Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Choices

Healthy diets from sustainable food systems

How food in produced, what is consumed, and how much is lost or wasted all heavily shape the health of both people and planet. Consumer behaviour science is key to better understand determinants of behaviour, initiate behavioural change and guide consumers to healthier and more sustainable dietary choices on the long-term.

Innovative and integrated research approach

Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is your trusted partner in addressing consumer behaviour challenges to stimulate healthy and sustainable product and dietary choices.

We apply a variety of innovative methods to study product, person, behaviour and context aspects in the lab, in real-life settings, or online to get an integrated approach towards healthy dietary choices. Our research encompasses:

• understanding behavioural consumer drivers and barriers;
• evaluating sensory characteristics and food preferences;
• science-based behavioural change strategies;
• education on healthy eating behaviour;
• design requirements for a healthy eating environment.

Stimulating healthy and sustainable eating

We have an extensive track record in implementing strategies to stimulate healthy and sustainable eating in specific target groups, such as children in day care and schools (1-12 years of age).

The ‘Fruit and vegetables at school, naturally!’ project, showed a two-fold increase in fruit and vegetable consumption during the 10 a.m. break with a 5-day school policy.

In the SHIFT2HEALTH project, we investigate behavioural strategies for people with high risk of obesity caused by circadian disruption due to shift-work.