Food choice questionnaire revisited in four countries. Does it still measure the same?

Please don't throw me in the briar patch! Empirical evidence on the role of instructional cues on eco-label usage in fish consumption decisions

While contributing to the conservation of natural fish stocks, the aquaculture sector imposes environmental repercussions. The growing popularity of colour-graded eco-labels in promoting pro-environmental practices in food production underscores the need for scientific insights into consumer responses to such labels, particularly with the imminent prospect of a harmonized European labelling framework. The existing literature, although limited and divergent, advocates for real-life testing with fresh, perishable food products, emphasizing the inadequacy of standalone labels and the necessity for complementary measures. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying how consumers process multi-coloured Front-of-Pack (FOP) labels remain ambiguous, with uncertainties regarding induced consumption shifts stemming from both deliberate information processing and less deliberate associations. This article presents findings from a randomized control trial conducted in a simulated fishmonger store in Derio, Bizkaia, Spain, involving 200 consumers. Participants selected various sea bass products out of multiple options. This task was subject to a 2 (Enviroscore: with vs without) x 2 (Supporting info on Enviroscore: with vs without) between-subject design, resulting in four treatment groups. A 16% increase in the likelihood of selecting lower-impact products was observed. Notably, this effect was evident only in the absence of supporting information on Enviroscore, and the observed impact could not be attributed to any indirect attention effect. In conclusion, Enviroscore exhibits potential in steering consumer choices toward more environmentally friendly aquaculture fish options, even in physical retail settings. However, these effects may be rooted in unconscious responses rather than deliberate environmental considerations, raising questions about the suitability of envisaged policy orientations encompassing disaggregated environmental, nutritional, animal welfare, and social welfare scores. Generalization of these findings warrants validation through further research encompassing a more comprehensive range of products.

Associations of food motives with red meat and legume consumption in the population-based DILGOM study

PURPOSE

To improve human health and environmental sustainability, red meat consumption should decrease and legume consumption increase in diets. More information on food motives, however, is required when developing more tailored and effective interventions targeting legume and meat consumption. We aimed to examine the associations between food motives and red meat and legume consumption, and whether these associations differ between different subgroups (gender, age groups, marital status, education, BMI).

METHODS

Ten food motives (health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price-cheap, price-value, weight control, familiarity and ethical concern measured with Food Choice Questionnaire) were studied in 3079 Finnish adults in the population-based DILGOM study. Food consumption was assessed with Food Frequency Questionnaire. The adjusted estimates from multivariable regression models are reported.

RESULTS

Higher relative importance of natural content (β = - 0.275, 95% CI - 0.388; - 0.162) and ethical concern (β = - 0.462, 95% CI - 0.620; - 0.305) were associated with lower red meat consumption, and higher appreciation of sensory appeal (β = 0.482, 95% CI 0.347; 0.616) and price-cheap (β = 0.190, 95% CI 0.099; 0.281) with higher red meat consumption. Higher importance of health (β = 0.608, 95% CI 0.390; 0.825) was associated with higher legume consumption, and higher appreciation of convenience (β = - 0.401, 95% CI - 0.522; - 0.279), price-value (β = - 0.257, 95% CI - 0.380; - 0.133) and familiarity (β = - 0.278, 95% CI - 0.393; - 0.164) with lower legume consumption. The associations of particularly ethical concern, weight control, sensory appeal and mood varied according to gender, age, marital status or BMI.

CONCLUSION

The development and implementation of actions to decrease red meat and increase legume consumption should focus on several food motives across different subgroups.

PO2/TransformON, an ontology for data integration on food, feed, bioproducts and biowaste engineering

We are witnessing an acceleration of the global drive to converge consumption and production patterns towards a more circular and sustainable approach to the food system. To address the challenge of reconnecting agriculture, environment, food and health, collections of large datasets must be exploited. However, building high-capacity data-sharing networks means unlocking the information silos that are caused by a multiplicity of local data dictionaries. To solve the data harmonization problem, we proposed an ontology on food, feed, bioproducts, and biowastes engineering for data integration in a circular bioeconomy and nexus-oriented approach. This ontology is based on a core model representing a generic process, the Process and Observation Ontology (PO2), which has been specialized to provide the vocabulary necessary to describe any biomass transformation process and to characterize the food, bioproducts, and wastes derived from these processes. Much of this vocabulary comes from transforming authoritative references such as the European food classification system (FoodEx2), the European Waste Catalogue, and other international nomenclatures into a semantic, world wide web consortium (W3C) format that provides system interoperability and software-driven intelligence. We showed the relevance of this new domain ontology PO2/TransformON through several concrete use cases in the fields of process engineering, bio-based composite making, food ecodesign, and relations with consumer's perception and preferences. Further works will aim to align with other ontologies to create an ontology network for bridging the gap between upstream and downstream processes in the food system.

A Preliminary Study on the Validity and Stability of Projective Methods: An Application of the Structural Approach of Social Representations with Traditional Mexican Cheeses

