Chapter 8 - Eating Sustainably: Values, Attitudes and Identity

Abstract

This chapter focuses on three categories of sustainable food consumption: reducing meat consumption, eating organic foods and eating locally grown foods. Research findings suggest that a reduction in meat consumption can substantially reduce an individual’s carbon footprint. But, people are not necessarily aware of the climate impacts of eating meat. Meat consumption is correlated with values: people with stronger self-transcendence values are less likely to eat meat and people with stronger self-enhancement values are more likely to eat meat. Meat consumption is also associated with people’s identity (i.e., the extent to which eating meat, being vegetarian or vegan is a part of how people see themselves). Organic and local food consumption appear to be more strongly driven by people’s attitudes towards these types of foods. The notion that different types of sustainable food choices are related to different determinants has implications for the development of behaviour change interventions.