Running Head: Consumers' Perception On Implementation of Sustainable Development in Food Consumption 1

Running head: CONSUMERS' PERCEPTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IN FOOD CONSUMPTION 1
CONSUMERS' PERCEPTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT IN FOOD CONSUMPTION
DECLARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
DEDICATION
ABSTRACT
The topic of sustainability has captured researchers’ interest gradually. For achievable
sustainability, different parties are supposed to play their role. This study’s goal is to improve
consumer behavior theory in the of sociological factors of sustainability of food provisioning.
Need to determine consumers conduct to the nature and the possibility that people consume
sustainable food is investigated. Primary data was utilized through a questionnaire that was
formulated. The data was analyzed and sustainable food products were identified more highly
consumed in developed countries. Nations that are developing partake sustainable food products
in low quantity. Purchase of sustainable food was identified to be influenced by the brand, price,
and nature of storage facility or distance. Brand of a commodity influences consumer decision.
Buying food staffs from a particular facility of storage is another reason that affect consumer
reasoning. This study observes that psychological factors of the consumer affect purchasing
decision of sustainable food.
Table of Contents
DECLARATION..............................................................................................................................................2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.................................................................................................................................3
DEDICATION................................................................................................................................................4
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................................7
1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................7
1.1 Background of the Study.......................................................................................................................8
1.2 Statement of the Problem...............................................................................................................10
1.3 Research Question...........................................................................................................................11
CHAPTER TWO...........................................................................................................................................12
2.1 Theoretical Literature Review..........................................................................................................12
2.1.1 The Attitude of Consumers towards the Purchase of Sustainable Food....................................12
2.1.2 Purchasing Hindrances Perceived by Consumers of Sustainable Food Product........................17
2.1.3 Environmental and Sustainability Knowledge..........................................................................17
2.1.4 Personal Norm towards Sustainable Food Consumption..........................................................20
2.2 Empirical Study................................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER 3.................................................................................................................................................27
3.1 Research Approach and Methodology.............................................................................................27
3.1.1 Research Approach...................................................................................................................27
3.1.2 Deductive Approach.................................................................................................................27
3.2 Research Purpose............................................................................................................................28
3.3 Data Collection................................................................................................................................28
3.3.1 Primary Research......................................................................................................................28
3.3.2 Questionnaire Design................................................................................................................29
3.3.3 Design of Research Inquiry......................................................................................................30
3.4 Theories of Research.......................................................................................................................30
3.5 Key Variables under Study...............................................................................................................31
3.6 Validity.............................................................................................................................................31
3.7 Reliability.........................................................................................................................................32
3.8 Expected Outcomes and Significance of the Research....................................................................32
CHAPTER FOUR..........................................................................................................................................33
4.1 Data Analysis...................................................................................................................................33
4.1.1 Background of the Responses...................................................................................................33
4.1.2 Pie Chart of Consumer Influence of Choice.............................................................................36
CHAPTER FIVE............................................................................................................................................38
5.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................38
5.2 Summary of the Findings.................................................................................................................38
5.3 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................38
5.4 Recommendation for the Policy......................................................................................................39
5.5 Direction for Future Studies.............................................................................................................39
APPENDIX..................................................................................................................................................40
APPENDIX A...........................................................................................................................................40
Project Schedule and Milestone Dates/Project Deliverables.................................................................45
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................47
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
Sustainable food consumption can be defined as access and use by all present and future
generations of the food necessary for an active and healthy life, through means that are
economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable (Harvard T.H. Chan, 2019). Our
understanding of the concept of food consumption and its relation to pro-environmental
behaviour remains in its early phases of development. This study advances the theory by placing
consumer behaviour within the context of sociological perspectives of reflexivity and sustainable
food provisioning. It seeks to analyze the relationship between personal connections to the
natural world and the likelihood that people consume food at home and in restaurants. In doing
so, expectations are to explain the relationship between pro-environmental behaviour and the
nature of sustainable food consumption in home and food outlets.
1.1 Background of the Study
The need for sustainable food consumption has been urgent over the years. Global food
production and consumption have been leaving ever-increasing water and ecological 'footprint.'
Technological innovations are required to reduce this footprint, so that food production and
consumption move progressively towards more sustainable meat substitutes, more efficient
production processes, reduction in water and energy use, and more efficient transportation
process (De Bakker & Dagevos, 2011). Although technological progress and increasing the
efficiency of the food supply process remain very important, the role and importance of
consumption have also started receiving attention (Assadourian, 2010). Consumption is no
longer seen as a phenomenon that contradicts sustainability. Sustainable consumption is
considered an essential aspect of sustainable development, particularly in contemporary western
societies (Abeliotis, Christina & Sardianou, 2010). Together with technological innovations,
changes towards more sustainable consumption patterns need to be part of the solution to the
sustainability problem (De Bakker & Dagevos, 2011). Thus, it is vital to analyze and categorize
in what ways and to what extent food consumers can contribute to a more sustainable world.
The production and consumption of food encompass multiple social, economic, and
environmental interactions and concerns. Agriculture, as a crucial driver of climate change, is
responsible for up to 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, accounts for 70% of freshwater
use, and contributes significantly to soil degradation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity
(Lundqvist, Fraiture & Molden, 2008). Higher temperature, continuously changing and
unpredictable patterns of rainfall, and an increase in extreme weather activity are all set to
contribute to more difficult food production conditions (IPCC, 2014). On the demand side,
expanding population, civilization, changing diets, and concerns over obesity and food-related
diseases have a significant impact on the global food system (FAO, 2009).
All the above said concerns relating to the food system are interlinked and need to be
addressed simultaneously. However, solving these problems on a global scale remains
notoriously tricky (Black et al., 1985). For these reasons, among others, there has been a growing
interest in 'sustainable' models of food provision that may address some of the deficiencies in the
ability of the current dominant system to deliver fair, equitable, and sustainable food for all
(Sonnino and Marsden, 2006). These alternative food systems, so-called as they are deemed to
run counter to the prevailing globalized industrial food system, aim to reconnect consumers with
the food they eat, reconcile the food system with the natural world, and closely link the various
aspects along the food chain (Renting, Marsden & Banks, 2003).
This study builds on alternative food networks (AFN) approaches and incorporates vital
messages emanating from this expanding field of research. Within the AFN literature, rural
development is a central consideration in developing a sustainable food system, with many
supporters advocating for more localized food systems and an increased role for organic and
smallholder production (Marsden and Morley, 2014). In addressing the perceived inequalities in
the food system, the emphasis is on fair trade, food security, and the development of local food
systems (Sage, 2012). Within this perspective, studies have focused on macro-level activities
such as trade between nations and micro-level activities such as community-based initiatives.
While AFN research is useful in demonstrating how a more sustainable food system
might emerge, it does not adequately address broader issues relating to food consumption. Food
consumption practices are influenced by a composite of individual (e.g., values, knowledge),
social (e.g., social norms), and material (e.g. technologies) factors. Although acknowledging
these contextual considerations, AFN approaches generally focus on the practices of individual
AFN participants (Kast, 2003). As a result, they overemphasize the potential for individuals to
effect food system transformation through their consumption choices. A practice theory
approach, on the other hand, shifts the focus away from individual consumers by taking social
practices as the central concern (Warde, 2005). In this regard, practice theory focuses on
consumption behaviour within the context of the socio-material infrastructures that enable
specific modes of food provisioning. Importantly, understanding food consumption as a set of
practices also draws attention to the crucial role of organizations in shaping the food system.
As Onwezen, Antonides, and Bartels (2013) proposed that expected guilt and pride have
an impact on the consumer's emotions within Norm Activation Model, the research may also
explore the feelings behind human actions and how they take responsibility based on their
norms. This is because consumers strive to have positive emotions after planning to purchase a
product.
Another element is the sheer habit of food. Unlike other products (e.g., technology-
oriented products), it is less accessible for consumers to shift quickly across the array of food
products. As stated by Siegrist, Visschers, and Hartman (2015), most consumers choose food
based on habitual decisions, and not on extensive consideration.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The sustainable development goals (SDG) highlights three major goals related to food.
Hunger eradication, food security achievement, nutrition improvement, and sustainable
agriculture promotion are the second objective of SDGs. Twelfth objective of SDGs is
sustainability enhancement through consumption response guarantee and installation of suitable
production model. Objective number 15 of the SDGs is protection, restoration and promotion of
sustainable terrestrial ecosystem, forest management sustainability, desertification contraction,
land degradation stoppage, and bio-diversity stoppage.
Population growth has contributed greatly to environmental degradation (Zaman, Khan,