Projective methods are qualitative tools used to study food consumer behavior. In recent years, there has been an increase in studies that use these tools to analyze consumer behavior, particularly with the word association (WA) technique. However, one of the challenges in using these methods is the stability and validity of the data. This research aimed to obtain preliminary information on the stability and validity of the associations generated by consumers with the WA technique, using the structural approach of social representations. For this, two studies were carried out; for the first study, a face-to-face survey was carried out in which 89 consumers participated, who wrote the first words that came to mind with the stimulus “Aculco” on a ballot paper. For the second study, 122 consumers completed the same task as in the first study; however, the participants were recruited from an online survey. A random sample (n = 50) of both studies was selected to explore the stability and validity of the results. In the three study samples, the words were grouped into categories and analyzed through the structural approach of social representations. The frequency of mention of the identified categories was compared with the chi-square test and the average position (AP) and the Cognitive Salience Index (CSI) were calculated. Prototype maps were built to study the structure of the categories according to the central core and peripheral areas. Cluster analysis was performed to corroborate the structure of the representations. Finally, multiple factor analysis (MFA) was performed to determine the similarity of the results obtained from the three samples using the RV coefficient. No statistical differences (p > 0.05) were identified in most of the representations (n = 11) generated from the WA task. Furthermore, the representation “Cheese and dairy products” was positioned in the central core of the three maps. The APs and the CSIs of each representation were similar in the three study samples. The RV coefficient (≥0.80) indicated similarity in the representations obtained. Results of this research can be useful for future studies that attempt to compare the stability and validity of the information based on qualitative and more flexible methodologies. Some methodological implications related to the validity and stability of projective methods are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the food choice questionnaire (FCQ) and food choice motives among the study samples

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the food choice questionnaire (FCQ) and determine food choice motives among different study subgroups.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires, including socio-demographic information and body weight and height data. In addition, study samples were asked to complete the Persian version of the FCQ.

SETTING

Educational and medical centers under the coverage of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.

PARTICIPANTS

Study samples were 871 adults (60.5% female) selected using a convenience sampling method.

RESULTS

Mean±SD age and BMI were 33.4±10.7 years and 24.3±5.2 kg/m2, respectively. More than one-third of the study samples were overweight/obese (35.8%). A 9-structure model including 32 items of the original FCQ showed acceptable fit indices as follows: χ2/df= 3.39, GFI= 0.905, IFI= 0.92, CFI= 0.92, RMSEA(90%CI)=0.052(0.049-0.055). Regarding food choice motives, the three most important motives for food choice ranked by study samples were Sensory appeal, Natural Content, and health, respectively. Study samples ranked ethical concern as the least important food choice motive.

CONCLUSION

These findings support the reliability and validity of the Iranian version of the FCQ. Additionally, results indicate the most important motives for food choice across various socio-demographic and weight status groups which can provide beneficial information for marketing practices in Iran and promote the food choices of Iranians.

"Unhealthy = Tasty": How Does It Affect Consumers' (Un)Healthy Food Expectations?

Consumers having a strong unhealthy = tasty (UT) belief are less likely to choose healthy food even though they recognize its health benefits, because they assume healthy food to be unpalatable. The aim of this study was to profile consumers according to their UT belief and specify the strength of the belief among a demographically representative consumer group. The other aim was to investigate the effect of UT belief on expectations of two food products representing either an unhealthy or a healthy image. A total of 1537 consumers participated in the online survey. The scale-based (1-7) mean for UT belief was 3.27 and related positively to male gender and food pleasure orientation and negatively to general health interest. The results indicate that a strong UT belief correlates with positive expectations of unhealthy food and with negative expectations of healthy food. UT belief seemed to increase expected food-associated guilt, but other strong food-related attitudes (health interest with unhealthy food and pleasure orientation with healthy food) reduced this effect. In practice, understanding the relationship between UT belief and personal factors and attitudes, and the importance of this belief to food expectations can assist in finding the tools to encourage consumers towards healthier food choices.

Towards smart and sustainable development of modern berry cultivars in Europe

Fresh berries are a popular and important component of the human diet. The demand for high-quality berries and sustainable production methods is increasing globally, challenging breeders to develop modern berry cultivars that fulfill all desired characteristics. Since 1994, research projects have characterized genetic resources, developed modern tools for high-throughput screening, and published data in publicly available repositories. However, the key findings of different disciplines are rarely linked together, and only a limited range of traits and genotypes has been investigated. The Horizon2020 project BreedingValue will address these challenges by studying a broader panel of strawberry, raspberry and blueberry genotypes in detail, in order to recover the lost genetic diversity that has limited the aroma and flavor intensity of recent cultivars. We will combine metabolic analysis with sensory panel tests and surveys to identify the key components of taste, flavor and aroma in berries across Europe, leading to a high-resolution map of quality requirements for future berry cultivars. Traits linked to berry yields and the effect of environmental stress will be investigated using modern image analysis methods and modeling. We will also use genetic analysis to determine the genetic basis of complex traits for the development and optimization of modern breeding technologies, such as molecular marker arrays, genomic selection and genome-wide association studies. Finally, the results, raw data and metadata will be made publicly available on the open platform Germinate in order to meet FAIR data principles and provide the basis for sustainable research in the future.

Promoting the direct sale of pasta filata cheese

Small-medium dairy enterprises may verify the possibility to enhance their margins by shortening the supply chain. We propose a short sequence of marketing actions with the aim to support the inclusion of transformed goods into their productive process. These actions include the assessment of the main factors affecting consumer cheese purchase decision, evaluation of the validity of the association brand product, and identification of the preferred cheese format. Eighty-two consumers were selected. Their motives for purchasing pasta filata cheese were assessed using the food choice questionnaire. They were also asked to rate their preference for 4 different traditional pasta filata cheeses and 3 well-known local cheese brands. The frequency of consumption of 4 different Mozzarella cheese formats (standard Mozzarella, bite-size Mozzarella, cherries, knots or braids) was gathered. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the food choice questionnaire scores. Purchase intentions were subjected to ANOVA with 2 factors (brand and cheese) and their interaction. The frequencies of consumption of the 4 different Mozzarella formats was analyzed using the χ² test for independent samples. Based on our results, the communication around pasta filata cheese should focus on intrinsic characteristics such as healthiness and sensory properties, whereas standard Mozzarella with good nutritional and eating quality should be the most produced item and marketed if the associated brand product is well received by the consumers. By shortening the supply chain an increased economic and environmental sustainability can be expected.

