Abstract
Food choices are complex and highly variable, even over short periods, as they are influenced by numerous psychological, social, and cultural factors, in addition to biological and economic ones. Consumer choices are increasingly complex because of the growing quantity and variety of available food products, which also affects individuals’ environments. This paper is part of a larger study on health-related food choices, and it discusses how food choices affect the environment. To achieve the research goal, classes of respondents that are homogeneous in their food choices were identified. The authors used an algorithm to build classification trees and found that health status is determined by respondents’ age and food consumption habits. The paper demonstrates that understanding individual nutritional choices is a prerequisite for changing consumption habits and shaping healthy behavior, which is in line with the principle of sustainable development through sustainable consumption. The findings are relevant to public health researchers and practitioners who wish to understand the relationship between nutritional practices and health in line with sustainable development.
Highlights
Our goal is to examine the impact of food choices on health and the environment
The research shows that the health of every human being is significantly influenced by the consumption of appropriate products and paying attention to the information contained in food labels and making one’s own choices on this basis
As our research shows, food choices are not always significantly influenced by consumption habits established and examples of other people. This means that the possibilities of active and effective shaping of food choices are significant as they depend to a greater extent on shaping factors than on the socio-cultural standards established
Summary
Our goal is to examine the impact of food choices on health and the environment. Food consumption accounts for almost one-third of households’ total environmental impact. These environmental impacts include climate change, water pollution, water scarcity, etc. Understanding consumers’ preferences for food products is essential for bettering food policy [1,2] whose primary goal should be to improve human health [3] and promote sustainable development [4,5,6]. Contemporary European Union legislation on food information tries to take into account the right of consumers to reliable information and stresses the freedom of choice of every human being [7]. It is important to have more comprehensive and accurate information, not just to provide information on labels [8]
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