Khan, Saleem, & Nawaz, 2011). Population pressure has led to the depletion of natural resources
in urban areas (Mei, Wai, & Ahamad, 2016). In general terms, consumption sustainability would
led to natural resources consumption that do not reduce and diminish resources (Leuenberger &
Bartle, 2009; Saha, 2009), no ecosystem impact (Johnson, 2009), and spares future generations
wants to survive (Morelli, 2013). The increase in sustainable food consumption is expected to
help reduce the global environmental problems.
Over the last few decades, consumption has increased worldwide, contribute to natural
resources depletion, environmental deterioration, and biodiversity loss (Kostadinova, 2016).
This study seeks to analyze the relationship between personal connections to the natural
world and the likelihood that people consume food at home and in restaurants (Axelrod &
Lehman, 1993). In doing so, expectations are to explain the relationship between pro-
environmental behaviour and the nature of sustainable food consumption in home and food
outlets.
1.3 Research Question
The primary question of the study is:
(i) How do consumers perceive the mission to implement a perspective of sustainable

development in food consumption, and what factors inhibit their activation of that mission?"
Associated with this primary question will be other questions such as:
(i) What are the factors that shape food provisioning practices in organizations?
(ii) How sustainable do organizations provide food, and how can organizations improve
their food sustainability performance?
(iii) How does COVID-19 pandemic reshape food consumption?

CHAPTER TWO
The model of consumer behaviour serves primarily as reference during investigation of

behaviour of consumers’ intention towards food product sustainability (Jarger, 2000). Behaviors
related to sustainable consumption are determined by values, needs and motivations, information
and knowledge and behavioral control.
2.1 Theoretical Literature Review
There are four major factors when determining the consumption behavior of low income
earners such as the attitude towards purchase of sustainable food: purchasing hindrances
perceived by consumers of sustainable food products, environmental & sustainability knowledge,
Individual norm towards consumption of sustainable food and behaviors intended to buy
sustainable food products.
2.1.1 The Attitude of Consumers towards the Purchase of Sustainable Food
Consumers have a positive attitude towards the purchase of sustainable foods (Wee et al.,
2014). Numerous studies report that consumers are very sensitive to benefits they expect to get
from consuming sustainable foods. Studies have found out that consumers pay attention to the
origin of foods, ecological packaging, and absence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
while buying foods (Popovic et al., 2019). They consider sustainable foods good for
consumption due to the freshness, safety, quality, and taste. Sustainable foods are also
considered beneficial with respect to the environment, human health, and improving regional
economy. Research has also found out that consumers may have negative attitude towards
buying sustainable foods when the price is high, poorly packaged, not convenient for
consumption, and poorly conserved (Vermeir, & Verbeke, 2006). The attitude of consumers is
therefore affected by how they perceive the food, whether effective, convenient, or pocket-
friendly. The way the food is packaged affects its appearance and attractiveness to the consumer.
Despite several studies reporting the willingness of consumers to purchase sustainable

foods, the positive attitude is not always congruent with their purchasing behaviors. Consumers’
attitudes are majorly influenced by both situational and individual factors. The three main
determinants of the attitude of consumers towards the purchase of sustainable foods include
promotions, personal needs, values, and involvement, and motivation, knowledge, information,
and uncertainty, and behavioral control, availability of food, and perceived effectiveness of the
consumer. The following diagram presents the conceptual framework for consumer attitude
towards sustainable food consumption.
Determinants of Consumers’ Attitude
Promotions, Personal Knowledge and Behavioral Control

Needs, Values, and Information
Motivation
Involvement (Social Uncertainty Availability