On-campus food environment, purchase behaviours, preferences and opinions in a Norwegian university community

OBJECTIVE

To assess the food environment at OsloMet, through the nutritional profile and processing level of available commercial foods and drinks, as well as to determine food-purchasing behaviours, preferences and opinions on the food environment, in order to identify whether interventions on campus need to be conducted.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

SETTING

Pilestredet and Kjeller campus of OsloMet (Norway).

PARTICIPANTS

To analyse the nutritional profile of products offered at all food outlets (seven canteens, three coffee shops and two vending machines) at the main campuses three criteria were applied: those proposed by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, the UK nutrient profiling model and those of the Food and Drink Industry Professional Practices Committee Norway. In addition, products were classified by processing level, using the NOVA system. Food purchasing, food choice behaviours and opinions were analysed through a survey online, in which 129 subjects participated.

RESULTS

With regard to the first of the objectives, the combination of the above-mentioned criteria showed that 39·8 % of the products were 'unhealthy' and 85·9 % were 'ultra-processed'. Regarding the second objective, the most important determinants of food choice were taste, convenience, and cost and nutrition/health value. The most common improvements suggested were lowering the cost, improving the allergen information on labelling and increasing the variety of fresh and healthy foods.

CONCLUSIONS

A high proportion of the products offered were considered 'unhealthy' and highly processed. Interventions that improve food prices, availability and information on labelling would be well-received in this community.

Development and Optimization of Peanut-Based Beverages: A Malawian Consumer-Driven Approach

Development studies of peanut-based beverages have been ongoing for many years, but there are still challenges, especially with their sensory properties and, ultimately, consumer acceptability. As a result, peanut-based beverages are rarely found on the market, even in developed countries. The current study used mixture design and product matching approaches to develop and optimize peanut-based beverages. Sensory drivers of consumer acceptability were also determined. Optimization focused on maximizing overall consumer acceptability by varying two independent variables that constituted 16% of the beverage by weight: peanut paste (PP) and malted milk powder (MMP). The optimal proportions of the PP and any type of MMP, in the two-component mixture, were 0.6 and 0.4, respectively. Maintaining all other factors as constant, model validation results showed that the model could predict overall liking of the peanut-based beverages with 96% accuracy when the proportions of PP and MMP are known. The samples that were perceived, by the consumers, to be thick, creamy, and smooth had significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) overall liking scores than those that were perceived to be watery, grainy, and whitish. Based on the findings, acceptable peanut-based beverages were developed and can be scaled up despite using non-defatted peanuts in the formulation.

Food Purchase Behavior during The First Wave of COVID-19: The Case of Hungary

Coronavirus disease (SARSCoV-2) appeared in 2019 was confirmed as pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020. Stay-at-home order had an impact on consumers’ food purchase habits, as people around the world were able to leave their homes solely in extremely severe or urgent cases. In our research, we delve into the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on consumers’ food purchase habits. The research involved 3000 consumers during the first wave of coronavirus. The sample represents the Hungarian population by gender and age. To achieve the research goals, we applied multivariate statistical tools. The findings suggest that the pandemic could not change consumer attitude significantly, but the order of factors influencing purchases changed. Consumer motivation factors were organized into four well-distinguished factors: Healthy, domestic, and environmentally friendly choice; Usual taste and quality; Reasonable price; Shelf life. Due to the lack of outstanding data during segmentation, we developed four segments by hierarchical cluster analysis: Health- and environment-conscious women; Price sensitive young people; Taste-oriented men; Quality-oriented intellectuals. The results confirm that food manufacturers and traders need to be prepared for further restrictions in the future.

Impact of food choice and consumption profile on the perception of food coloring on kefir labels: Insights of the projective technique of Product Personality Profiling

As consumer awareness of food expands, as does the understanding of the correlation between nutrition and health benefits, consumers are increasingly looking for healthier foods. One of these aspects can be observed in the search for foods with clean labels and with the removal/replacement of artificial additives, such as coloring. However, there are still no studies on the perception of foods with a positive reputation, such as fermented dairy. The present work aimed to evaluate the consumers' perception (n = 121) of kefir labels with the addition of food dyes from different origins (KN = natural kefir / no dye; KCA = kefir added with artificial coloring; KCN = kefir added with natural coloring; KCR = kefir added with coloring from fruit residues), associating data obtained through Product Personality Profile (PPP) and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Based on FCQ's data, consumers were subdivided into three distinct clusters with specific profiles - Conscious, Balanced, and Flexible - and had their perceptions of each of the kefir labels described by PPP and Multidimensional Alignment Analysis (MDA). By consensus, the groups associated the KN label with individuals concerned about healthy eating and diets, reaffirming the positive commercial positioning of kefir. At the same time, for KCA, a contrasting association was observed. The Conscious group noted the samples better, emphasizing the correlation of KCR (with added fruit residue dye) with an adult female, married and engaged in physical activity. KCN was correlated with a young, single, student and gym or running target group stands out for the Balanced group. The Flexible one also associated the consumption of KCA with a young audience, ranging from athletic to overweight, with a normal to unbalanced diet. In summary, different impacts on the perception of kefir labels could be elicited with the correlation of FCQ, PPP, and MDA, emphasizing the importance of exploring market segments and design strategies for the target audience.

