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Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 14874

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrej Kirbiš

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Guest Editor

Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Interests: food; dietary patterns; sustainability; health inequalities; social inequalities; public participation; democratization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Sustainability welcomes submissions relating to different dimensions of food, insecurity, consumption patterns, sustainable behavior and their interrelatedness. We invite researchers who investigate food and other consumption patterns (e.g., cultural consumption, political consumerism), insecurity (including, but not limited to, food, economic and existential insecurity), sustainable behavior (e.g., environmental behavior and attitudes, sustainable healthy lifestyles) and other life outcomes related to sustainability (e.g., health behaviors, behavior change). Since food and dietary patterns (vegan and plant-based diets, meat reduction diets, flexitarianism) and, more generally, human and non-human animal relations play a critical role in sustainable systems, we also encourage the submission of papers that examine these topics.

Those exploring the interplay between the described phenomena examined from a cross-national, longitudinal or case-study perspective are particularly encouraged. Case studies and examinations of the links from a historical perspective are also welcome, as is research at a global, state, regional, household, or individual level, employing macro and micro perspectives. Gender, family and generational approaches are also encouraged (including focusing on young people, who are an understudied group concerning these issues). Finally, as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the everyday lives of people around the world, we also encourage the relationships to be studied in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., vaccine hesitancy, pandemic preventive behaviors, lifestyles changes as they relate to food, consumption and sustainable behavior).

Dr. Andrej Kirbiš
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability 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 2400 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.

Keywords

food
insecurity
consumption patterns
sustainable behavior
health outcomes and lifestyles
COVID-19 pandemic
preventive behavior
macro and micro approach

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1082 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adherence to the EAT-Lancet Dietary Recommendations for a Healthy and Sustainable Diet—The Case of the Brazuca Natal Study

by Rosa Sá de Oliveira Neta, Severina Carla Vieira Cunha Lima, Maria Fernanda Araújo de Medeiros, Adélia da Costa Pereira de Arruda Neta, Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob, Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni, Clélia de Oliveira Lyra and Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli da Costa Oliveira

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16526; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316526 - 4 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1144

Abstract

Background: The “EAT-Lancet Commission Summary Report” commission remodeled the concept of healthy and sustainable diets by proposing a “diet for the Anthropocene”, encouraging the development of indices that measure adherence to sustainable diets with a planetary scope. We aimed to report the adherence of adults and elderly people in a northeastern Brazilian capital to the EAT-Lancet recommendations. Methods: We used data from 411 participants in the population-based study. The dietary data were collected with Globodiet, over a standardized 24 h. The diet sustainability data were verified using the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI). A Pearson correlation test verified the correlation between the PHDI and the independent variables. We conducted linear regression models that were adjusted for potential confounding variables to examine the correlation between the adherence to the PHDI and the independent variables. Results: The mean total score for the adherence to the PHDI was 29.4 points in a score with a possible range from 0 to 150. Regarding the component scores, the highest scores in the adequacy component were for fruits, followed by legumes and vegetables, while the lowest scores in the moderation group were for animal fat and red meat. We observed, in the final model, that the explanatory variables for the PHDI were being male and not consuming alcohol, which were directly related to the PHDI, while having 1 to 9 years of study and being food insecure were indirectly related to the score. Conclusions: Our results showed a low adherence to a sustainable eating pattern, far from the EAT-Lancet recommendations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

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49 pages, 21385 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Food Access in Two Predominantly White Cities: The Case of Lansing, East Lansing, and Surrounding Townships in Michigan

by Dorceta E. Taylor, Katherine Allison, Tevin Hamilton and Ashley Bell

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 15065; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152015065 - 19 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1610