Norms and Values)
Decision-Making Attitude Buying Behavior
Figure. 1. Conceptual framework for consumer attitude towards sustainable food consumption
(i) Promotions, Personal Needs, Values, and Motivation
Various explanations can be used to show what influences the difference between the
consumers’ purchasing behaviors and their attitudes towards sustainable food consumption. For
example, promotions can heavily influence consumers buying behaviors. Despite having the
positive attitude to buy and consume sustainable foods, vigorous promotion on unsustainable
foods can sometimes shift their attention. Promotions usually inform consumers what benefits
they would obtain by buying a particular product. According to research, product marketers
know how to make consumers feel special (Verain et al., 2015). The smile and welcoming
gestures soothe consumers and divert their attention from the original attitude of buying
sustainable foods. Marketers often offer a lot of information on their products to educate
consumers and influence their attitude. Once the customer is convinced of the knowledge given,
they are most likely to have a different attitude and embrace other products even if they are not
sustainable. Another important feature of promotion is the high level of service that marketers
give to consumers (Vassallo et al., 2016). Marketers tell stories with realistic promises that
persuade consumers to buy their products. They also involve consumers in decision-making
process that is already influenced by the predetermined outcome (Stoimenova, 2016). These
factors are capable of shifting consumers’ attitude to buying food products regardless of whether
they are sustainable or not. Consumers are always keen on the benefits they are told about
products. Many consumers buy products they did not plan to for when they reach the market due
to influence of promotion. The presence of disposable money and the desire to receive benefits
from the product in promotion triggers the unexpected purchasing behavior of consumers in the
market (Vermeir, & Verbeke, 2006). For that reason, consumers do not have the ability to make
independent decisions because they heavily rely on situational factors.
Apart from promotion, personal needs, values, and motivation also play a key role in
molding the attitude of consumers towards the purchase and consumption of sustainable foods.
People have different needs, values, and motivation to buy products. Consumers buy foods to
satisfy their wants and needs based on personal values and motivation. They buy the benefits in
foods that fulfill their wants and needs. Studies reveal that in the current economy, most people
are busy with work that they have limited time to prepare foods (Stoimenova, 2016; Vassallo et
al., 2016; Verain et al., 2015). As a result, consumers prefer purchasing foods that are ready for
consumption. The trend in consumption has changed the way organizations work. Most hotels
and restaurants have tuned into the trend by offering fast foods to meet consumers’ needs.
Unfortunately, these fast foods are not sustainable because they comprise a wide range of
processed foods for fast cooking and consumption. However, the motivation for buying fast
foods is the timeliness and convenience for the working class individuals (Stoimenova, 2016).
The outcome of consuming fast foods is bad health such as development of diseases including
diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart attack. On the other hand, other consumers like fresh
foods from the market that they prepare themselves. The motivation for buying fresh foods from
the farm is for quality, freshness, safety, and health benefits consumers expect to derive from
them. Personal values are important because they inform actions, give direction, and influence
decisions that consumers make including the choice of brand or product to purchase (Vassallo et
al., 2016). Persons who value universalism are motivated by the need to protect the environment.
Therefore, they are most likely to buy sustainable foods. Involvement is the perception of
personal importance of a product or message. Consumers are most likely to buy products they
perceive to address their personal needs and desires. Involvement influences consumers’
attitudes and intentions, formation of beliefs, decision-making process, and the extensiveness of
information search. The perceived personal importance of a product also influences consumers’
behavioral outcomes including shopping enjoyment, frequency of product usage, loyalty or
commitment to a specific brand, brand-switching behavior, and variety seeking behavior.
Several studies reveal that personal values are associated with the purchase of sustainable
foods (Stoimenova, 2016; Vassallo et al., 2016; Verain et al., 2015). Specifically, the values of
responsibility, freedom, equality, idealism, honesty, self-direction, benevolence, and
universalism encourage the consumers’ attitude to buy sustainable foods. However, the
conformity, security, tradition, hedonism, ambition, and power are associated with less
sustainable food purchasing attitude. Based on these concepts, it can be implied that when the
right values are promoted, people will attain the long-run goal of sustainable food consumption.
However, the short-run sustainable food consumption patterns can also be achieved through
specific factors that meet the right opportunities, preferences, specific attitudes, and habits for
sustainable food consumption (Vermeir, & Verbeke, 2006). Therefore, the reasons for
purchasing foods are diverse and can be influenced by several situational and personal factors.
Therefore, the attitude to buy sustainable foods or unsustainable foods is also influenced by these
personal values, needs, and motivation.
(ii) Knowledge, Information, and Uncertainty
The availability of knowledge and reliable information on sustainable food consumption

influences consumers’ attitudes. Studies show that consumers have positive attitude to
sustainable food consumption. However, most consumers lack reliable information on what
foods are sustainable and the specific benefits derived from consuming them. The lack of
knowledge and reliable information gives room for deception by marketers who promote
consumption of unsustainable foods. Many consumers thus adopt unsustainable food
consumption patterns out of misinformation and lack of knowledge. The main reason for this is
because sustainability is an attribute of credence, consumers cannot conduct personal evaluation
on foods to determine whether they are sustainable or not. Instead, they rely on what marketers
and sellers say about the product to inform decision-making. Given the persuasive character of
marketers, consumers find it difficult to determine which information is correct and reliable to
help them make decisions. The confusion makes them settle for any product available and said to
contain numerous benefits without considering whether they are sustainable or not. Uncertainty
also contributes to attitude of consumers in buying foods because they will rely on social
information to evaluate the outcome of the product to inform their decisions. Thus, consumers
tend to purchase what many people like because they trust on the reliability of other people’s
choice-products to meet their needs.
(iii) Behavioral Control, Availability of Sustainable Products, and Perceived

