Food Purchases Research Articles

The sports food buzz: Understanding consumption, motivations and perceptions in Australian adults

Sports foods are formulations of protein powders, carbohydrate gels and other nutrients such as creatine and pre work out, that are designed for athletes to provide additional nutrients for optimum performance(1). These contain specific amounts of nutritive substances not meant for non-athletes(2). However, over the last decade there has been a substantial increase in the availability, types, and sales of sports foods in mainstream retailers(3,4), likely driven by non-athlete consumption. Increased consumption could lead to nutrient intake above recommendations(5) or unwanted side effects (e.g. caffeine overload) due to consumption of multiple products(6). Little is known about the characteristics and motivations of non-athletes and it is important to understand the drivers of this increase, to ensure appropriate and safe consumption. This study aims to investigate characteristics and motivations, consumption patterns, exercise participation, reasons for product selection and perception of risks and side effects of non-athlete sports food consumers. In 2022, non-athlete Australian adults (18-65) completed a purpose designed online cross-sectional survey. Closed ended questions collected demographic characteristics, sports food consumption (type, frequency, amount, cost), exercise participation (type, frequency, duration), purchase location, recommendation source (friends, family social media) and use of packaging attributes (e.g. claims) to inform decision making. Open-ended questions captured reasons for consumption, perceptions of any risks and side effects experienced. Descriptive statistics were performed for participant characteristics and open-ended questions were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Participants (n = 307) were predominately female (56%), middle aged (45%), moderate income earners (53%) and tertiary educated (54%). Protein products were most consumed (powder 82%, bar 61%, snack 37%), with over two thirds (65%) consuming 2 or more products. Walking was the most frequent exercise performed (65%), supermarkets the most common purchase location (52%) and media the most frequent recommendation source (39%), with on-pack nutrition information being used by most respondents (95%) to inform product selection. Just over half (52%) stated perceived risks and more than a third (35%) reported experiencing side effects from sports food consumption. The main reasons for consuming sports foods were for protein intake, muscle recovery, stamina and energy. The key risks stated were kidney/liver/organ effects, caffeine overdose and gut/digestion problems. The main side effects reported were bloating, tingling, anxiety (jitters, shaking, trembling), nausea or stomach upsets. Despite the consumer characteristics and their stated awareness of the risks, and side effects experienced, they continue to consume sports foods for their many perceived benefits. This is potentially driven by on-pack nutrition information and claims, which appear particularly influential in purchasing. Previous research shows that on-pack information can be inaccurate, or misleading(4). Tighter regulation and enforcement would benefit non-athletes, ensuring safer and more informed consumption.

Effects of greenwashing on green purchase intention: the mediating role of green skepticism, green brand love and green brand loyalty

ABSTRACT This study examines how greenwashing effects customers’ intention to make environmentally friendly purchases, known as green purchase intention, and how green skepticism, green brand love, and green brand loyalty mediate this relationship. Using the Attitude-Behavior-Context theory as a framework, ten hypotheses were developed and tested with a sample of 348 Palestinian consumers who had purchased organic or green foods in the West Bank. The findings indicate that greenwashing has a negative impact on green purchase intention, and this relationship is mediated by green brand loyalty and love, but not by green skepticism. Green brand love and loyalty also significantly influence green purchase intention, while green skepticism does not. The study highlights the importance of reducing greenwashing to increase green purchase intention, brand love, and loyalty, and offers practical evidence to help practitioners address this issue. The results have implications for firms seeking to reduce skepticism and increase organic food purchases, with recommendations for future research in developing countries.

Online community group food purchasing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Food security, problems, and sustainability

The outbreak of the COVID-10 variant Omicron epidemic in Shanghai in 2022 had a huge impact on residents' food security. This study examines the roles, challenges, and sustainability of online community group food purchasing by analyzing survey data collected from 1168 households in Shanghai between March and May 2022, in the aftermath of COVID-19. This study demonstrates that online community group food purchasing played a crucial role in ensuring residents' food access and food security during the pandemic. However, this study also reveals that residents expressed concerns about the risk of epidemic transmission, food safety, increased prices, and difficulty in safeguarding rights. Only 21.5 % of residents are willing to continue using online community group purchasing. Based on the above conclusions, this study offers some suggestions.

