Empowering Change: Consumer Influence on Sustainable Food Systems in a New Era

Dear Colleagues,

Against the backdrop of a growing global population and intensifying resource pressures, sustainable food systems have emerged as a pivotal research area for both present and future endeavors. Consumer perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors play crucial roles within this system, influencing food market dynamics and production methods. Heightened concerns about food safety, food preferences, price sensitivity, and increasing environmental awareness, among other factors that shape consumer decisions, continue to impact supply and demand in the food systems. In this increasingly digital age, technology plays a transformative role in shaping consumer behaviors within sustainable food systems, offering new tools to empower informed choices. Innovations such as AI-driven personalized nutrition apps, blockchain for food transparency, and IoT smart kitchen devices are not only helping consumers make more sustainable choices but also contributing directly to more efficient food systems.

This Special Issue aims to explore consumer perceptions and behaviors within sustainable food systems, analyzing their impact on food choices, purchases, consumption patterns, and the transformation of food systems. Through a multidisciplinary lens and empirical research, we seek to uncover the motivations and influencing factors behind consumer behaviors. By focusing on the intersection of consumer behavior, technology, and sustainability, this Issue aims to provide theoretical foundations and practical guidance for policymakers, food producers, food retailers, the food service industry, and researchers. Understanding how consumers engage with sustainability practices in the food industry offers valuable insights for advancing sustainable food systems. We invite submissions that examine these trends, providing empirical evidence and analysis to support future innovations and policy decisions in this critical field. This Special Issue invites researchers to submit original research articles or reviews related to the following (please note that the list is not exhaustive):

• Consumer Cognition and Attitudes Towards Sustainable Food;
• The Impact of Food Labels on Consumer Purchasing Decisions in Sustainable Food Markets;
• Technology-Driven Transparency and Consumer Trust in Food Systems;
• Price Sensitivity and Its Influence on Sustainable Food Purchasing Behavior;
• Digital Platforms and Consumer Engagement with Local and Organic Food Systems;
• Cross-Cultural Differences in Sustainable Food Choices and Consumption Patterns;
• Consumer Awareness of Environmental Impact and Its Effect on Food Choices;
• The Role of Social Media in Shaping Consumer Perceptions of Sustainability in Food;
• Consumer Reactions to New Food Technologies: From Lab-Grown Meat to Plant-Based Alternatives;
• The Influence of Ethical Marketing on Consumer Behavior in Sustainable Food Markets.

Dr. Sanjukta Pookulangara
Dr. Han Wen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.