Consumer Effectiveness
The availability of sustainable products is a vital determinant to consumers’ attitude and

behavior of purchasing foods. Behavioral control refers to the difficulty or ease by which
consumers can access or consume the specific product. Despite having high motivation to buy
and consume sustainable foods, the foods may not be readily available near consumers to
enhance consumption. Behavioral control is affected by scarcity of farmers’ markets or food
shops with the sustainable foods required by the consumers. Sometimes the farmers’ markets
may be close to consumers however, the inconveniences and irregularities in market functions
may pose a challenge of maintaining constant supply of sustainable foods to consumers. Apart
from that, sustainable products may also have limited availability, poorly advertised, or not well-
displayed in shops to encourage purchases. According to research, 52 per cent of consumers have
the desire to purchase sustainable foods (Sonnino & Marsden, 2005). However, they end up
buying other unsustainable products because the sustainable foods are not available in the
market, highly priced, or inconvenient to the consumer. The perceived consumer effectiveness is
the extent to which the product on sale satisfies the consumers’ needs. Products considered to
have numerous benefits are likely to be purchased more than those with limited benefits.
Consumers do not wish to spend money on what does not address their interest. For that reason,
they consider what problems the purchased product will help them solve. Products with high
perceived consumer effectiveness attract many consumers and trigger them to convert the
positive attitude into the actual buying of the product.
2.1.2 Purchasing Hindrances Perceived by Consumers of Sustainable Food Product
Low availability of sustainable products is a hindrance to high consumption. This

challenge is due to familiarity of local food scarcity, minimum shops or market of farmers
shortage, which regularly are unavailable and not convenient to meet consumers’ demand (Iris &
Wim, 2006). Behavioral control perception is a mirror of both internal and external perceived
difficulty factors. (Sparks et al. 1997; Vermeira & Wim, 2007) Studies have proved that notions
of perceived control or perceived behavioral hindrances are of additional importance predictors
of surroundings behavior (Axelrod & Lehman, 1993). Time hindrance perceptions prevent one to
be motivated to purchase products that are green (Tarner & Kast, 2003). Products that are
organic are considered better when taste, quality, safety, health effect and the environment is
considered while on the other hand negative perception is found when aspects such as
commodity price, appearance, availability and conservation (Vermeira & Wim, 2007). A
research proved that 52% of consumers have interest in buying foods that are sustainable, but
failed to buy foods owing to the perceived hindrances such as inavailability, inconvenience,
commodity price tag, habit and trust (Robinson and Smith, 2002; Vermeira & Wim, 2007). It
would be ironical expecting people unable to satisfy their basic needs to purchase less and
consider environmentally friendly ideology in their choices of buying. (Tilikidou I. , 2005) Low
perceived consumer effectiveness or unawareness of sustainable products and unavailability of
sustainable products in local retail outlets may hinder the purchase of sustainable foods
(Diamantapoulos et al., 2003; Vermeir and Verbeke, 2006; Vermeira & Wim, 2007). For
purposes of encouraging changes of behaviour, consumers must be made aware and convinced
that behavior they are used to has a negative effect on the environment or will be ineffective in
the fight to curb environmental degradation (Robert, 1996).
2.1.3 Environmental and Sustainability Knowledge
Environmental and sustainability knowledge is a major determinant for consumers’

attitude and buying behavior for sustainable foods. People who care about the environment are
more sensitive to what they consume. They tend to buy foods with little or no harm at all to the
environment. Foods that do not harm the environment have little or no wastes. The sustainable
foods also do not have health effects to consumers (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015). These are the
foods that are chosen by the environmental-knowledgeable consumers. On the other hand,
consumers with limited or no knowledge of environment do not care whether they consume
sustainable or unsustainable products. In that way, the knowledge of environment and
sustainability affects the choice of consumers on foods they consume.
According to Stoimenova (2016), knowledge about environment and sustainability has

positive influence on consumption. Stoimenova conducted the research in Bulgaria and realized
the following facts. He found that few people are knowledgeable about environment and
sustainability in Bulgaria. The people are not aware of problems affecting the environment.
Therefore, they do not have concern about what they do because they do not know what
problems arise from their actions (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015). For that reason, they continue
with living standards that are harmful to the environment including irresponsible waste
management and unsustainable food consumption.
The knowledge about environment and sustainability differs from one demographic
group to another (Wee et al., 2014). People in urban areas are more informed about environment
and sustainability as compared with those living in rural areas. Most government environmental
conservation initiatives are implemented in the country starting from urban areas before
spreading to rural areas. Therefore, people living in towns are most likely to be informed about
environment and sustainability ahead of those in rural areas (Wee et al., 2014). Environmental
and sustainability knowledge is also high among the wealthy individuals as compared to those
with low incomes (Warde, 2005). People with high income have access to a wide range of
resources that inform them of the current issues on their environment that those with low income.
For example, people with high incomes have access to news, programs, and other environmental
initiatives through television programs and other information avenues (Reisch, Eberle & Lorek,
2013). On the other hand, poor people may not afford television to watch environmental
programs that can influence their attitude and inform them of environmental and sustainability
issues. Stoimenova (2016) also found out that young people were better informed of the
environmental and sustainability as compared to older adults. Young people who go to school
learn current environmental and sustainability issues that influence their attitude and behavior in
sustainable food consumption. The education at school opens students’ minds and enables them
to think different from the older adults who do not go to school (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015).
On the same note, educated people are more knowledgeable on environmental and sustainability
issues as compared to those who are not educated (Siegrist et al., 2015). Education provides
knowledge about contemporary issues affecting the society. Therefore, educated persons are
expected to know a lot about environment and sustainability than those who are not educated.
Another striking finding is that most people have knowledge of the local environmental
problems more than they do for global environmental problems (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015).
The insufficient knowledge about the global environmental problem is a challenge because
people do not adjust their living standards to the required global standards (Wee et al., 2014). As
a result, people may try to solve consequential problems with no consideration of the root causes.
If everyone had knowledge of both local and global environmental problems, they would know
the root causes and the effective interventions for them including sustainable food development
and consumption. The environmental and sustainability knowledge affect consumers’
environmental concern positively (Wee et al., 2014). Consumers who are well-informed about
environment and sustainability are most likely to maintain healthy standards of living such as
sustainable food consumption.
The choices of foods consumed have significant impact on the environment. Even small
amounts of sustainable foods bought can cause considerable benefits to the environment
including less accumulation of garbage, fewer toxic chemicals, preservation of ocean resources,
and reduced global warming (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015). Apart from preserving the
environment, sustainable food consumption also contributes significantly to reduction of poverty,
eliminating hunger, well-being and good health, elimination of diseases, and clean water and
sanitation. Therefore, the knowledge of environment and sustainability is important in informing
the decision of consumers about what kinds of foods to consume.
2.1.4 Personal Norm towards Sustainable Food Consumption
Research have proved that a personal norm—a feeling of being morally obligated—is a
strong motivating factor of behavior toward the environment (Hopper & Nielsen, 1991). In
general, majority of studies agree that personal character are important and effective to foster
behavioral changes, even when the correspondence between variables that are attitudinal and
behavior are of moderate. Social, economic, or physical environment within which people act
also matter and can keep pro environmental attitudes from being expressed in action (Black,
Stern, & Elworth, 1985). There exists consumers who are responsible and interested in
maintaining condusive environment and willingly pay for green products’ premium (Tarner &
Kast, 2003). It is achievable if consumers make choices that are friendly to the environment
without being pushed including having finance and health motives that touch to the
environmental concerns. When cost or inconveniences are minimized, arguments have been
formally made that there is likelihood of consumers adopting any type of behaviour promoting
environment. (Tilikidou I. , 2005). A survey of consumers by Mainieri et al. (1997) supports
clearly the idea of specific individuals beliefs predict friendly environmental behavior of the
consumer more accurately than what general environmental concerns does. (Mainier, Barnett,
Valdero, Unipan, & Oskamp, 1997). Behavioral differences accounted by social status gap and
income are supported by findings. No valid connection between personal norms and green food
purchases (Tarner & Kast, 2003). Personal norm also most lightly influenced by the value a
person carries which may come or developed by cultural or religious value. Human values are
referred to as relatively stable beliefs about the personal or social desirability of certain behaviors
and modes of existence. Values express the goals/needs that influence individuals and
appropriate ways to attain these goals/needs. Values can play a significant role in the decision
process of the consumer, like product choice and brand choice numerous studies have linked
ethical or sustainable behaviour to personal values (Iris & Wim, 2006).
2.2 Empirical Study
Nurul, Zakaria, Husniyah, Laily, Paima and Nurul, (2019) study on effect of sustainable
consumption attitude on association between perception of sustainable lifestyle and sustainable
consumption practice used structural equation modeling analysis to measure the effect of
sustainable consumption attitude on relationship between perception of sustainable lifestyle and
sustainable consumption practice.
Among the possible sustainable development is sustainable consumption. Therefore the