Examining the nutrition and packaging of foods promoted as ‘Back to School’ products for children’s school lunchboxes

The local food environment plays an important role in food purchasing behaviours, and it is important to understand the how this context shapes the highly complex drivers of food choice for children and families. In Australia, children consume more than one-third of their total energy intake whilst at school(1), thus making the content of school lunchboxes an important target for nutrition promotion efforts. Supermarkets invest heavily in promoting food for inclusion in school lunchboxes, particularly in the ‘Back to School’ period, but little is known about the nutrition content or the packaging of the foods included in these promotions. This study aimed to examine the types and packaging of foods that are promoted by supermarkets as school lunchbox foods. Catalogues for six supermarket chains in Adelaide, South Australia were collected during the four weeks of January 2023, the window often described as the ‘Back to School’ period. An audit of the contents was conducted and items promoted specifically as ‘Back to School’ items were coded according to the type of food (fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains/cereals, protein or drinks), whether the items was packaged or unpackaged and the processing classification according to the NOVA criteria(2). Descriptive statistics were calculated. In the ‘Back to School’ period, each of the six supermarket chains produced 4 catalogues and items relating specifically to foods promoted for inclusion in school lunchboxes appeared in 18 of the 24 catalogues. A total of 151 food or drink items appeared in the ‘Back to School’ promotions in these catalogues, and 100% of these items were packaged; 29% were packaged in single-use plastic packaging, 25% were packaged in recyclable packaging and 46% were packaged in a combination of single-use plastic and recyclable packaging. In terms of foods, snack foods, including sweet (n = 32, 21%) and savoury (n = 21, 14%) snacks were highly represented (35% overall). Dairy products (n = 23, 15%), grains/cereal products (n = 23, 15%) and drinks (n = 20, 13%) were also featured, and spreads (e.g. vegemite, Nutella) appeared in 13% of catalogues (n = 12). Fruits (n = 8, 5%), vegetables (n = 3, 2%) and proteins (n = 5, 3%) did not appear in many catalogues. Seventeen (11%) foods were unprocessed, with 111 (74%) classified as ultra-processed foods. Supermarket catalogues promote ‘Back to School’ lunchbox foods that are overwhelmingly packaged and ultra-processed. Working with supermarkets to adapt the promotion of foods that are less packaged and less processed is an important step to improving the local food environment.

Examining digital influencers’ impact on customer's hedonic motivation, utilitarian motivation and purchase intention

The purpose of this study is to investigate how external factors influence people's intentions to buy food online. A survey was conducted using an online form that was widely distributed to people who follow digital influencers on social media, have made online food purchases, and live in Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi). The study was conducted to gather a more comprehensive view of consumer shopping behavior in Indonesia by combining trends, visual appeals, sales promotion, and information availability from digital influences in social media that impact customer motivation (hedonic and utilitarian) and customer purchase intention for food products online. The research results demonstrate a genuine relationship between digital influences and their impact on social networks as a new trend of the digital era. The study also proves that there is a positive relationship between the hedonistic motivation and the Utilitarian motivation on purchase intention. Moreover, the research shows that promotions carried out on different platforms from the sales platform can also have a significant impact on consumer motivation and purchasing intentions. Based on the research results, we recommend that food product sellers should consider using digital influences as promotional tools on social platforms. We recommend that future researchers investigate differences in shopping motivation based on different products or consumer market segments, especially in terms of external factors that trigger motivation to shop for food through digital activities.

Measuring Indonesian young consumers’ halal purchase intention of foreign-branded food products

This article is among the few focusing on halal young consumer behavior in Indonesia. The focus is to examine the topic of halal food product purchase intention. Here, we focus specifically on Muslim teenagers in Indonesia to explore whether they still hold on to the halal principle that most Muslims adhere to when consuming food. This research examine their halal awareness based on theory of planned behavior (TPB) theory and compare it to the previous publications so far. To reach this objective, we used quantitative methodology. Our data was acquired from 161 Indonesian young Muslim consumers. Furthermore, the variance-based structural equation modeling and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) research model were utilized. Our findings demonstrate that subjective norm and attitude are significant determinants of halal food buying intent. However, perceived behavioral control has not been established as a purchase intention component. Finally, this study provides additional research on halal consumer behavior, focusing on the empirical findings of young Indonesian consumers, especially seen from TPB perspective.

Household milk production, milk purchase and child nutrition:Panel data evidence from rural Uganda

The burden of low-quality diets and childhood undernutrition is widespread in rural areas in SubSaharan Africa, where households rely mostly on agriculture. Various empirical studies have shown the relative importance of the market, and hence food purchases, compared with farm diversification in raising dietary diversity. But are these findings applicable to all food markets? In the case of highly perishable milk, which characterises its production in rural Africa, and the low community ownership of cows, an important research question is whether milk is available in markets and whether milk purchases contribute to the nutrition of children in smallholder households. Using panel data from rural Uganda, we estimate conditional mixed-process models and find positive effects of both household milk production and milk purchases on height-for-age z-scores. We find that milk purchases and milk production are complements, and therefore a strategy combining increases in milk productivity, dairy market development and social protection programmes to increase economic access to milk markets could improve child nutrition.

Physiochemical and Sensory Properties of Edible Cups Conceptualized from Food By-Products

ABSTRACT: Our community today is going through multiple challenges, in the arena of nutrition and the environment. The use of plastic or paper containers to pack foods is on a huge rise proportional to the increase in the purchase of outside foods. In terms of environment, the concern is with the the improper disposal of plastics, which destroys volumes of species, causes pollution in land and water, elevates greenhouse gas emissions and contaminates the food chain, in health perspective, there is arise in the pervasiveness of various non-communicable diseases because of several carcinogenic,toxic, and hazardous chemicals present in foods we consume packed in those containers. As an alternative initiative, this study aims to formulate nutritive edible cups utilizing wheat flour as the major ingredient, and the by-products of the food industry namely rice bran, dehulled chickpea flour, groundnut cake, pomace of beetroot, apple, and molasses in different proportions, thereby providing a solution to disposal of waste products from food industry also. The edible cups formulated with different proposition of the listed ingredients were subjected to Organoleptic and functionality evaluation. The accepted variation of the edible cup was further analysed for nutritional composition and phytochemical composition. The results show that these nutritive edible cups were found to be palatable and can be utilized to serve solid and semi-solid foods and can be consumed along with the served food. The edible cups provide sufficient energy(354Kcals), carbohydrates(74.2g), fat(1.5g), protein(10.8g), fiber(4.6g), polyphenols, flavonoids, and phytochemicals.

A S tudy o n Non-Muslim Consumer s' P urchase Intention of H alal Food in Korea

Purpose: The demand for halal foods among non-Muslim customers is increasing in non-Muslim countries. This study investigates South Korean non-Muslim customers' halal food purchase intentions using an extended model of goal-directed behavior (EMGB). Design/methodology/approach: The study model combines halal awareness with the existing model of goal-directed behavior (MGB) variables and examines the moderating effect of word of mouth (WOM). Findings: The results indicated that attitudes, positive anticipated emotions, perceived behavioral control, and halal awareness influenced non-Muslim consumers' desire to purchase halal foods. Desire and halal awareness also predicted purchase intentions. Moreover, word of mouth (WOM) had a significant moderating effect on the desire to purchase intentions of halal foods. Research limitations/implications: The results of this study can be utilized in managing the halal food business by providing information on non-Muslim consumer characteristics. Originality/value: This study aims to provide implications for the globalization of halal food by identifying specific variables that affect the halal food consumption behavior of non-Muslim consumers.

Attitudes and purchase intentions of polish university students towards food made from insects-A modelling approach.

The marketing of insect-derived protein has led to the development of respective legal regulations on such insects-based foods in the European Union. Despite the interest in the area of insect-based food, European researchers have paid relatively little attention to consumer attitudes and behaviors towards such products or the factors that may affect them. Attempts undertaken so far in this respect are insufficient; therefore, there is a need to continue and expand research in this field. The present study attempts to verify the following research hypotheses: H1. Attitudes towards food containing insects are related to the attributes/characteristics of these products, care for health and the natural environment, and attitudes towards novelty (neophilic/neophobic); H2. Intentions to purchase food containing insects can be predicted based on attitudes towards food from insects, product attributes, and attitudes towards environmental health and novelties. An empirical study was conducted among university students (N = 1063) by an indirect interview method using a specially designed questionnaire, via an online platform (Computer-Assisted Web Interview, CAWI) in November 2023. The questionnaire was validated by assessing the construction validity and estimating the reliability of the scales used. The study results demonstrated that the attributes of insect-based food products can influence the positive attitudes towards them and behavioral intentions to consume them, and that the strength of the impact of health quality traits is far greater than that of the organoleptic or functional traits. A negative, statistically significant value of the correlation coefficient between neophobic attitude and intention to purchase this type of food was observed. Thus, respondents without food neophobia were characterized by a positive attitude towards the purchase of foods containing edible insects in their composition.