Abstract

Access to fresh, healthy, affordable foods is a pressing concern in cities worldwide. American cities are no exception. Although many scholars study food access in large cities, small and mid-sized American cities can provide valuable information about inequities in the food system. This paper focuses on two adjoining, racially mixed Mid-Michigan cities—Lansing and East Lansing. It examines the extent to which different food outlets exist in the cities and surrounding townships. It probes the following questions: (1) How are food outlets distributed throughout the cities and suburbs? (2) What is the relationship between neighborhood demographic characteristics and the distribution of food outlet types? We collected data on food outlets from September 2020 to June 2022 using Data Axle as our primary source of information. We used ArcGIS 10.8.1 for the spatial mapping and SPSS 28 for statistical analyses. We conducted regression analyses to identify the difference in the likelihood of finding food retailers in census tracts where 0–20% of the residents were People of Color (VL-POC), 20.01–40% of the inhabitants were People of Color (L-POC), 40.1–60% of the residents were People of Color (H-POC), and more than 60% of residents were People of Color (VH-POC). There were 1647 food outlets in the study area: 579 were in Lansing, 220 were in East Lansing, and the remaining 848 were in the surrounding townships. Restaurants dominated the food landscape, while small groceries and convenience stores were the grocery sector’s most common food outlet types. Supermarkets and large grocery stores comprised only 5.6% of the study area’s food outlets. The study finds a nonlinear relationship between the racial composition of census tracts and the prevalence of food outlets. The VH-POC census tracts had very few food outlets. For instance, the tracts had no supermarkets, mass merchandisers or supercenters, small grocery or convenience stores, pharmacies or drug stores, or farmers’ markets. The findings illustrate the diversity and complexity of the Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area’s food landscape. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

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14 pages, 747 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Attitudes among Youth: How Much Do the Educational Characteristics of Parents and Young People Matter?

by Andrej Kirbiš

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11921; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511921 - 3 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1447

Abstract

Research shows that education increases environmental attitudes, yet there is a lack of studies examining young people’s attitudes and the role of various educational characteristics in youth’s environmental engagement. The main aim of our study was to examine how several educational characteristics of young people and their parents impact youth’s environmental attitudes. We employed a survey sample of 14–34-year-olds (N = 1508; M_age = 19.25 years) collected in January 2020. The impact of five educational variables was tested: maternal and paternal educational level; students’ educational stage (primary, secondary and tertiary school students); educational track of secondary students (vocational, professional and general); and youth’s educational status (currently in education vs. not in education). We controlled for several demographic and economic confounding factors in multivariate analyses. These indicate significant between-track differences in environmental attitudes among secondary school students, while educational status and educational stage have no significant impact on environmental attitudes. In addition, the father’s (but not the mother’s) education increases Slovenian youngsters’ environmental attitudes. As findings indicate significant differences between educational tracks of secondary students independent of their parental education and other personal and family characteristics, educators may want to revise vocational and professional secondary school syllabuses to include an increased number of environmental, climate change and sustainability topics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

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19 pages, 306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Climate Change and Assessment of the Importance of Sustainable Behavior for Their Mitigation: The Example of Montenegro

by Goran Ćeranić, Nataša Krivokapić, Rade Šarović and Predrag Živković

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10165; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310165 - 27 Jun 2023

Viewed by 2199

Abstract

Today, mankind is facing one of the greatest challenges detrimental to its well-being, even its survival—climate change. Given that scientists agree that climate change is caused by humans, efforts are being made to change human behavior in order to avoid any tragic consequences. Research indicates that people are more likely to practice sustainable behavior to act on climate change if they are convinced that it actually exists and that it is predominantly caused by human activity. In this context, we have tried to determine what attitudes toward climate change the citizens of Montenegro (declaratively the first ecological country in the world) have and what is their assessment of the importance of sustainable behavior in terms of limiting energy consumption. In order to answer these questions as accurately as possible, it was necessary to make a comparison with other countries where the indicated phenomenon was the subject of research. For this purpose, we used data from the last round (2021) of the European Social Survey (ESS), in which 25 countries participated. The data were obtained by means of a rigorous and standardized collection strategy, ensuring their validity and reliability. The results show significant differences between the countries of Western Europe, post-socialist countries, and Montenegro. The citizens of post-socialist countries display significantly more skepticism toward climate change than those in Western Europe. Furthermore, the citizens of Montenegro are even more skeptical than the average resident of post-socialist societies. The results also show that the attitudes of Montenegrin citizens toward climate change are influenced by some demographic and socioeconomic variables (level of education and material standard), as well as certain value patterns, which we obtained by using Schwartz’s value model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

23 pages, 2633 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How to Promote Healthier and More Sustainable Food Choices: The Case of Portugal

by Daniel Francisco Pais, António Cardoso Marques and José Alberto Fuinhas

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3868; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043868 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3157