food production, distribution patterns and consumption behaviour cannot be overrated for the
achievement of sustainability (Zakaria et al., 2019). Best-worst scaling methodology was
implemented to survey consumer samples among twelve different sustainability definitions
selected from different clusters. The feedback from the survey highlighted that sustainability can
be defined as natural resources preservation, conducive working condition and safe food
accessibility. The sampling units were also identified with reference to different sustainability
definition and also social demographic features. Economic level, social status, environmental
factors and governance were identified as guidelines for consumer attitude (Peano, Merlino,
Sottile, Borra & Stefano, 2019).
In the events of demographic change and population growth globally, food sustainability
problems is predicted to be a challenge in the future (Reisch, Eberle & Lorek, 2013). Due to
climatic change, land conflict challenges, increasing social and health cost to households and
community, agricultural production is highly affected (Khan et al., 2011). The cause of
unsustainability emanate from industrialization and globalization of processing of agriculture and
food products, diversion of patterns of consumption by taking more dietary animal protein,
modern food style which involve heavily on products that are processed, large global variance
between the poor and the rich, and food security problem when food is abundant.
Many European nations have set targets of organic food consumption (Vitter & Torvald,
2015). Establishment of policies that uphold organic food policies are considered as a spearhead
for transformation leading to more sustainable production and food consumption (Morelli, 2013).
Installation of customer information scheme and food labeling were meant to increase
consumption of organic food but despite political interference for 15 years, there was marginal
increase in organic food consumption (Kostadinova, 2016). With reference to two consumer
surveys done in year 2000 and thirteen years later in Norway, it was observed that organic food
was more available in stores. There was no essence of purchasing organic food in 2013 than
former thirteen years. The study found no perception was created politically to consumers.
Joshi and Rahman (2015) conducted an informative research to on the factors affecting
the behavior of consumers in purchasing green foods including individual and situational factors.
Individual factors comprise of variables concerning an individual as the decision-maker. The
variables are associated with one’s life experiences such as personality, values, and attitude that
affect one’s process of decision-making (Lazzarini et al., 2016). On the other hand, situation
factors affecting consumers’ purchasing of sustainable foods include situational forces that
compel consumers’ decision-making process.
According to Joshi and Rahman (2015), the following are the major individual factors
affecting the purchase of green foods. Individual’s emotions positively affect the decision to
purchase sustainable foods (Sage, 2012). Individual’s sense of responsibility for environmental
protection informs the decision to consume green foods to avoid harming the environment
through releasing harmful solid and waste gases (Zhu et al., 2013). When one feels responsible
for the welfare of their environment, they would do what is good for the environment and their
own health.
Consumer habit influences purchasing behavior for sustainable foods. There is a

challenge in transitioning from one habit to another (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015). People who
are used to eating unsustainable foods are likely to find difficulties in adopting sustainable food
consumption. Habit and past behavior of consumers influence their preferences. Therefore,
consumers may need some time to adjust and adapt to sustainable food purchase and
consumption.
Perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) also influences the buying behavior and
consumption of sustainable foods (Peano et al., 2019). Foods with high perceived consumer
effectiveness are preferred by consumers to those with low PCE. Several studies have proposed
a positive correlation between PCE and consumers’ buying behavior for sustainable foods.
Perceived behavioral control affects the consumers buying behavior for sustainable
foods. Perceived behavioral control refers to the control that one has over their actions (Popovic
et al., 2019). Every individual has personal preference and the authority to make own decisions.
Despite being persuaded or influenced by external factors, individuals have the right and
autonomy over the decisions that they make.
Personal values and norms affect the purchasing behavior for sustainable foods.
Individuals who value the environment are most likely to choose sustainable food consumption
behavior as opposed to those with no regard for the environment (Chen et al., 2012; Young et al.,
2010). Joshi and Rahman (2015) identified benevolence, universalism, and altruism as the major
personal values affecting purchasing behavior for sustainable food consumption. These values
influence the choice and intention of consumers to buy foods that help in preserving the
environment. Individualistic values have stronger positive influence on the purchasing behavior
as compared with altruism (Vicente-Molina et al., 2013). Personal norms and morals also inform
the decision-making process for buying sustainable foods.
Consumer’s trust in the benefits of green products is a major factor influencing the
behavioral pattern for buying sustainable foods (Scalco, Noventa, Sartori & Ceschi, 2017).
Persons who believe in the benefits of green foods are most likely to buy sustainable foods
consistently. Studies have found that trust and confidence of consumers in the value of green
products mediates the relationship between the perceived value and risks of green products
(Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015; Wee et al., 2014). Therefore, the lack of trust in the value of green
products is a major barrier for the desired sustainable food purchase and consumption.
Several studies cite environmental knowledge as a factor influencing consumption of