Structural Equation Model for Exploring the Key Drivers of Consumer Behavior towards Environmentally Conscious Organic Food Purchasing in Japan

This study investigates the influence of psychological factors and socio-demographic characteristics on the actual purchase of organic foods based on environmental consciousness. The theory of reasoned action and Hirose’s two-phase decision-making model act as the major informers to develop the research hypotheses. Through an online questionnaire survey, responses were collected from a sample of 275 Japanese consumers who bought organic foods based on environmental consciousness at least once. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data. This study shows that the key to promoting actual purchase lies in three factors: social norm, past experience, and willingness to pay (WTP). Attitude towards actual purchase negatively influenced actual purchase, and environmental awareness was the determinant for attitude towards actual purchase but not for actual purchase. Thus, only increasing environmental awareness is not enough to increase the actual purchase. Moreover, we could increase the actual purchase by making an effort to reduce the feelings of the unaffordability and inconvenience of organic foods, which also negatively influence WTP and negatively and indirectly influence actual purchase. This study finds that the behavior execution process is the main driving force influencing actual purchase rather than the attitude development process in terms of psychological factors behind organic food consumption based on environmental consciousness.

Public Catering at Logging Sites in the Middle Volga Region during the Pre-War Five-Year Plans

The article examines one of the most important aspects of the industrial and domestic components of the logging process in the 1930s. The work of canteens and food stations for lumberjacks is considered using the example of the Middle Volga region, whose logging was typical for the European part of the USSR. At the same time, the article compares regional problems of catering at logging sites with all-Union trends. The source base for the article was the funds of regional archives of the Penza, Samara and Ulyanovsk regions and materials from periodicals of the 1930s. In general, the catering system at the logging sites of the largest logger in the Middle Volga region, the Sredles trust, was organized already at the end of the first five-year plan. The greatest number of problems in the public catering system in the third five-year plan were recorded in the Kuibyshevles sections. Typical methods for supplying the canteens of timber industry enterprises with products in the 1930s. began to organize their own subsidiary farms and purchase food. There are numerous complaints about the quality of food prepared in the forestry industry canteens. In some cases, the shortcomings of catering at logging sites were associated not with the general food shortage in the USSR, but with the low professionalism of canteen workers.

Testing the effect of descriptive dynamic social norm messages on meatless food purchases in Aotearoa New Zealand and UK university food outlets

A reduction in meat consumption is urgently needed to address multiple harms related to the environment, animal welfare, and human health. Social norm interventions have been found to be feasible and effective at shifting consumer behaviour, however, evidence related to meat reduction behaviour is limited – especially in naturalistic settings. Two social norm interventions were conducted at university food outlets in Aotearoa New Zealand and in the UK, to assess the effect of social norm messages on meat and meatless food purchases. Both interventions consisted of a week-long intervention phase during which descriptive dynamic social norm messages referring to reduced meat intake were displayed in the food outlets (study one and two) and via social media (study two). Meat and meatless food purchases during the interventions were compared to pre- and post-intervention weeks. Surveys were also conducted with a sub-group of customers to assess demographics, dietary habits, and awareness of the social norm message. In both studies, there was no significant effect of the social norm interventions on meat or meatless food purchases, and awareness of the norms message across both studies was low. These findings indicate that social norm interventions alone may be ineffective in encouraging meat reduction. Implications for interventions to reduce meat intake to support pro-environmental food choices are discussed.

How does the problem-oriented innovation system (PIS) help in the management of cardiovascular diseases?

Cardiovascular diseases are a multifaceted and complex problem in the health system that can change the priorities of the economic, social, and even political systems of countries. Therefore, as a grand challenge (GC), its management requires adopting a systematic, interdisciplinary, and innovative approach. In Iran, the most common causes of death, have changed from infectious and diarrheal diseases to cardiovascular diseases since 1960. In this study, the novel framework of the problem-oriented innovation system (PIS) has been used, and cardiovascular diseases in Iran have been selected as a case study. To this end, first, the main challenges related to cardiovascular diseases in Iran were identified in two layers of "governance-centered" (including legal and policy gaps, insufficient education, financing, lack and unbalanced distribution of medical personnel) and "society driven" (including unhealthy diet and lifestyle, uncontrolled and hard-to-regulate factors, and high costs) through a library research. Then, the functional-structural framework of the problem-oriented innovation system was used to analyze cardiovascular diseases and provide policy recommendations. The findings indicate that based on the eight functions of the problem-oriented innovation system, an important part of cardiovascular diseases can be managed and controlled in three short-term, medium-term, and long-term periods. Increasing public awareness in the form of university courses, participation of the government with the private sector in building and equipping specialized cardiovascular centers, creating an electronic health record from birth, implementing a family health plan focusing on less developed areas, supporting agriculture and guaranteeing the purchase of agricultural products and healthy food, increasing the capacity of accepting students in medical and paramedical fields, and allocating pharmaceutical currency in the form of pharmaceutical subsidies directly to cardiovascular patients, are among the most important policy recommendations for this grand challenge.

