Dietary dilemmas: Navigating trade-offs in food choice for sustainability, health, naturalness, and price

IF 4.9 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Food Quality and Preference Pub Date : 2025-03-09 DOI:10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105497

Tommaso Fantechi , Caterina Contini , Leonardo Casini , Liisa Lähteenmäki

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Abstract

The global discourse surrounding the food system has intensified, driven by the recognition that dietary choices play a pivotal role in achieving environmental sustainability objectives and shaping collective health patterns. Our study investigates the influence of sustainability, healthiness, naturalness, and price on consumer preferences, with the objective of determining which of these attributes may drive a shift in choices. A survey, including a Discrete Choice Experiment focussed on yoghurt, was conducted on a sample of 622 Italian and Danish consumers. The data were subjected to latent class analysis. The findings underscore the complexity of consumer decision-making. Notably, 48 % of the sample weighed sustainability, healthiness, and naturalness in their choices without making trade-offs between these attributes. In contrast, 10 % prioritised health over sustainability and naturalness, thereby demonstrating the existence of a trade-off. The remaining consumers based their decision solely on the price. The differences observed between Denmark and Italy are linked to price sensitivity. The discussion offers insights for developing strategies to promote both health and sustainability in the food market.

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来源期刊

Food Quality and Preference 工程技术-食品科技

CiteScore

10.40

自引率

15.10%

发文量

263

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Food Quality and Preference is a journal devoted to sensory, consumer and behavioural research in food and non-food products. It publishes original research, critical reviews, and short communications in sensory and consumer science, and sensometrics. In addition, the journal publishes special invited issues on important timely topics and from relevant conferences. These are aimed at bridging the gap between research and application, bringing together authors and readers in consumer and market research, sensory science, sensometrics and sensory evaluation, nutrition and food choice, as well as food research, product development and sensory quality assurance. Submissions to Food Quality and Preference are limited to papers that include some form of human measurement; papers that are limited to physical/chemical measures or the routine application of sensory, consumer or econometric analysis will not be considered unless they specifically make a novel scientific contribution in line with the journal''s coverage as outlined below.