considering the small share sustainable consumption currently has in overall shopping, bridging the gap between unsustainable and sustainable choices will be paramount in addressing the increasing threat climate change and unjust development pose to our society. The attitude–behavior gap is a phenomenon further complicating the issue. It points out that although a person may have an understanding and desire to act upon knowledge that certain products are more sustainable than others, he does not actually act upon that knowledge when shopping. The limited research regarding the attitude–behavior gap, especially for young people, hinders retailers from creating a shopping environment that encourages sustainable shopping. To address this problem, the authors aimed at understanding consumption behavior in a supermarket environment, with special focus on food choices by students. More specifically, we addressed the following question: "How can we overcome the attitude–behavior gap for pro-sustainable attitudes in supermarkets?" Our survey-based research amongst 248 students could provide insights for effective interventions – such as education, social programming or in-store modifications – to ensure more sustainable mindsets while grocery shopping. We found that students are not consistently making sustainable choices, despite most having a general understanding of sustainability. Women tend to choose sustainable food more often than men, even though price and quality also had a substantial influ ence, together with health. We also found that students may consider or even believe in the importance of sustainability and being eco-conscious consumers without actually taking the necessary steps, showing an attitude–behavior gap. Enacting widespread sustainable development will require many small-scale paradigm shifts, such as a local supermarket incorporating more local and seasonal products or fighting food waste. However, climate change mitigation and environmental justice can only be realized by a widespread cooperation of these initiatives.

scholarly journals Food Preferences and Food Choice Determinants in a Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2491
Author(s):  
Dominika Głąbska ◽  
Dominika Skolmowska ◽  
Dominika Guzek
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Population Based ◽  
School Students ◽  
High Preference ◽  
Quota Sampling ◽  
Food Choice Motives

Food preferences are within the most important determinants of food choices; however, little is known about their complex associations, and no studies were conducted in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents aged 15–20 years within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. The PLACE-19 Study included a random quota sampling conducted in the whole of Poland and covered a population-based sample of 2448 secondary school students. The food preferences were assessed using a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), and the food choices were assessed using a validated Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The statistical analysis comprised k-means clustering and linear regression adjusted for sex and age. Four homogenous clusters of respondents were defined based on the food choice motives—“healthy eaters” (health as the most important determinant of food choices), “hedonists” (convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants), “indifferent consumers” (low significance for all determinants), and “demanding consumers” (high significance for all determinants). The preferences for all food categories differed when comparing between clusters presenting various food choice determinants (p < 0.001). The “healthy eaters” were characterized by the highest preference for vegetables; the “hedonists” preferred meat/fish, dairy, and snacks; the “demanding consumers” had a high preference for all food categories, while “indifferent consumers” had a low preference for all food categories. All preference scores were positively associated with mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, and price (p < 0.05). The results confirmed the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents, as well as allowed adolescents to be clustered into segments to define various needs and motives among the identified segments. For public health purposes, it may be crucial to educate “hedonists,” with a high preference for meat/fish, dairy and snacks, accompanied by convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants of their food choices.

Exploring the Consistency of Adults’ Food Choice motives with Sustainable Diet Components: a Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari ◽  
Abouali Vedadhir ◽  
Maryam Shokouhi ◽  
Ali Milani Bonab
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Sustainable Diet ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Todays, due to the impact of human food choices on increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and environmental degradation, there is a new thinking about changing the pattern of food production and consumption, including sustainable food and nutrition system related to consumption. This study aimed to explore the dimensions of a sustainable diet among the determinants of people's food choices. Methods This qualitative study was carried out using an in-depth interview with 33 individuals aged 30-64 years old living in different areas of Tehran. Data gathering, data analysis and theoretical conceptualization were performed simultaneously and from the beginning of the research, and for managing and organizing the data, the MAXQDA 10 software was used. Results In this paper, the findings are categorized according to the key components of a sustainable diet in five themes: "Health and Nutrition", "Food and Agriculture Security", "Environment and Ecosystems", "Markets, food trade and production chains", "social, cultural, and policy factors" were categorized. Meanwhile, the components of the "Health and Nutrition" domain had the highest contribution and the components of the two domains "food and agriculture" and "environment and ecosystems" had the lowest role among the statements of the participants in this study. Conclusion considering to the low importance of the dimensions of a sustainable diet in food choices of the community, promoting the individual awareness of sustainable diet components, clarifying the importance of food choices in creating environmental impacts and leading the national macro policies in the field food and nutrition toward sustainable diet goals are essential.

scholarly journals The affordability of a healthy and sustainable diet: An Australian case study.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Goulding ◽  
Rebecca Lindberg ◽  
Catherine Georgina Russell
Keyword(s):  
Food Policy ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Planetary Health ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Sustainable Diet ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Food Basket ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Country Specific