Changing food preferences and choices – A framework for analyzing households food purchases over time

Scientific interest in food consumption has grown significantly in recent decades due to its profound implications for individuals’ and societies’ health and wellbeing and implications for domestic and global systems sustainability. Food purchases can be directly and indirectly related to household and consumer characteristics. While food purchase habits may be dynamic and influenced by changing circumstances over the years, most related research presents a snapshot of the studied issues within a single year or period or focus on a specific social group or food commodity. This paper introduces and illustrates a framework for analyzing household food purchasing clusters over a period of time. It uses data from over 120,000 households in Israel to analyze household food purchases over two decades. The analysis segments the population into clusters and accounts for their food purchases through an extensive bottom-up approach. It identifies several major clusters, including small and large families and young and elderly households, each representing a unique range of food purchase patterns and a different share of the overall society. It analyses different levels of consumption, from broad categories to specific products, and examines the relationships between food purchases and household characteristics. Examining specific food categories and commodities illustrates a complex trend over the research period, including rising demand for beef, poultry, and soft drinks, steady patterns of consumption of frozen and canned vegetables and oils, and a clear decline in demand for dairy, grain, and sugar products.

Promoting healthful food purchases through in-store interventions: Empirical evidence from rural food deserts

Effective ways to promote healthful food intake in rural areas are understudied. The paper evaluated whether a two-component, in-store intervention designed to encourage healthy food purchases was associated with improved healthfulness scores of food items purchased by shoppers in rural food deserts. One component introduced a point-of-sales label that assigned a single numerical score to each food item facilitating direct comparisons of the product's nutrition with those of other products shelved around it. The other component was a one-day nutrition education workshop promoted within the store. Interventions took place in 2015 at two stores in rural counties in the U.S. Midwest. Four stores in similar communities were selected as the control group. We applied a difference-in-difference model to estimate changes in the healthfulness of food items purchased attributable to the intervention among shoppers at the treatment stores (n = 486) and control stores (n = 10,759) using store transaction data. Healthfulness of food items was measured in terms of food scores published by the Environmental Working Group on a 1–10 scale. Both components had minimal impacts on the scores, although 0.2 and 0.1 points increases in the score per item and score per dollar were statistically significant at the 1% level respectively. A year after the intervention, these small effects of the intervention further diminished compared to the immediately after implementation. Results suggest the average effects of intervention across the study communities had limited practical significance but benefited some rural residents who were exposed to the intervention.

Nudging healthy food choices through e-messages in a supermarket.

This paper analyses the impact of a healthy food nudge intervention on purchases of 1590 customers of a supermarket chain's loyalty program in Uruguay through a randomized controlled trial. Nudges were presented in the form of messages sent through WhatsApp to customers three times a week for 8weeks (between July and September 2020). Messages highlighted the benefits of cooking at home and eating mindfully and healthy (vegetables, fruits, healthy snacks, legumes, and fish), and included easy to implement tips. Results show that, on average, customers assigned to the treatment group increased their purchases of healthy food by 8% and substituted sugar-sweetened for sugar-free beverages. We find an unintended increase in purchases of unhealthy food of 7%, with no correlative increase in calories, suggesting that customers substituted higher calorie products for lower calorie ones. We find that households with lower educational attainment, lower income, and with children under the age of 12 are more likely to increase purchases of fruits and vegetables, while other households are more likely to improve the diet quality without increasing expenditure. Effects do not persist after the intervention is over, suggesting that salience, rather than information is the main channel triggering the effects.

Breaking the Taboo: Understanding the Relationship between Perception, Beliefs, Willingness to Eat Insects, and Food Neophobia among Polish Adults.