Organic Food in the Diet of Residents of the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries-Reasons for and Barriers to Its Purchasing

This study aimed to determine the differences in the frequency of, reasons for, and barriers to purchasing organic food among the inhabitants of the Visegrád Group member states. The selection of the countries for the study was dictated by the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe play the role of a niche market in the European organic food market. This research employed the method of a diagnostic survey and the discriminant function. A chi-squared test, ANOVA, and Fisher’s Post Hoc LSD test were also used to present differences in individual groups. This research shows that respondents from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia were guided by similar behaviors regarding the purchase of organic food. However, the attitudes of the respondents slightly differed between countries. In the case of the reasons for choosing organic food, the most important thing was that it is non-genetically modified food, especially for Polish consumers. The following were also mentioned: lack of chemical compounds (Slovaks and Czechs), high health value of such food (Czechs and Slovaks), and excellent taste (Hungarians). The most critical barriers against purchasing are the price (Poles and Hungarians), difficult access (Poles and Hungarians), and the short expiry time of such products (Slovaks).

Consumer and food changes in Mexican households during maximal contingency in the COVID-19 pandemic

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapidly expanded throughout the world affecting human life in the health, social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects. On an international scale, some works have addressed the importance of the agri-food topic during the pandemic, especially about food consumption. The Mexican case is particularly relevant since it is the country with the highest proportion of overweight people. The objective of this work was to know the choices and consumption of foods in Mexican households during the period of maximal contingency. An on-line questionnaire was responded by 867 volunteers who answered about the aspects taken in consideration in their food consumption, the changes in the consumption of certain foods and the socioeconomic and health aspects of the family. Four groups were identified: “Budget consumers”, “Hedonics”, “Price conscious” and “Conscious”. Changes in the attitudes to food are not related to the health state, overweight, or family size; but are related to income level of households and above all, to the education level. Results show an opportunity to change for healthier food habits in Mexico, mainly in the most vulnerable sectors.

Who We Seek and What We Eat? Sources of Food Choice Inspirations and Their Associations with Adult Dietary Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in New Zealand

Research shows the shaping of food choices often occurs at home, with the family widely recognised as significant in food decisions. However, in this digital age, our eating habits and decision-making processes are also determined by smartphone apps, celebrity chefs, and social media. The ‘COVID Kai Survey’ online questionnaire assessed cooking and shopping behaviours among New Zealanders during the 2020 COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ using a cross-sectional study design. This paper examines how sources of food choice inspirations (cooking-related advice and the reasons for recipe selection) are related to dietary patterns before and during the lockdown. Of the 2977 participants, those influenced by nutrition and health experts (50.9% before; 53.9% during the lockdown) scored higher for the healthy dietary pattern. Participants influenced by family and friends (35% before; 29% during the lockdown) had significantly higher scores for the healthy and the meat dietary patterns, whereas participants influenced by celebrity cooks (3.8% before; 5.2% during the lockdown) had significantly higher scores in the meat dietary pattern. There was no evidence that associations differed before and during the lockdown. The lockdown was related to modified food choice inspiration sources, notably an increase in ‘comforting’ recipes as a reason for recipe selection (75.8%), associated with higher scoring in the unhealthy dietary pattern during the lockdown. The lockdown in New Zealand saw an average decrease in nutritional quality of diets in the ‘COVID Kai Survey’, which could be partly explained by changes in food choice inspiration sources.

Exploring adults' motives for food choice of sustainable diet components: a qualitative study in Tehran Metropolis

BACKGROUND

Todays, due to the impact of human food choices on increasing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and environmental degradation, there is a new approach about changing the pattern of food production and consumption, including sustainable food and nutrition system related to consumption. This study aimed to explore the components of a sustainable diet among the factors that affect people's food choices.

METHODS

This qualitative study was carried out using an in-depth interview with 33 individuals aged 30-64 years old living in different areas of Tehran. Data collection, data analysis and theoretical conceptualization were performed simultaneously. MAXQDA 10 software was used for managing and organizing the data.

RESULTS

In this paper, the findings are categorized according to the key components of a sustainable diet in five themes: "Health and Nutrition", "Food and Agriculture Security", "Environment and Ecosystems", "Markets, food trade and production chains", "social, cultural, and policy factors" were categorized. Meanwhile, the components of the "Health and Nutrition" domain had the highest contribution and the components of the two domains "food and agriculture" and "environment and ecosystems" had the lowest role based on the participants' perception in this study.

CONCLUSION

Considering to the low importance of the components of a sustainable diet in food choices of the community, promoting the individual awareness of sustainable diet components, clarifying the importance of food choices in creating environmental impacts and leading the national macro policies in the field food and nutrition toward sustainable diet goals are essential.

The Athlete Food Choice Questionnaire (AFCQ): Validity and Reliability in a Sample of International High-Performance Athletes

PURPOSE

The Athlete Food Choice Questionnaire (AFCQ) is a novel tool for understanding factors influencing athlete food selection and providing context to nutrition knowledge and diet quality data. Reliability, face, and content validity have been previously established during development. The aim of this study is to evaluate the AFCQ's factorial structure, reliability, and construct validity in an independent sample of international high-performance athletes.

METHODS

The AFCQ contains 36 items within nine factors. Participants rate how frequently (1 never to 5 always) items influence their choices. Model consistency and construct validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Measures included model fit incidences and duplicate methods examining reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity.

RESULTS

Athletes (n = 232) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia, completed the AFCQ. A modified 32-item model achieved discriminant validity for all factors and convergent validity for "emotional influence," "food and health awareness," "nutritional attributes of food," "performance," and "influence of others." Reliability measures of all constructs except "usual eating practice" and "food values and beliefs" were above acceptable thresholds, although "usual eating practice" was considered tolerable and conditionally accepted.

CONCLUSION

The AFCQ was confirmed in its original nine-factor structure in an independent sample of high-performance athletes. This provides a detailed and transparent account of the construct validity of the AFCQ, adding to the foundation of evidence for this new instrument. The AFCQ captures the unique influences specific to athletes while being broad enough for application across diverse sporting and culturally mixed cohorts. This tool could assist sports science professionals in making more informed and effective decisions around strategies to support athletes, including the ability to triage for specific sports nutrition advice.