Abstract BACKGROUND/AIMS: EAT–Lancet Commission’s Planetary Health Diet proposed a diet that integrates nutrition and sustainability considerations, however its affordability is unknown in many country-specific contexts, including Australia. The aim of this study is to develop a healthy and sustainable food basket modelled on the Planetary Health Diet to determine the affordability of the Planetary Health Diet basket across various socio-economic groups, and compare this affordability with a food basket modelled on the typical current diet, in an Australian setting.METHODS: An Australian-specific Planetary Health Diet basket was developed for a reference household (2 adults and 2 children) modelled on the Planetary Health Diet reference diet, and compared to a previously-developed Typical Australian Diet basket. The cost of each food basket was determined by online supermarket shopping surveys in low, medium and high socio-economic areas in each Australian state. Basket affordability was determined for the reference household by comparing the basket cost to disposable income in each socio-economic group in each state. Mann-Whitney U tests then determined if there were significant differences between the median costs and the median affordability of both baskets.RESULTS: The Planetary Health Diet basket was shown to be less expensive and more affordable than the Typical Australian Diet basket nationally, in all metropolitan areas, in all socio-economic groups across Australia (median cost: Planetary Health Diet=AUD$188.21, Typical Australian Diet=AUD$224.36; median affordability: Planetary Health Diet=13%, Typical Australian Diet=16%; p=<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the Planetary Health Diet to be more affordable than the Typical Australian Diet for metropolitan-dwelling Australians.IMPLICATIONS: These results can help to inform public health and food policy aimed at achieving a healthy and sustainable future for all Australians, including reductions in overweight/obesity rates and increased food security.

scholarly journals Nudging interventions on sustainable food consumption: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Blackford
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Health Burdens ◽  
System 1

As population growth continues, sustainable food behaviour is essential to help reduce the anthropogenic modification of natural systems, driven by food production and consumption, resulting in environmental and health burdens and impacts. Nudging, a behavioural concept, has potential implications for tackling these issues, encouraging change in individuals’ intentions and decision-making via indirect proposition and reinforcement; however, lack of empirical evidence for effectiveness and the controversial framework for ethical analysis create challenges. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of nudging interventions on sustainable food choices, searching five databases to identify the effectiveness of such interventions. Of the 742 identified articles, 14 articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Overall, the potential of certain nudging interventions for encouraging sustainable food choices were found in strategies that targeted ‘system 1’ thinking (automatic, intuitive and non-conscious, relying on heuristics, mental shortcuts and biases), producing outcomes which were more statistically significant compared to interventions requiring consumer deliberation. Gender, sensory influences, and attractiveness of target dishes were highlighted as pivotal factors in sustainable food choice, hence research that considers these factors in conjunction with nudging interventions is required.

scholarly journals Public health nutrition and food policy

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 591-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Caraher ◽  
John Coveney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Public Health Nutrition ◽  
Food Market ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Developed World ◽  
Global Food

AbstractFood in its many manifestations allows us to explore the global control of health and to examine the ways in which food choice is moulded by many interests. The global food market is controlled by a small number of companies who operate a system that delivers ‘cheap’ food to the countries of the developed world. This ‘cheap’ food comes at a price, which externalises costs to the nation state in terms of health consequences (diabetes, coronary heart disease and other food-related diseases) and to the environment in terms of pollution and the associated clean-up strategies. Food policy has not to any great extent dealt with these issues, opting instead for an approach based on nutrition, food choice and biomedical health. Ignoring wider elements of the food system including issues of ecology and sustainability constrains a broader understanding within public health nutrition. Here we argue that public health nutrition, through the medium of health promotion, needs to address these wider issues of who controls the food supply, and thus the influences on the food chain and the food choices of the individual and communities. Such an upstream approach to food policy (one that has been learned from work on tobacco) is necessary if we are seriously to influence food choice.

scholarly journals Exploring adults’ motives for food choice of sustainable diet components: a qualitative study in Tehran Metropolis

BMC Nutrition ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezoo Haghighian Roudsari ◽  
Abouali Vedadhir ◽  
Samira Pourmoradian ◽  
Hania Rahimi-Ardabili ◽  
Maryam Shokouhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Sustainable Diet ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Role Based ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Todays, due to the impact of human food choices on increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and environmental degradation, there is a new approach about changing the pattern of food production and consumption, including sustainable food and nutrition system related to consumption. This study aimed to explore the components of a sustainable diet among the factors that affect people’s food choices. Methods This qualitative study was carried out using an in-depth interview with 33 individuals aged 30–64 years old living in different areas of Tehran. Data collection, data analysis and theoretical conceptualization were performed simultaneously. MAXQDA 10 software was used for managing and organizing the data. Results In this paper, the findings are categorized according to the key components of a sustainable diet in five themes: “Health and Nutrition”, “Food and Agriculture Security”, “Environment and Ecosystems”, “Markets, food trade and production chains”, “social, cultural, and policy factors” were categorized. Meanwhile, the components of the “Health and Nutrition” domain had the highest contribution and the components of the two domains “food and agriculture” and “environment and ecosystems” had the lowest role based on the participants’ perception in this study. Conclusion Considering to the low importance of the components of a sustainable diet in food choices of the community, promoting the individual awareness of sustainable diet components, clarifying the importance of food choices in creating environmental impacts and leading the national macro policies in the field food and nutrition toward sustainable diet goals are essential.

