scholarly journals The Effects of Environmental Sustainability Labels on Selection, Purchase, and Consumption of Food and Drink Products: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 001391652199547
Author(s):  
Christina Potter ◽  
Anastasios Bastounis ◽  
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce ◽  
Cristina Stewart ◽  
Kerstin Frie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Environmental Labels

This review assessed the effects of environmental labels on consumers’ demand for more sustainable food products. Six electronic databases were searched for experimental studies of ecolabels and food choices. We followed standard Cochrane methods and results were synthesized using vote counting. Fifty-six studies ( N = 42,768 participants, 76 interventions) were included. Outcomes comprised selection ( n = 14), purchase ( n = 40) and consumption ( n = 2). The ecolabel was presented as text ( n = 36), logo ( n = 13) or combination ( n = 27). Message types included: organic ( n = 25), environmentally sustainable ( n = 27), greenhouse gas emissions ( n = 17), and assorted “other” message types ( n = 7). Ecolabels were tested in actual ( n = 15) and hypothetical ( n = 41) environments. Thirty-nine studies received an unclear or high RoB rating. Sixty comparisons favored the intervention and 16 favored control. Ecolabeling with a variety of messages and formats was associated with the selection and purchase of more sustainable food products.

scholarly journals Consumer Readiness to Reduce Meat Consumption for the Purpose of Environmental Sustainability: Insights from Norway

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marthe Austgulen ◽  
Silje Skuland ◽  
Alexander Schjøll ◽  
Frode Alfnes
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Consumption Practices ◽  
Group Interviews

Food production is associated with various environmental impacts and the production of meat is highlighted as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. A transition toward plant-based and low-meat diets has thus been emphasised as an important contribution to reducing climate change. By combining results from a consumer survey, focus group interviews and an in-store field experiment, this article investigates whether Norwegian consumers are ready to make food choices based on what is environmentally sustainable. We ask how consumers perceive the environmental impacts of food consumption, whether they are willing and able to change their food consumption in a more climate-friendly direction, and what influences their perceptions and positions. The results show that there is uncertainty among consumers regarding what constitutes climate- or environmentally friendly food choices and that few consumers are motivated to change their food consumption patterns for climate- or environmental reasons. Consumers’ support to initiatives, such as eating less meat and increasing the prices of meat, are partly determined by the consumers’ existing value orientation and their existing consumption practices. Finally, we find that although providing information about the climate benefits of eating less meat has an effect on vegetable purchases, this does not seem to mobilise consumer action any more than the provision of information about the health benefits of eating less meat does. The article concludes that environmental policies aiming to transfer part of the responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to food consumers is being challenged by the fact that most consumers are still not ready to make food choices based on what is best for the climate or environment.

scholarly journals Improving Cardiovascular Health through Nudging Healthier Food Choices: A Systematic Review

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Tørris ◽  
Hilde Mobekk
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
The Impact

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are considered major public health problems, and their negative impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is profound. Targeting modifiable risk factors such as dietary habits is therefore of great importance. Many of today’s health challenges with overweight and obesity may have behavioral roots, and traditional methods such as regulations and campaigns are often insufficient to improve dietary choices. Nudging or choice architecture might be a viable tool to influence people’s everyday choices and behaviors to better outcomes. This paper reviews the current state of the rapidly expanding number of experimental field studies that investigate the effects/associations of nudging on healthy food choices. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, where 142 citations were identified. Based on selection criteria, six randomized controlled trials and 15 non-randomized controlled trials were ultimately included. The results of this systematic review show that many of the studies included traffic-light labeling, which may be a promising strategy. The reviewed findings, however, also highlight the challenges that confront experimental studies examining the impact of nudging on diet.

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 Familiarity trumps playfulness: Exploring children’s preferences for playful design of vegetables

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 43-64
Author(s):  
SunMin May Hwang ◽  
Sarah Alfalah ◽  
Jieun Misa Kwon ◽  
Barry Kudrowitz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vegetable Food ◽  
Vegetable Products ◽  
Final Study ◽  
Food And Drink

Vegetable-based food and drink products are becoming more popular in the United States with increased awareness of health benefits as well as their positive environmental impact. Yet, there is a lack of attention in marketing these healthy vegetable food products to children, particularly in comparison to less-nutritious food products that are effectively utilizing child-oriented design in the marketplace. This article includes four exploratory studies. The first three studies are part of a co-design process involving children and chefs to create playful vegetable products that appeal to children. These studies result in a variety of playful vegetables concepts which are then evaluated in different methods by children. The preliminary results of these studies indicate that children do not prefer playful versions of vegetables significantly more than familiar versions. The final study presented in this article specifically examines the role of familiarity and colour on a child’s preference towards select vegetable products. Contrary to expectations, a trend uncovered in all four studies demonstrate children’s inclination towards the more familiar versions of a vegetable, illustrating a need for more appropriate design interventions to effectively bring about positive changes in children’s food choices.

scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability in Consumers’ Food Choices: An Empirical Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 31-40
Author(s):  
Zainab Sharief ◽  
Anupama Panghal
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Safe Product ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Buying Behaviour

With growing concern about ecological safety and resource optimisation, both industry and consumers are becoming conscious in making sustainable decisions. Through integrated supply chain practices, ecologically safe product attributes, lean manufacturing practices and focussed sales and marketing strategies, a sustainable Agro-Food ecosystem can be established. Out of the three spheres of sustainability, environmental factors are prioritised over economic and social/ethical parameters and it has been widely recognised by now. As role of consumer is as critical as of industry, efforts are being made on both the parts to achieve environmental sustainability. Present study has been carried out to examine consumer understanding about environmental sustainability and what priority concerns of environment are taken into consideration by consumer while making sustainable food choices. For this purpose, survey data was collected from 369 Indian consumers thorough a structured questionnaire. Results indicated lower level of concern towards among consumers’ over-exploitation of marine resources whereas air pollution through carbon emission was regarded as most important concern in environmental concern parameter followed by scarcity of water. When product information is displayed, consumer purchasing behaviour showed that overall environmental friendliness of the products is preferred after single environmental attributes of recyclable and organic claim of the product. The results imply that environmental preference plays moderate role in consumer food purchasing decisions and future scope depends on the extent to which consumer general concern about environmental sustainability reflects in their actual buying behaviour. This study can support connecting the ecological concept more deeply with sustainability and can serve as a guide for environmental managers.

scholarly journals Modeling the Effect of Environmentally Sustainable Food Swaps on Nutrient Intake in Pregnant Women

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3355
Author(s):  
Tian Wang ◽  
Allison Grech ◽  
Hasthi U. Dissanayake ◽  
Sinead Boylan ◽  
Michael R. Skilton
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Nutrient Adequacy ◽  
Chicken Eggs

Food production greatly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), but there remain concerns that consuming environmentally sustainable foods can increase the likelihood of nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy. We identified commonly consumed foods of pregnant women and determined the effect of their replacement with environmentally sustainable alternatives on nutrient intake and measures of environmental sustainability. Dietary intake data from 171 pregnant women was assessed and foods that contributed the most to energy and protein intake were identified. Of these, foods producing the highest GHG emissions were matched with proposed environmentally sustainable alternatives, and their impact on nutrient provision determined. Meats, grains, and dairy products were identified as important sources of energy and protein. With the highest GHG emissions, beef was selected as the reference food. Proposed alternatives included chicken, eggs, fish, tofu, legumes, and nuts. The most pronounced reductions in CO2 emissions were from replacing beef with tofu, legumes, and nuts. Replacing one serve per week of beef with an isocaloric serve of firm tofu during pregnancy could reduce GHG emissions by 372 kg CO2 eq and increase folate (+28.1 µg/serve) and fiber (+3.3 g/serve) intake without compromising iron (+1.1 mg/serve) intake. Small dietary substitutions with environmentally sustainable alternatives can substantially reduce environmental impact without compromising nutrient adequacy.

Determinant attributes and the compensatory judgement rules applied by young consumers to purchase environmentally sustainable food products

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 256-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Cecchele Lago ◽  
Arthur Marcon ◽  
José Luis Duarte Ribeiro ◽  
Janine Fleith de Medeiros ◽  
Vandré Basbosa Brião ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Products ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Young Consumers

TP6.2.26 Innovations Towards Achieving Environmentally Sustainable Operating Theatres: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Perry ◽  
Nicola Reeves ◽  
Fiona Brennan ◽  
Daniel Morris ◽  
Jared Torkington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Cochrane Database ◽  
Anaesthetic Gases ◽  
Operating Theatres ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction The NHS accounts for 5.4% of the UK’s total carbon foot print, with the perioperative environment being the most resource hungry aspect of the hospital. The aim of this systematic review was to assimilate the published studies concerning the sustainability of the perioperative environment, focusing on the impact of implemented interventions. Methods A systematic review was performed using Pubmed, OVIC, Embase, Cochrane database of systematic reviews and Medline. Original manuscripts describing interventions aimed at improving operating theatre environmental sustainability were included. Results 648 abstracts were screened with 33 manuscripts included. Studies were divided into broad themes; recycling and waste management, waste reduction, reuse, reprocessing or life cycle analysis, energy and resource reduction and anaesthetic gases. This review summarises the interventions identified and their resulting effects on theatre sustainability. Discussion This systematic review has identified simple, yet highly effective interventions across a variety of themes that can lead to improved environmental sustainability of surgical operating theatres. Combining these interventions will likely result in a synergistic improvement to the environmental impact of surgery.

scholarly journals Towards healthy and sustainable food consumption: an Australian case study

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1156-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Friel ◽  
Laurel J Barosh ◽  
Mark Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Energy Requirement ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Ecological Benefits ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Dietary Guideline ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Food Basket ◽  
Sustainability Principles

AbstractObjectiveTo articulate a healthy and sustainable (H&S) diet; outline key health and environmental sustainability principles that can be applied in the selection of foods for inclusion in such a diet; and describe a methodology with which to assess the availability and affordability of a H&S food basket.DesignWe synthesized publically available evidence on the environmental impact of different foods from academic, government, industry and non-government sources and constructed a hypothetical H&S equivalent of the typical Australian diet. Based on this, we constructed a weekly H&S food basket for a household of two adults and two children.SettingAustralia.SubjectsAustralian populations.ResultsThe H&S diet is based on three overarching principles: (i) any food that is consumed above a person's energy requirement represents an avoidable environmental burden in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, use of natural resources and pressure on biodiversity; (ii) reducing the consumption of discretionary food choices, which are energy-dense and highly processed and packaged, reduces both the risk of dietary imbalances and the use of environmental resources; and (iii) a diet comprising less animal- and more plant-derived foods delivers both health and ecological benefits.ConclusionsWe have focused on the articulation of a H&S diet not to facilitate ‘policy drift’ to focus on individual dietary choice, but rather to provide evidence to extend dietary guideline recommendations so as to integrate environmental considerations within the scope of food and health policy advice in Australia and elsewhere.

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