Consumer Acceptance of Brown and White Rice Varieties

Rice is consumed as a staple food by more than half of the world's population. Due to a higher fibre and micronutrient content, brown rice is more nutritious than white rice, but the consumption of brown rice is significantly lower than that of white rice, primarily due to sensory attributes. Therefore, the present research aimed to identify the sensory attributes which drive liking of Australian-grown brown and white rice varieties. Participants (n = 139) tasted and scored (9-point hedonic scale) their liking (i.e., overall liking, aroma, colour and texture) of brown and white rice types of Jasmine (Kyeema), Low GI (Doongara), and Medium grain rice (Amaroo). In addition, participants scored aroma, colour, hardness, fluffiness, stickiness, and chewiness, on Just About Right Scales. A within-subjects crossover design with randomised order (William's Latin Square design) was used with six repeated samples for liking and Just About Right scales. Penalty analyses were applied to determine the relative influence of perception of sensory attributes on consumer liking of the rice varieties. Across all varieties, white rice was liked more than brown rice due to the texture and colour, and Jasmine rice was preferred over Low GI and Medium Grain. Rice texture (hardness and chewiness) was the most important sensory attribute among all rice varieties and aroma was important for driving of liking between white rice varieties.

Trends in Food Preferences and Sustainable Behavior during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Evidence from Spanish Consumers

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to global food security, and it changes consumers' food buying and consumption behavior. This research not only investigates trends in Spanish consumers' general food shopping and consumption habits during the lockdown, but also investigates these trends from the perspective of sustainable purchasing. Specifically, total food consumption (C), food expenditure (E), and purchase of food with sustainable attributes (S) were measured. Data were collected from a semi-structured questionnaire which was distributed online among 1203 participants. The logit models showed that gender, age, employment status, and consumers' experiences were associated with total food consumption and expenditure during the lockdown. In addition, consumers' risk perceptions, shopping places, trust level in information sources, and risk preference were highly essential factors influencing consumers' preferences and sustainable behavior. Consumers' objective knowledge regarding COVID-19 was related to expenditure. Furthermore, family structure only affected expenditure, while income and place of residence influenced food consumption. Mood was associated with expenditure and the purchase of sustainable food. Household size affected purchasing behavior towards food with sustainable attributes. This research provides references for stakeholders that help them to adapt to the new COVID-19 situation.

Motivation-based segmentation of game meat consumers: A look at the beliefs of food consumers during the COVID-19 crisis in China

Objectives

This research aims to explore the factors motivate consumers to eat game meat during a multi‐state disease outbreak.

Methods

It proposes a segmentation of consumers based on their attitudes toward and reveals the consumers' food beliefs that motivate their actions. Three segments of game meat consumers were identified: identity seekers, health seekers, and taste seekers.

Results

A survey of the potential impact that the COVID‐19 crisis has on these three clusters' future food choices showed that the identity and health seekers are more open to a change in food choices. However, the taste seekers are less likely to be influenced by external factors.

Conclusions

This research indicates that for the policymakers, the key is to take game meat consumers as an effective intervention entry point. It is crucial to facilitate healthy food choices and to promote socially‐ and culturally‐appropriate food beliefs by improving public awareness of the risks of game meat, and invest in organic food.

Research Implications

This research provides new insights into the food beliefs of game meat consumers via motivation‐based segmentation.

This research aims to explore the factors that motivated consumers to eat game meat during a multi‐state disease outbreak that was related to the practice of game consumption.

Nudging Healthy Choices in Food Search Through Visual Attractiveness

Recipe websites are becoming increasingly popular to support people in their home cooking. However, most of these websites prioritize popular recipes, which tend to be unhealthy. Drawing upon research on visual biases and nudges, this paper investigates whether healthy food choices can be supported in food search by depicting attractive images alongside recipes, as well as by re-ranking search results on health. After modelling the visual attractiveness of recipe images, we asked 239 users to search for specific online recipes and to select those they liked the most. Our analyses revealed that users tended to choose a healthier recipe if a visually attractive image was depicted alongside it, as well as if it was listed at the top of a list of search results. Even though less popular recipes were promoted this way, it did not come at the cost of a user’s level of satisfaction.

Food & meal decision making in lockdown: How and who has Covid-19 affected?

The Covid-19 lockdown resulted in all but essential shops closing in many countries, with inevitable and immediate impact on food availability and choice. Reasons for specific food choices influence diet and mealtimes and can affect psychological and physical well-being. The current study aimed first to investigate whether individuals and families in the UK have changed their food choice motivations over lockdown and second to identify sub-groups in particular need of support in the event of future lockdowns. Two hundred and forty adult participants from the UK completed an online survey, consisting of a series of demographic questions, the Food Choice Questionnaire, the Family Mealtime Goals Questionnaire and some short open-ended questions. They were asked to consider their goals and motivations around food and mealtimes at two timepoints: before lockdown and Summer 2020. Results indicated that the sample placed more importance on health, weight control and mood when choosing their food after lockdown than they had before, and less importance on familiarity. A number of sub-groups were identified who may be particularly vulnerable to food-related challenges in future lockdowns including younger adults, parents and carers of children, those self-isolating and individuals who do not live within close proximity to food shops. These results are preliminary and larger sub-group sample sizes will be necessary to draw firm conclusions. Future research should consider the nature and impact of these challenges in more detail across a more varied population.