scholarly journals Environmental Issues as Drivers for Food Choice: Study from a Multinational Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2869
Author(s):  
Raquel P. F. Guiné ◽  
Elena Bartkiene ◽  
Sofia G. Florença ◽  
Ilija Djekić ◽  
Maša Černelič Bizjak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Save Energy

This work intended to explore some motivations that influence people’s eating habits towards sustainability. This was an observational, cross-sectional study, carried out by questionnaire survey on a non-probabilistic sample of 10,067 participants from 13 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and United States). Results indicated that people prefer fresh local foods from the season, being important because it allows transportation and storage to be reduced, which in many cases implies refrigeration systems and consequent energy expenditure. Although people avoid food waste at home, the awareness for the waste at restaurants still needs to be improved. Consumers seem to prefer foods that have been produced and packed in sustainable ways but still give importance to the package—understandable for food products. The results also indicated significant differences in the food choice motivations between groups for all sociodemographic variables tested (age, sex, marital status, education, professional area, living environment and country), but the association was high only for variable country. Additionally, a tree classification analysis allowed to identify the relative importance of the influential variables on the sustainable food choices, with country being the most important, followed by age and sex. Additionally, discriminant function analysis allowed establishing a model for the relation between country and six variables accounting for preservation of biodiversity, respect for life, save natural resources, save energy, reduce industrial pollution and minimal packaging. Although with some limitations, this study brings valuable insight into some aspects linked with sustainable food choices on a number of countries and how people shape their food choices according to some sustainability issues.

scholarly journals Food Choice Determinants and Perceptions of a Healthy Diet among Italian Consumers

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 318
Author(s):  
Rungsaran Wongprawmas ◽  
Cristina Mora ◽  
Nicoletta Pellegrini ◽  
Raquel P. F. Guiné ◽  
Eleonora Carini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Information Strategies

Healthy food choices are crucial for a healthy lifestyle. However, food choices are complex and affected by various factors. Understanding the determinant factors affecting food choices could aid policy-makers in designing better strategies to promote healthy food choices in the general public. This study aims to evaluate the food choice motivations and to segment consumer groups, according to their food choice motivations, in a sample of 531 Italian consumers (collected by convenience sampling), through offline and online survey platforms. K-means cluster analysis was applied to identify consumer groups using six food choice motivation categories (health, emotional, economic and availability, social and cultural, environmental and political, and marketing and commercial). The results suggest that the strongest determinants for the food choices of Italian consumers are Environmental factors and Health. Two consumer profiles were identified through the segmentation analysis: Emotional eating and Health-driven consumers. The respondents were found to have a good awareness of what comprises a healthy diet. There is a potential market for healthy and sustainable food products, especially products with minimal or environmentally friendly packages. Food labels and information strategies could be promoted as tools to assist consumers to make healthy food choices.

scholarly journals The added value of sustainability motivations in understanding sustainable food choices

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 67-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel C. D. Verain ◽  
Marleen C. Onwezen ◽  
Siet J. Sijtsema ◽  
Hans Dagevos
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Addition Product ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
On Line

Understanding consumer food choices is crucial to stimulate sustainable food consumption. Food choice motives are shown to be relevant in understanding consumer food choices. However, there is a focus on product motives, such as price and taste, whereas process motives (i.e. environmental welfare) are understudied. The current study aims to add to the existing literature by investigating the added value of sustainable process motives (environmental welfare, animal welfare and social justice) above product motives. Two on-line surveys of representative Dutch samples tested whether process motives increase the explained variance of sustainable consumption. The results indicate that sustainable process motives are of added value above product motives in the understanding of consumer food choices. In addition, product categories differ in the sustainable process motives that are most useful in explaining sustainable purchases in that category (Study 1), and different types of sustainable products (organic versus fair trade) differ in the sustainable process motives that are most useful in explaining these purchases (Study 2). In conclusion, this paper shows that understanding of sustainable consumption can be improved by considering sustainable process motives above product motives. Thereby, it is important to take the sustainability dimension (e.g., social justice versus environmental welfare) and the product category (e.g., meat versus fruit) into account.

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