Sustainable and healthy food consumption in Europe

An analysis of consumer purchase patterns, motivations and barriers towards foods from SFSCs

Bibliographic Data

ID21295097
AuthorsJohn Hyland (0000-0002-1453-8210), John J Hyland (0000-0003-0140-2522), Maeve Henchion (0000-0001-7842-1516), Oluwayemisi Olomo (0000-0001-6796-0717), Jennifer Attard (0000-0002-0050-6453), James Gaffey (0000-0003-2272-6921)
Year2024
Volume126
Issue4
Pages1429-1455
Publication date2024-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Food Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-070X • E-ISSN: 1758-4108
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/bfj-01-2023-0058
OpenAlexW4391649131
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited114

Purpose The aim of this paper is to better understand European consumers' behaviour in relation to Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), so as to provide insights to support their development as part of a sustainable food system. Specifically, it aims to analyse consumer purchase patterns, motivations and perceived barriers and to identify patterns of behaviour amongst different consumer groups. Design/methodology/approach An online consumer survey was conducted in 12 European countries ( n = 2,419). Quantitative data analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, was undertaken using SPSS. Findings Four consumer clusters are named according to their behavioural stage in terms of SFSC engagement: Unaware Unengaged, Aware Unengaged, Motivationally Engaged and Executively Engaged. Unaware Unengaged and Aware Unengaged are in the non-engagement phase of behaviour. Motivationally Engaged are motivationally activated to engage in the behaviour but fail to do so consistently. Executively Engaged is the fully engaged cluster, being motivated to act and purchasing local food on a frequent basis. The results show an interesting interplay between motivations and barriers, i.e. higher scores for motivations and lower scores for barriers do not necessarily translate into higher purchase frequency. Originality/value The research gleans insights into the contextual factors that may inhibit SFSC purchases in different consumer segments. It offers practical implications for policymakers and others seeking to develop SFSCs as part of a sustainable food system

Business · Consumer behaviour · Consumption (sociology) · Creativity · Originality · Purchasing · Sociology · Value (mathematics) · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Marketing · Organic Food and Agriculture · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access