Role of Sensory Appeal, Nutritional Quality, Safety, and Health Determinants on Convenience Food Choice in an Academic Environment

The present research aims to investigate the extent to which sensory appeal, nutritional quality, safety, and health determinants influence purchase intention, consumption, and satisfaction of consumers towards convenience food. The non-probability purposive sampling approach was adopted for the recruitment of consumers. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 501 consumers. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were adopted to analyze the data. Factor loading, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and correlations estimate of constructs revealed good internal consistency and reliability of scale items as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs. The path analysis of structural model demonstrated positive relationship between sensory appeal, nutritional quality, safety attributes, healthiness, and purchase intention of convenience food. Further, the path analysis of structural model revealed that purchase intention with consumption as well as consumption with satisfaction were positively associated for convenience food. Sensory appeal was the key determinant influencing purchase intention, consumption, and satisfaction of consumers towards convenience food. The good taste, pleasant appearance, nice smell, and appealing texture within sensory appeal were the most important factors influencing purchase intention, consumption, and satisfaction of consumers towards convenience food. Further, the consumers in emerging economies such as India focus more on sensory appeal in convenience food choice.

Investigating the Role of Psychological, Social, Religious and Ethical Determinants on Consumers' Purchase Intention and Consumption of Convenience Food

Despite impressive market growth, increasing demand and economic importance of convenience food in emerging economies such as India, comprehensive research regarding the role of psychological and social determinants on convenience food choice is lacking. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the influence of convenience orientation, social status, moral attitude, mood, spiritual concern, religious beliefs and ethical values on purchase intention and consumption of convenience food. The non-probability purposive sampling method was adopted for recruitment of participants. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 501 consumers. The descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were carried out to analyse the data. The factor loading, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and correlations demonstrated good internal consistency and reliability of scale items as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs. The model fit indices revealed that measurement and structural models fitted well with data. The path analysis of the structural model demonstrated that convenience orientation (β = 0.789 ***, t = 32.462), moral attitude (β = 0.594 ***, t = 20.984), mood (β = 0.586 ***, t = 18.683), spiritual concern (β = 0.145 ***, t = 3.23), religious beliefs (β = 0.451 ***, t = 14.787) and ethical values (β = 0.497 ***, t = 16.678) were positively related with purchase intention and consumption of convenience food (*** Significant at p ≤ 0.01). The path analysis of structural model also indicated that social status was not linked with purchase intention and consumption of convenience food. The convenience orientation was the key determinant influencing purchase intention and consumption of convenience food.

Consumers' Motives for Eating and Choosing Sweet Baked Products: A Cross-Cultural Segmentation Study

This study aimed to examine consumers' motives for eating and choosing sweet baked products (SBPs). A cross-cultural segmentation study on a South African (SA) and Swiss population sample (n = 216), was implemented using the Motivation for Eating Scale (MFES) and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Cluster analyses provided three consumer segments for each population sample: the balanced and the frequenters for both countries, the deniers for SA, and the health conscious for Switzerland. South Africans liked SBPs more than the Swiss respondents, however the Swiss sample consumed SBPs more often. Environmental and physical eating were the most relevant motives when eating SBPs for the SA and Swiss group, respectively. For both samples, sensory appeal was the deciding factor when choosing SBPs. Cross-cultural studies of food choices are important tools that could help improve the current understanding of factors that influence the eating behavior of ultra-processed foods to promote healthy food choices through local and global perspectives. This paper highlights that more research is needed on consumers' motives for choosing and eating ultra-processed foods in order to develop specific integrative cultural exchange actions or intervention strategies to solve the obesity issue.

Importance of food choice motives vary with degree of food neophobia

Food Neophobia (FN) is a stable trait that measures individuals' propensity to avoid novel/unfamiliar foods. In this research, focus was directed to covariation between FN and food choice factors as measured using two variants of the food choice questionnaire (FCQ). To our knowledge, there are no previous studies which investigates these associations in detail, and in this regard the present research advances understanding of individual differences in FN and FCQ. Existing survey data were used, collected in the USA and Australia with ~1500 and ~750 consumers, respectively. Data from New Zealand came from studies conducted at central location test (CLT) facilities (Ñ400, Ñ1100). There were many consistencies in results across the four studies, and this was noteworthy considering that the data were obtained in 3 different countries across more than 10 years and with participants in CLT and online studies. The FCQ factor Familiarity always gained in importance with increasing FN. The FCQ factor Convenience also always gained in importance with increasing FN, in particular importance of simplicity in preparation and cooking. Conversely, the factors Health and Natural Content decreased in importance, as did factors linked to Environmental and Social Justice concerns. Price and Sensory Appeal remained very important for daily food choices among "neophobic" and "neophilic" consumers alike, and this mirrors past studies from diverse consumer populations. The importance of Mood was low regardless of FN status. Additional research is needed to confirm that these findings generalise to consumers in other countries, and assuming they do, this work contributes to the mounting evidence of the pervasive effects of FN on consumers' food-related experiences and motivations. Determining why FN influences food choice motives is an important next step.

Developing and Validating Food Choice Determinants Questionnaire: An Instrument for Exploring Food Choice Determinants in Iran

Background:

This study was carried out to design and validate a questionnaire to measure the majority of factors influencing food choices among adults in Iran.

Methods:

A sequential exploratory mixed-method approach was applied to develop the initial item pool of the Food Choice Determinants Questionnaire (FCDQ) starting with a qualitative study to explore the food choice dimensions and its components. Designing the initial questionnaire using these dimensions and the 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was then performed. The face, content, and construct validity were also assessed. The construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cronbach's alpha was applied for each main theme to examine the internal consistency.

Results:

After content and face validity process, a 60-item FCDQ was developed with total items' content validity index (CVI) of 0.69 indicating a reasonable level. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each of the six constructs in the scale have shown satisfactory internal consistency.

Conclusions:

This instrument is valid and reliable to measure food choice determinants in adults and could be applied to design interventions aiming to better food choice.

Exploring the Validity of the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS): A Cross-National Study in Seven European Countries around the Mediterranean Region

This study provides comprehensive validation of the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (14-MEDAS) in an adult population from Greece (GR), Portugal (PT), Italy (IT), Spain (SP), Cyprus (CY), Republic of North Macedonia (NMK), and Bulgaria (BG). A moderate association between the 14-MEDAS and the reference food diary was estimated for the entire population (Pearson r = 0.573, p-value < 0.001; Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.692, p-value < 0.001) with the strongest correlation found in GR, followed by PT, IT, SP, and CY. These results were supported by kappa statistics in GR, PT, IT, and SP with ≥50% of food items exhibiting a fair or better agreement. Bland-Altman analyses showed an overestimation of the 14-MEDAS score in the whole population (0.79 ± 1.81, 95%Confidence Interval (CI) 0.61, 0.96), but this value was variable across countries, with GR, NMK, and BG exhibiting the lowest bias. Taking all analyses together, the validation achieved slightly better results in the Mediterranean countries but a definitive validation ranking order was not evident. Considering growing evidence of the shift from Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence and of the importance of culture in making food choices it is crucial that we further improve validation protocols with specific applications to compare MD adherence across countries.

Consumer preference for dried mango attributes: A conjoint study among Dutch, Chinese, and Indonesian consumers

Abstract

One way to add value to tropical fruit and increase its availability in the global market is to develop new, less perishable, products from fresh fruit. The purpose of this study is to compare the perception of key quality attributes and preferences of dried mango between consumers with different familiarity and health consciousness. This study surveyed respondents from China, Indonesia, and the Netherlands via an adaptive choice‐based conjoint method (n = 483) to evaluate intrinsic quality attributes that influenced consumer preference for dried mango. Consumers in different countries have different texture, taste, and color preferences for dried mango. The most important attribute for the Dutch and Chinese was “free from extra ingredients”, while for Indonesians, it was the texture. Familiarity with dried mango and health consciousness do not influence consumer preference of intrinsic attributes of dried mango. Different preferences of intrinsic attributes of dried mango between countries are related to cultural differences. This study provides useful insights for food manufacturers into the significance of key intrinsic quality attributes in developing dried mango.

Practical Application

Intrinsic quality parameters of dried mango are not perceived in the same way by every consumer and this is related to cultural differences. Crispy texture is important only for Indonesian consumers, while “free from extra ingredients” is the most important for Dutch and Chinese consumers. This information is relevant when developing dried mango products for the respective markets.

A Humanities-Based Explanation for the Effects of Emotional Eating and Perceived Stress on Food Choice Motives during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Perceived stress affects emotional eating and food choices. However, the extent to which stress associates with food choice motives is not completely understood. This study assessed whether emotional eating mediates the associations between perceived stress levels and food choice motives (i.e., health, mood, convenience, natural content, price, sensory appeal, familiarities, weight control, and ethical concerns) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. A total of 800 respondents were surveyed in the United States in June 2020. Their perceived stress, emotional eating, and food choice motives were assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and Food Choice Questionnaire, respectively. Moderate to high levels of perceived stress were experienced by the majority (73.6%) of respondents. Perceived stress was significantly correlated with emotional eating (r = 0.26) as well as five out of nine food choice motives: mood (r = 0.32), convenience (r = 0.28), natural content (r = −0.14), price (r = 0.27), and familiarity (r = 0.15). Emotional eating was significantly correlated with four out of nine food choice motives: mood (r = 0.27), convenience (r = 0.23), price (r = 0.16), and familiarity (r = 0.16). The mediation analyses showed that emotional eating mediates the associations between perceived stress and five food choices motives: mood, convenience, sensory appeal, price, and familiarity. Findings were interpreted using theories and concepts from the humanities, specifically, folklore studies, ritual studies, and symbolic anthropology.

Examining taste testing and point-of-purchase prompting as strategies to promote healthier food selection from food trucks

OBJECTIVE

To examine the feasibility of taste testing and point-of-purchase prompting to promote healthier food choices at a food truck event.

DESIGN

A pre-/post-study was conducted where food trucks provided samples of healthy food items to patrons and implemented point-of-purchase prompting (promotional signage; verbal cues). Implementation fidelity, acceptability and initial effectiveness were assessed via observation, patron surveys and sales data. A linear mixed model with a random effect for subject (food truck) and fixed effect for time point (baseline, intervention and post-intervention) was used to assess changes in relative sales of promoted healthy items as a percentage of food items sold.

SETTING

Weekly food truck event in Buffalo, New York.

PARTICIPANTS

Seven food trucks; 179 patrons.

RESULTS

Implementation fidelity data illustrated that all food trucks complied with manualised procedures. Approximately one-third of surveyed patrons accepted a healthy sample, with the majority rating the sample positively. There was no main effect of time when examining changes in relative sales of promoted healthy items across all periods (P = 0·32); however, effect sizes representing changes between individual time points are consistent with an increase from baseline to intervention (d = 0·51), which was maintained through post-intervention (d = 0·03). The change from baseline to post-intervention corresponded to a medium effect size (d = 0·55).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings generally support the feasibility of implementing taste testing and point-of-purchase prompting to increase the selection of healthy food items from food trucks; implications for future research in this novel setting are discussed.

