Conditions for Sustainable Food Consumption: A Comparative Study of Europeans' Valuations of Chicken Meat
Consumers and Consumption in Comparison
ISBN: 978-1-83549-315-1, eISBN: 978-1-83549-314-4
Publication date: 12 December 2024
Abstract
Presently, we are witnessing an increased public attention directed towards the negative impacts on climate and environment from food production and consumption. Policies aimed at changing consumption patterns are focused on voluntary measures, such as information and labelling schemes for consumers to make conscious choices in the market. However, such measures have proven to be of highly variable importance and only a small proportion of consumers consciously choose so-called ethical products when buying food. By a comparison of Europeans' valuations of chicken meat, we discuss the dynamics between individual processes and the social and contextual conditions for consumption changes. This study is based on national representative surveys carried out in seven European countries, and concerns peoples' valuations of indirect quality factors related to origin, animal welfare and their relation to producer, brand and production methods (organic, breed). Overall, the engagement varies considerably across Europe as well as in the sociodemographic patterns. We ascribe this variation mainly to cultural, social and institutional differences. This chapter concludes that despite European harmonization of regulations and integrated markets, the consumer role is shaped quite differently depending on cultural and social structures as well as institutional configurations and trust. These contextual conditions need to be considered when formulating policies on food consumption and food system transitions.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
The comparative survey that this chapter is based on was part of the Organic-PLUS project that received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No [774340]. The data material has been further analyzed within the FOOdIVERSE project an ERA-NET SUSFOOD2 and CORE Organic Co-fund 2019 with contributions from the Research Council of Norway, grant no. 320943. We would like to thank our co-researchers in different countries in both the Organic-PLUS project and FOOdIVERSE project contributing to the data collection and interpreting of results, respectively.
Citation
Vittersø, G., Andreola, M., Kjærnes, U., Kuraj, S., Schjøll, A. and Torjusen, H. (2024), "Conditions for Sustainable Food Consumption: A Comparative Study of Europeans' Valuations of Chicken Meat", Jacobsen, E., Strandbakken, P., Dulsrud, A. and Skuland, S.E. (Ed.) Consumers and Consumption in Comparison (Comparative Social Research, Vol. 37), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 115-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0195-631020240000037006
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2025 Gunnar Vittersø, Mattia Andreola, Unni Kjærnes, Sabina Kuraj, Alexander Schjøll and Hanne Torjusen. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited