Abstract
To 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. A 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. Cities in Mazovia, the best developed, central region of Poland.ParticipantsAdults (21-70 years old). Consumers 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. Knowledge 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.
Highlights
The first part of the questionnaire dealt with understanding of the concept of sustainable food consumption
The present study brings new insights on factors that influence food choices associated with sustainable food consumption, barriers to and encouragers of change in Polish city-dwellers
Most of the interviewed Polish city-dwellers (65 %) were not familiar with the term sustainable diet and 72 % of those who had heard of it understood it in the wrong way: 43 % answered that it is an ‘energy-balanced diet’
Summary
Measures For data collecting a structured questionnaire consisting of three parts was constructed. The questionnaire was piloted on a convenience sample of ten people and the corrections were made where ambiguities occurred. The first part of the questionnaire dealt with understanding of the concept of sustainable food consumption. The respondents were presented with four options (definitions) out of which three were not correct. In the correct answer (option C), i.e. ‘everyday diet is carried out so as to minimize the influence on the natural environment’, the definition of sustainable food consumption had been deliberately simplified and narrowed down to the environmental dimension, since its fulfilment is crucial to achieve economic and social benefits. The inclusion of all complex aspects of sustainability into the proposed options could be too suggestive and draw the respondents’ attention straight to this answer
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