Population-Based Study of the Changes in the Food Choice Determinants of Secondary School Students: Polish Adolescents' COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

During the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the lockdown, various changes of dietary habits are observed, including both positive and negative ones. However, the food choice determinants in this period were not studied so far for children and adolescents. The study aimed to analyze the changes in the food choice determinants of secondary school students in a national sample of Polish adolescents within the Polish Adolescents' COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population. The study was conducted in May 2020, based on the random quota sampling of schools (for voivodeships and counties) and a number of 2448 students from all the regions of Poland participated. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) (36 items) was applied twice-to analyze separately current choices (during the period of COVID-19 pandemic) and general choices (when there was no COVID-19 pandemic). For both the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, sensory appeal and price were indicated as the most important factors (with the highest scores). However, differences were observed between the scores of specific factors, while health (p < 0.0001) and weight control (p < 0.0001) were declared as more important during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the period before, but mood (p < 0.0001) and sensory appeal (p < 0.0001) as less important. The observations were confirmed for sub-groups, while female and male respondents were analyzed separately. It can be concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the food choice determinants of Polish adolescents, as it may have increased the importance of health and weight control, but reduced the role of mood and sensory appeal. This may be interpreted as positive changes promoting the uptake of a better diet than in the period before the pandemic.

Factors Underlying Food Choice Motives in a Brazilian Sample: The Association with Socioeconomic Factors and Risk Perceptions about Chronic Diseases

This study aimed to evaluate the food choice motives in a sample in Brazil and to identify how socioeconomic characteristics and risk perceptions about chronic diseases and weight gain affect these motives. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) is an instrument to analyze the motivations for food choice. The FCQ was completed by 525 adult individuals in Brazil. The participants were asked about their perceived risk of gaining weight, developing diabetes, and hypertension. Confirmatory factor analysis led to the rejection of the original FCQ structure, and, after exploratory factor analysis, 30 items of the FCQ were maintained in eight factors: Nutritional Composition, Preparation Convenience, Purchase Convenience, Mood, Sensory Appeal, Health, Price, and Familiarity. Sensory Appeal and Familiarity were, respectively, the most and the least important factors involved in food choices in this sample. A high education level, high income, age, and female sex positively affected FCQ factors (except for the Price factor). On the basis of FCQ scores, we defined five clusters: Health Driven, Practicality Concerned, Shape Concerned, Food Concerned, and Cooking Enthusiasts. In general, individuals were optimistic regarding the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and gaining weight, especially those from the Shape Concerned cluster. The differences in food choice motives presented here reinforce the existence of different niches of food consumption. Different types of products can attract specific target groups at the time of choice.

Consumer Acceptance of Cultured Meat: An Updated Review (2018–2020)

Cultured meat is one of a number of alternative proteins which can help to reduce the demand for meat from animals in the future. As cultured meat nears commercialization, research on consumers’ perceptions of the technology has proliferated. We build on our 2018 systematic review to identify 26 empirical studies on consumer acceptance of cultured meat published in peer-reviewed journals since then. We find support for many of the findings of our previous review, as well as novel insights into the market for cultured meat. We find evidence of a substantial market for cultured meat in many countries, as well as markets and demographics which are particularly open to the concept. Consumers mostly identified animal- and environment-related benefits, but there is plenty of potential to highlight personal benefits such as health and food safety. The safety of cultured meat and its nutritional qualities are intuitively seen as risks by some consumers, although some recognize potential benefits in these areas. Evidence suggests that acceptance can be increased with positive information, as well as frames which invoke more positive associations. We conclude by arguing that cultured meat will form one part of a varied landscape of future protein sources, each appealing to different groups of consumers to achieve an overall reduction in conventional meat consumption. We acknowledge a range of pro-cultured meat messaging strategies, and suggest that framing cultured meat as a solution to existing food safety problems may be an effective approach to increase acceptance. In the long-term, objections based in neophobia and norm violation will decrease, and widespread acceptance will depend in large part on the price and taste.

Novel Food-Based Product Communication: A Neurophysiological Study

The steady increase in the global food demand requires alternative sources. Food sources from invertebrates could be a viable alternative. Despite a growing interest in terrestrial invertebrates as novel food, Western consumers have to cope with fears and taboos. This research aims to investigate possible communication strategies of novel food through labels. To understand the complexity underlying food choice and novel food attitude, two studies were carried out. In Study 1, the main drivers in the food decision-making process were identified. Based on these results, in Study 2, two different food labels for crackers made with earthworm flour were designed. Applying a neurophysiological approach, we measured participants' neuropsychophysiological activation and behavioural response while watching food labels. A video on nutritional and ecological issues was shown to consumers to reduce aversion towards earthworms as food. The results in Study 1 indicate health and sensory dimensions as the major drivers in food choice. The data of Study 2 supported the effectiveness of the statement about nutritional qualities of the products on male participants, who tend to have a more positive reaction than female participants toward the novel product made with earthworm flour when the label's claim focuses on nutritional advantages. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

Relationships between Motivations for Food Choices and Consumption of Food Groups: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Survey in Manufacturing Workers in Brazil

Motivations for food choices may determine consumption, and understanding that relationship may help direct strategies for formulating diets. This study aimed to identify associations between motivations for food choices and consumption of food groups. An observational cross-sectional survey was conducted in 921 manufacturing workers from 33 companies in Brazil, based on a stratified two-stage probability sample. Motivations for food choices were assessed with the Food Choice Questionnaire, and intake of food groups was measured using 24-h dietary recall. Consumption was classified into 31 food groups defined according to their nutritional value and the NOVA classification. Data were analyzed with multilevel mixed-effects regression. The results showed that sensory appeal and price were the most important motivations for food choices, while ethical concern was less important. Sensory appeal was positively associated with consumption of industrialized condiments (p = 0.022), price showed a negative correlation with consumption of plant oils (p = 0.022), ethical concern showed positive correlation within consumption white meat (p = 0.065) and negative correlation within pasta dishes (p < 0.001). Regarding the NOVA classification, health correlated with an increase in consumption of unprocessed foods (p = 0.017) and weight control with a decrease in consumption of processed culinary ingredients (p = 0.057).