green products. Individuals with established knowledge on the environment are more conscious
about what foods they consume (Lazzarini et al., 2016). People who know the environment and
sustainability are most likely to purchase and consume green products to enhance the benefits
both for health and environmental reasons.
Chen et al. (2012) found that self-indulgence and variety seeking behaviors influenced
the purchase of green products. There are some people who love to taste several varieties of
foods (Renting et al., 2003). Despite not having direct influence on customers’ choice for green
products, variety seeking behavior is a significant factor that may contribute to purchasing of
sustainable foods (Vicente-Molina et al., 2013). In this case, consumers do not purchase foods
for sustainability purposes (Popovic et al., 2019). Instead, they purchase and consume
sustainable foods for the sake of getting a variety of tastes, quality, and nutritious benefits
associated with green products.
There are several situational factors affecting the consumers’ decisions to purchase and
consume sustainable foods. Price has been reported by several studies to outweigh the ethical
considerations for food consumption (Annunziata & Scarpato, 2014). High prices discourage the
consumers from buying sustainable foods because they are not willing to spend a lot of money
when there are cheaper alternatives within the same market. Some consumers are low-income
earners, making it difficult for them to afford expensive foods in the market (Vittersø &
Tangeland, 2015). Therefore, high prices act as a barrier for the price-sensitive individuals to
purchasing and consuming sustainable foods.
The availability of products is another crucial factor affecting the purchasing behavior for
sustainable foods (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015). Most consumers’ decisions are affected by the
presence of food products in the market. Sometimes consumers do not readily have the choice of
food to buy and consume. In such cases, the choice of food is determined by what is available in
the market (Peano et al., 2019). The presence of a lot of green products in the market positively
influences the buying behavior of consumers because they would purchase what is already
available in the market. Studies have proved that the lack of availability of green foods in the
market is a barrier to the purchase and consumption of sustainable foods.
Social norm and reference groups significantly affect the buying behavior for sustainable
foods. Humans are social beings (Boesen & Niero, 2019). While socializing with each other,
individuals are most likely to be influenced to buying products by other members of the society.
Reference groups like peers influence the individual behavior of consumers (Robinson & Smith,
2002). Individuals seek reviews and recommendations for products before deciding whether to
buy it or not (Wee et al., 2014). In a society where people do not have environmental and
sustainability knowledge, the purchasing behavior for sustainable foods is likely to reduce
because no one provides encouragement or information on the benefits of developing and
consuming sustainable foods.
The quality and attributes of a product influences consumers’ buying behavior.
Consumers prefer buying products whose functional benefits fulfill their desire or solve their
problems. The benefits the product avails to fulfill the desires of the consumer supersedes its
ethical value (Peano et al., 2019). Consumers do not consider whether a product is sustainable or
not. They will buy it if they perceive its beneficial characteristics to be capable of alleviating
their problems. High quality products are also likely to influence the buying behavior of
consumers. Individuals prefer quality products for consumption (Vicente-Molina et al., 2013).
Products with low perceived quality are not likely to influence the consumers’ buying intention.
Store related attributes such as visual display can influence buying behavior of consumers
(Zhu et al., 2013). Products that are well-displayed on store-shelves are easily visible and
attractive to consumers. Poor display of products acts as a barrier to purchase of the product.
Poorly displayed products may not be seen by consumers, thereby reducing the chances of being
purchased.
Brand image of the product influences the consumers’ buying behaviors. Individuals have
personal favorite brands preferred over sustainability concerns. Consumers associate product
brands with quality and satisfaction (Annunziata & Scarpato, 2014). Therefore, they may not
easily leave their brands to purchase products for the sake of sustainability. There are few studies
investigating the influence of brand image on the consumers’ purchasing behavior. Therefore,
more research is needed to obtain conclusive findings.
Sustainable food consumption contributes to sustainable food system. Currently, many

organizations do not provide sustainable foods (Boesen & Niero, 2019). The increased demand
for fast foods has influenced operations and types of foods provided by hotels and restaurants.
However, there are several ways by which organizations can improve their food sustainability
performance (Vittersø & Tangeland, 2015). One way is by encouraging cooking of fresh green
products. On-demand cooking of sustainable foods is a great way of ensuring sustainable food
consumption. Instead of providing fast foods, hotels and restaurants should provide sustainable
foods as a way of ensuring sustainable food system.
Apart from that hotels and restaurants should buy foods locally to prevent unsustainable
activities such as transporting foods over long distances. Sourcing foods from afar is
unsustainable because it involves emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere by vehicles that
transport such foods.
Proper waste management is necessary to enhance sustainable food consumption. Hotels

and restaurants produce large quantities of waste foods (Annunziata & Scarpato, 2014). The
wastes originate from food leftovers, waste ingredients, and food remains. Hotels and restaurants
should adopt relevant strategies and mechanisms of ensuring little or no food wastage to boost
sustainable consumption.
Organizations should ensure proper management of food ingredients. Ingredients used to

