Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Bringing the consumer perspective to the table

Summary

A shift to healthy and sustainable diets is important for people and planet. To date, healthy and sustainable dietary patterns have mainly been studied using mathematical models. However, these models do not take consumers into account. This dissertation investigated what consumers think about sustainable foods, and how their education level and beliefs about palatability, individual health and price play a role in sustainable food choices. We found that consumers mention a wide range of factors, from food production to consumption and food waste. Sustainable foods are associated with healthy, tasty, and high-priced. In addition, the study found that sustainable and healthy diets are more neutral in taste compared to diets that are less sustainable and healthy. In addition, highly educated consumers eat healthier, but not more sustainable compared to lower educated consumers. These results can be used to encourage consumers to make healthier and more sustainable food choices.