Insects are a potential source of protein for direct human consumption or indirectly in processed foods. The research examined consumer perceptions and beliefs regarding the consumption of insects and food products containing insect proteins. The study aimed to identify beliefs about insect consumption, assess the perception of food products containing added insect proteins, and gain a deeper understanding of the role of food neophobia in accepting insects as an alternative source of protein. The data were collected in 2023 through a cross-sectional quantitative online survey of a group that was representative of consumers by age, gender, and region sample (n = 1000) who were responsible for food purchasing decisions in their households. While many respondents viewed foods enriched with insect protein as innovative and environmentally friendly, others found the idea of consuming insects repulsive and expressed concerns about potential allergic reactions. Food neophobia was a determining factor in respondents' beliefs and perceptions regarding the consumption of insects and food products containing insect proteins. Respondents were more inclined to consume products with added insect protein rather than visibly identifiable insects. The results highlight the need for targeted marketing strategies and product development approaches to align with the varied expectations of consumers in the rapidly expanding insect-based food market.

Abstract P483: Food Purchase Priorities and Healthy Food Purchase Supports and Barriers for U.S. General and Low-Income Consumers: A Quantitative Survey

Introduction: Identifying priorities and attributes that influence food purchase decisions will inform interventions and strategies to promote healthy eating. Aim: This study aimed to identify food purchase priorities and healthy food purchase supports and barriers for the general population and those with limited household income. Methods: Participants were recruited by a market research company in May 2023 and were required to be ≥ 18 years old, not work in healthcare/medical/nutrition or advertising/public relations/marketing/market research and be the primary/shared food decision maker for the household. Recruitment quotas ensured age, income, gender and geographic region approximated 2022 US census data (n=1,182) (Census-representative group, CRG). A sample with limited income and participation in federal food or healthcare programs (low-income group, LIG) was also recruited (n=506). The survey was administered online in May and June 2023. Differences between LIG and CRG were assessed using z-tests (p < 0.05). Results: Taste was most commonly rated by CRG as very or extremely important in household food purchasing (87%). Availability, price, ingredients and nutritional value were also important to at least two-thirds of CRG. Taste was similarly important to LIG (85%), but they were more likely to rate price and less likely to rate availability, nutritional value and ingredients as important. When prompted to choose the most important factor, price and taste were the most common responses, chosen by similar proportions of CRG, while price was the most important factor for LIG, followed by taste. CRG versus LIG were more likely to prioritize personal taste over cost, health and nutrition information on labels, buying local and selecting according to nutrition, brand and origin/sourcing information. CRG were less likely than LIG to prefer a lower cost and usually select according to price. LIG were more likely than CRG to state that nothing supports them in selecting healthier foods and less likely to have found support from good-tasting recipes, advance meal or grocery list preparation, cooking equipment access, following influencers, recommendations from organizations or consulting a dietitian/nutritionist. Conversely, LIG were more likely to identify price and availability as barriers to selecting healthier foods, and less likely to see long preparation time, small servings sizes or nothing as barriers. Conclusions: Cost is a strong barrier to healthy eating, especially with limited income, along with taste, while nutrition is not a leading influence on food choice. Strategies to enable healthy eating among low-income households must prioritize taste and cost.

From X to Z: Examining Generational Differences in Sustainable Food Consumption in Portugal

The main objective of this research was to analyze the attitudes and sustainable purchasing behaviors of food products among Portuguese consumers from different generations. The study sought to identify statistically significant differences regarding ecological awareness, understanding of ecological issues, adoption of ecologically conscious purchasing habits and conscious planning of these purchases. Consequently, the research aimed to reveal sustainable attitudes and behaviors during the food purchasing process considering the generational factor. In order to achieve these objectives, a quantitative and cross-sectional study was developed based on a questionnaire adapted from Kuźniar, Surmacz and Wierzbiński (2021). Between September 2022 and the first half of January 2023, the questionnaire was applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 686 Portuguese consumers. Statistical tools such as the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to discern statistically significant differences between two and three independent groups, respectively. The results confirm that generation is a differentiating factor of sustainable attitudes and behaviors. Obviously, the discernible existence of statistically significant differences between Generations Z, Y and X with regard to ecological awareness, ecologically oriented purchasing patterns, and the manifestation of sustainable attitudes and behaviors during food purchases serves as a robust validation of this assertion. Furthermore, it was observed that Generations X and Y exhibited congruent attitudes and behaviors, demarcating them from Generation Z. With regard to depth of understanding around ecological issues and conscious purchase planning, similar attitudes were consistently observed across the three generational spectra under analysis.