prepare meals in hotels and restaurants should be ordered in required quantities. The first-in first-
out criterion should be adopted to minimize wastage due to overstay in the store. The store
managers should understand dates of expiry of food in stock and facilitate consumption in a way
that minimizes spoilage of foods in the store (Peano et al., 2019). In addition, organizations
should also encourage self-service system of food consumption to provide freedom for individual
consumers to serve only what they can consume wholly without wastage. By introducing self-
service system, wastage of foods from hotels and restaurants would be at its minimum.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had very bad effects on food consumption. The pandemic
has reduced agricultural activities significantly leading to low production of food. As a result,
some homes have been forced to practice food rationing due to lack of sufficient food supply.
Apart from agriculture, various industrial activities have been brought to standstill leading to
closure of enterprises and suspension of workers. As a result, unemployment and poverty sets in,
thereby reducing the purchasing power of consumers and consequently reducing food
consumption. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only lowered economic activities but
also reduced sustainable food consumption.
Various food consumption behaviors have been evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many people have adopted home-cooking practice due to the ban on public eateries such as
hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, and bars. There has been a rising awareness of food wastage due to
scarcity. The pandemic has caused food shortage. As a result, families prepare only the quantity
of food they require at any given time, thereby minimizing food waste. Some families consume
leftovers to minimize wastage of food. Moreover, people shifted to buying foods from local food
shops and suppliers as opposed to the former behavior of sourcing foods from far before the
pandemic struck.
CHAPTER 3
3.1 Research Approach and Methodology
3.1.1 Research Approach
This research paper began with the relevant literature that best suits the area of interest in
the food industry; the various literature for ecological and organic food products and consumers'
attitudes towards buying sustainable food products. Since the research focuses more on the
consumer perspective of sustainable consumption, two models were used to explore and describe
how sustainability is part of the evaluation criteria in the consumer decision-making process. For
instance, to collect all the necessary data and information, academic engines such as ProQuest,
Science Direct, Royal roads library resources and Google scholar were utilized. The search
words included consumer behaviour, sustainability, decision making, ecological/organic, food
industry and consumption.
3.1.2 Deductive Approach
A deductive approach aims to find answers to questions that you have at the start of the
research. The research questions may vary from statements to informed speculation. This
approach is about intensively testing theory development and allows for explanation and
prediction of a real phenomenon. The study used a deductive approach because it used existing
theories to generalize the complexities of human social behaviour statistically. The sample size
selected were substantial, although not all the desired responses gave feedback. Enough sample
size to measure our data quantitatively was used. The project focuses more on interpreting
consumer behaviour by using consumer theories and how actions are motivated. By using the
research approach, the main goal was to create a basis that enables the study to focus on the topic
and answer the research question as simple as possible. In the questionnaires, the study seeks to
understand the stages that make consumers to be environmentally conscious before making a
purchase decision for a food product. The theory of consumer decision making backed this. Use
of this type of approach examines outcomes that would either confirm the existing theory or
suggest a need for modification.
3.2 Research Purpose
The purpose of the research paper is to investigate a concept that is both drenched in
sustainable food and consumer attitude and twinned with moral and social concepts. Several
methodologies were applied in carrying out the investigation, as deemed appropriate, as a mixed
methodology (Creswell, 2014). It brings excellent value to the research aim due to many social
conventions and sentiments being investigated (Hopper & Nielsen, 1991). It also resulted in two
avenues of research that can bring value to each other. The approaches to the study would be to
provide two fundamental perspectives to the research question, one a realist - what do we know
(quantitative) and secondly an ontological/intersperses approach - what do we think we know
(perceptions, motivations, qualitative) (Creswell, 2014). The qualitative method helped to
understand people's preferences towards their taste and health (Korobili & Tilikidou, 2005). The
quantitative approach helped to gather the data that will be appropriate to develop a piece of
knowledge and believe in sustainable food consumption.
3.3 Data Collection
Data collection is a process that is crucial to any study to accumulate information and
knowledge to fulfill the purpose of a study. The data used in this research is valid, reliable and
appropriate to answer the research questions. The source of data collection within academic
research comes from two data types: primary data and secondary data. Primary data refers to
collecting firsthand data to reach a specific research project. On the other hand, gathering data
from other scholarly articles and sources are known as secondary data. In this study, primary and
secondary data was used to observe consumers' attitudes towards sustainable consumption and
the factors correlated with their decision-making process.
3.3.1 Primary Research
Primary research requires tailoring the investigation according to the research topic with
aims on providing more accurate and flexible information compared with the secondary data.
Interview and questionnaire are the two most common approaches to gather primary data in
business and management research. One distinctive feature of primary data is that the researcher
must collect data from the interested population by themselves no matter by interview or
questionnaire.
As mentioned in the research strategy, the survey is the most appropriate research
strategy to answer the research questions. A questionnaire is the most widely used data collection
method that belongs to the survey strategy within business and management research. On the
other hand, using interviews requires a more significant number of open-ended questions.
Simultaneously, the questionnaire technique works best with standardized questions that all the
respondents can interpret the same way that can be used correctly within deductive research. It
enables researchers to explore the relationships between variables, as identified from the
previous literature. Therefore, questionnaire (APPENDIX A) was used as a technique to collect
primary data. There are two types of questionnaire modes which differ depending on whether
consumers or restaurant owners will answer the questionnaire. Respondent-completed
questionnaires are recorded by the author using either telephone or asking questions face-to-face
to the respondents, which can also be called "structured interviews." The other mode is self-
completed questionnaires. As the name implies, self-completed questionnaires are completed by
respondents directly. It can be distributed through the internet, mobile, postal, or hand-collection.
Primary data are time-consuming; it takes time to design the questionnaire, and it takes time to
process the data as well as analysis. Due to the time-limited in this study, self-completed
questionnaire was used and distributed through the internet, with more precise respect to Google
form.
3.3.2 Questionnaire Design
During the literature research process, the study found out some research topics questions
similar with this study showing a few questionnaires that can provide information to reach to
what this study sought. Therefore, additional questions were added to add weight on intentions to
study consumers' buying behaviour from a consumer perspective. The questionnaire was formed
with only closed-ended questions due to the current COVID-19 situation. Closed-ended
questions are quicker and more comfortable for respondents to answer as it requires minimal
writing and predetermined answers which enable us to improve validity. The questionnaire had
27 questions containing three types of closed-ended questions: list questions, category questions,
and matrix questions (Appendix A). Question defining whether the respondents are consumers or
sellers were interrogated, followed by demographics questions such as gender, age, nationality to
understand among which age group or gender is most likely to buy sustainable products and
whether the regions or countries they come from affect their knowledge and behaviours towards
sustainable consumption. The other part of the questionnaire contains questions that were meant
to explore and answer the research purpose. These questions were developed corresponding to
each stage in the consumer decision-making process, which paved way to interpret the reasoning
and motivation behind sustainable consumption choices.
3.3.3 Design of Research Inquiry
Research design is the stage after devising a research philosophy; (Creswell, 2014)
termed research design "… as a carefully planned set of operations which are designed to answer
the nature of research through a chosen perspective". This part of the process follows the
philosophic, contextual outlines of the research design and merges this with applied research
methods.
A mixed methodology is the chosen strategy for this research. A closer examination of
the execution of such methods reveals two clear choices, namely, parallel or sequential mixed
methods (Creswell, 2014). As this project would delve into the contrast between perception and
action within sustainable food consumption, parallel research operations at the same given time
would sufficiently highlight this contrast, without one research method influencing the analysis
of the other, giving beneficial merit to the nature of a cross-sectional study. The chosen survey-
based data that would be used for the research would be from surveys done by government
organizations and other credible private organizations for their research purposes.
3.4 Theories of Research
The proposed study shall draw upon data and information from both public and private
sector organizations and considers social, economic, and environmental impacts of
organizational food provisioning. The study brought on a broad range of empirical data collected
using qualitative and quantitative techniques; for example, collection of data related to customer
behaviour towards sustainable food, interviews of restaurant owners that help to understand
customer preference. Data analysis would combine several different elements that link the data
gathered to the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for this research paper.
Adopting an integrated approach to food sustainability that includes social, economic and
cultural considerations as well as environmental and ecological factors, the study used a
qualitative case study approach to study the motivations, understandings, rationale, attitudes, and
perceptions of key actors with responsibility for food provisioning in commercial food outlets
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). The study also adopted a comparative case
study design that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches to data analysis, considering
the information gathered from a wide array of case-specific evidence.
If found appropriate, this project shall adopt an organization-centered approach to