Abstract

The demand for food has been increasing throughout the years, with notable preferences for animal-based foods. Considering the impact of the excessive animal-based consumption on the environment and public health, international organisations and the scientific literature have advised for a large-scale transition towards healthier and more sustainable food consumptions, i.e., a systematic decrease in animal-based consumption followed by an increase in plant-based consumption. However, to effectively promote healthier and more sustainable food choices such as plant-based ones, it is crucial to understand what motivates consumers’ food choices. Based on primary data (N = 1040), representative of the Portuguese population, it was possible to assess the potential motivators behind food choices, allowing to provide guidelines for policy decision. The impact of different socioeconomic characteristics, food consumption orientations, and food-related behaviours on food choices was estimated. In general, most of the drivers of plant-based meals were also motivators for reducing animal-based meals. The main findings demonstrate that the more environmentally conscious and informed the consumer, the more likely they are to choose more plant-based and less animal-based meals on a weekly basis; not only informed consumers, but consumers who actively look for information before buying choose more plant-based meals. Thus, not only information, but, more importantly, education regarding food characteristics and its impact on society should be the focus of policymakers. Understanding the drivers and barriers of food choices is vital for informing future food policy to promote healthier and more sustainable choices rich in plant-based foods, both for Portugal as well as for other European countries, particularly the southern ones with similar culture and where the Mediterranean diet is highly promoted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

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13 pages, 514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decision Tree Analysis of Sustainable and Ethical Food Preferences of Undergraduate Students of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts

by Esra Şahin and Zuhal Gök Demir

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3266; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043266 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2856

Abstract

The increase in the world’s population is driving consumption, leading to the rapid destruction of natural resources and thus raising concerns about the future state of resources. Agriculture and livestock activities, which can be considered under the heading of food, are one of the most significant factors having effects on sustainability. Animal welfare and ethical food selection have become important issues along with sustainability as people’s awareness has increased. As restaurants are an important part of the food industry, chefs have the power to influence sustainability and ethical food choices and set trends with the choices they make. In this respect, it is important to predict the sustainable and ethical food preferences of gastronomy and culinary arts (GCA) undergraduate program students who have the potential to become the chefs of the future, and to evaluate to what extent they regard chefs as responsible for these issues. In this study, the data obtained from GCA undergraduate students were analysed with the decision tree method using lavaan and rpart packages in the R program. The main objectives of this research are to determine the importance of the independent variables in the decision tree classification and the effects of these independent variables. The analysis suggests that the most important factor in the decision tree classification of the independent variables is the attitude towards sustainable food choice. It is concluded that the independent variables are effective in classifying students as high and low in terms of behavioural intention. It is also seen that attitude towards sustainable food choice is more effective in predicting whether behavioural intention is high or low. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

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Review

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13 pages, 507 KiB

Open AccessReview

Health Professionals’ Role in Promoting Health and Environmental Sustainability through Sustainable Food Advocacy: A Systematic Literature Review

by Mirko Prosen, Rebeka Lekše and Sabina Ličen

Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13651; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813651 - 13 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1757

Abstract

The relationship between health, environmental sustainability, and food systems has garnered increasing attention, emphasizing the crucial role of healthcare professionals in advocating for sustainable food practices. This systematic literature review aimed to examine their role in promoting health and environmental sustainability through sustainable food advocacy. Following a systematic and rigorous methodology, eligible articles published in English within the past five years were searched and screened, resulting in a total of five articles for further analysis. The review revealed the fragmented debate on food security and sustainability, emphasizing the need for sustainable food systems to address various challenges. Specific actions identified include reducing plate waste in hospitals, implementing sustainable food sourcing strategies in healthcare to mitigate the climate footprint, and promoting sustainable nutrition. The findings underscore the importance of education, community engagement, governance, and a systemic approach in driving positive change regarding nutrition, health, and sustainability. This review offers important perspectives for healthcare practice, allied health educational programs, research, and public health policy development. It highlights the importance of healthcare professionals in advocating for sustainable food practices, which play a critical role in improving health outcomes and reducing environmental impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food, Insecurity, Consumption and Sustainable Behavior)

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