Trends in Sustainable and Ethical Food Consumption

Dear Colleagues,

The role of food production and consumption is central in the debate on sustainability. A growing body of research provides empirical insights into the influence of processes involved in the entire life cycle of food, from production and processing (accounting for more than three-quarters of food-related GHG emissions ^[1]) to retail and consumption (the average food wastage in the EU amounts to 174 kg per person per year—an equivalent loss of €143 billion ^[1]), and its enormous negative impact on the environment in terms of farmland erosion, depletion of sea livestock, climate warming, and so on. Within agriculture, livestock farming has the largest environmental footprint, and this impact is increasing as traditional diets globally are being rapidly replaced by diets that are higher in protein and fat. As the scientific basis for the link between diet and the environment grows stronger, the idea has emerged that global dietary changes may contribute to climate-change mitigation. In response, campaigns to promote meat-free days have been launched, such as “Meatless Monday” in the United States and United Kingdom and “Veggie Thursday” in Germany and Belgium.

Furthermore, the social component involved in the production of food, in terms of faraway growers and producers of some of the most frequently consumed products like coffee, tea, fruits, sugar, and so on, though often neglected, has an equally significant role in sustaining overall welfare. A distance between producers and consumers is mentally and physically created, mainly as a result of urbanization. Stimulated by mass media news coverage and advertisements, modern adult consumers (13% of which are obese ^[1]), when confronted with the intensive, mainstream agricultural production systems, express negative attitudes towards agriculture, food production and processing, neglecting to face their own responsibilities. On the other extreme, addressing hunger and malnutrition (more than 820 million people suffer from chronic hunger and another 2 billion from a chronic deficiency of micronutrients ^[1]) is a key goal of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while meeting the global demand for food to feed 9.7 billion people by 2050 will require an increase in global food production by 50%, pressing the global agro-food complex to the limit of its efficiency.

The objective of this Special Issue is to compile the cutting-edge studies on trends in sustainable, ethical and responsible food consumption. This Special Issue aims to focus on (but is not limited to) different contexts within which sustainable food consumer choices satisfy economic, social, and environmental goals. Economic goals in relation to sustainability relate to the food system’s ability to provide a fair income for producers, as well as affordable prices to consumers. The social goal of sustainability concerns an integration of food production into the priorities and needs of society, which form the basis for an appreciation and support for the sector from societies and governments. The environmental goal refers to the food system’s impact on the natural and living environment and quality of life for humans for this and forthcoming generations.

Against this background, this Special Issue suggests to use “food consumer acceptance” as the ultimate latent dependent variable and invites theoretical and empirical studies on all themes that may have an impact on fostering consumers’ sustainable (responsible, ethical) food choices. As such, the Special Issue welcomes studies within the following sustainability contexts (although other relevant topics/contexts will also be considered), which all touch upon one or more of the economic, social, and environmental goals of sustainability, as described above:

Consumer “acceptance” and the decision-making process:

• Organic/green food production/products/branding;
• Animal-welfare-certified products and consume choice;
• Fairly traded products and consumer choice;
• Sustainable fish farming practices and consumer choice;
• Food waste management practices;
• Precision agriculture and resulting products;
• Sustainable innovation (farming, processing, distribution) and new product development.

Citizenship vs. Consumerism:

• Attitude–behavior gap in sustainable food choices;
• Citizens’ compliance with sustainability regulations, drivers, and barriers;
• Substitution trade-offs among sustainable behavior types;
• Citizens’ involvement in and self-relevance of sustainable behavior, leverage points;
• Personalities, value systems, and food-related lifestyles as predictors of sustainable food choices;
• Cross-cultural dimensions in contemporary sustainable food choices;
• Corporate social responsibility in the food sector and its impact on consumer choices;
• Veganism and vegetarianism as a sustainable dietary model;
• Dietary habits and nutritional value of sustainable food choices.

From a methodological point of view, we welcome all conceptual and empirical approaches, in particular: qualitative research, ideally on unexplored or under-researched aspects of the above topics; or quantitative research such as uni/cross-cultural modelling and causal research, moderation/mediation effects testing, as well as framing, persuasion, or any other type of marketing communication research. Lastly, all types of experimental approaches (i.e., choice modelling and simulation studies) will also be welcomed.

Dr. Athanasios Krystallis
Dr. Irene Tilikidou
Dr. Antonia Delistavrou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• food consumption and sustainable food choice
• ethical, responsible food production and consumption
• green, organic farming, products, and branding
• animal welfare, food waste, fair trade, and consumer choices
• consumer perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable food
• sustainable food processing and innovation
• new food product development and sustainability
• consumers, citizens, and responsible food choices
• sustainable food consumption trends, cultures, and lifestyles
• corporate social responsibility in the food sector
• veganism and vegetarianism as a sustainable dietary models
• nutritional value of sustainable food choices