investigate the unsustainability of food provisioning for public consumption.
3.5 Key Variables under Study
The main objective of the study was to explore the role of consumers, in general, and
large organizations in supporting a sustainable food system. It sought to critically investigate the
significance of food provisioning in organizations and its consequences for the broader food
system. The study also sought to make visible the processes, interactions, structures, and
dynamics that contribute to the central role of organizations, thus shifting the focus away from
individual consumers.
3.6 Validity
To provide a significant level of internal validity to this study, extensive effort were made
on researching and reviewing literature and models within consumer behaviour in the area of
sustainability, even before definition of research purpose and questions. Moreover, past studies
and surveys have been used in this study, to be assured that data collected from surveys can be
used for and interpret the study's objectives.
3.7 Reliability
The reliability of a study can be considered under different consistencies: test-retest

reliability, inter-rater reliability and Inter consistency reliability. The Test-retest consistency
refers to graphing the result when we implement the same strategy, while inter-rater reliability
states that the consumers are the key decision-makers. The foremost reliability measure for this
research was inter-rater consistency as the study sought to analyze consumer behaviour after
implementation of strategies, the decision entirely depending on the consumer. Food
consumption and sustainability considered a broader system, including the production,
processing, packaging, transportation and disposal of food products each of the various stages
being possibly analyzed in terms of their impact on the environment and human health.
3.8 Expected Outcomes and Significance of the Research
The project was built upon the existing body of study concerned with sustainable food
and tested the theories and arguments put forth by existing research in several different contexts.
It established the various ways in which sustainable consumption was taken into consideration in
terms of the consumer decision-making process and what factors influence sustainable use.
The study was expected to discover that consumers do not make independent decisions in
purchasing a product. Their purchasing behaviour is subject to social groups to which a person
belongs (Marsden & Morley, 2014). Consumers who get positive information from their social
groups about sustainability-related products will tend to choose sustainable products. Moreover,
consumers who are aware of the concept of sustainable consumption will tend to practice
sustainable use.
In the end, consumer choice in purchasing and patronizing sustainable products may well
be found to depend on the usual commercial and practical considerations (Lundqvist et al.,
2008). For instance, the easy availability, or otherwise, of green products in mainstream stores,
may affect the behaviour of consumers who are otherwise inclined towards sustainable food
products. The same might be the consideration at a cost (Kobylecky, 2015). With a large gap
between sustainable and non-sustainable food products, it is possible that consumers find the
former too expensive and do not want to expose themselves to high-level risk. In this aspect,
there is a significant role to be fulfilled by the state and food producers. The choice of food can
be based on lifestyle, taste, climatic conditions, and cultural factors, none of which can be
changed easily. For instance, vegetarians can seldom be weaned towards taking meat.
The primary significance of the research would be in the field it would provide for testing
several theories and prior research on sustainable food consumption. In doing so, the analysis can
also provide useful case studies and insights into the factors influencing sustainable food
consumption (Onwezen et al., 2013). Besides, the research can also throw valuable insights into
political and organizational discourse into demand for and supply of sustainable food and the
way consumers are shaping this discourse (FAO, 2009). For instance, it is sometimes asserted
that though awareness of sustainable food issues is increasing, even among more informed
consumers, the most commonly heard sustainability narrative is still supporting superficial
sustainable behaviour without knowing the primary roots of the situation and unable to find the
solutions. The research tests the validity and limitations of hypotheses such as this.
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Data Analysis
The responses given through the questionnaire were analyzed and the following
observation was made.
4.1.1 Background of the Responses
The bar graph below shows the usage of sustainable food. There was great significant
difference among the nations that are developed and those that are developing. Usage rate of
sustainable food among individuals that responded to the questionnaire was about ninety percent
from developed nations, fifty six percent from developing nations and about thirty six percent
from the under-developed nations.
The Graph of Respondent’s Country Economic Status
100.00%
90.00% CONSUMERS
PERCENTAGE USERS
80.00%
NON-USERS
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
DEVELOPED DEVELOPING UNDER DEVELOPED
Figure 4.1
The percentage of people from the sampled population that responded that they were not
consumers of sustainable food were about nine percent, forty four percent and sixty three percent
from developed countries, developing countries and under developed countries respectively.
Graph 4.1 demonstrates that the numbers of consumers of sustainable food are high in developed
nations, followed by developing nations, and lastly in under-developed nations.
Based on the findings, 90.74 per cent of the people living in developed nations consume
sustainable foods. The large numbers of individuals consuming sustainable foods in developed
nations can be attributed to numerous factors (Abeliotis et al., 2010). Many people in developed
nations have better environmental and sustainability knowledge as compared to those in both
developing and under-developed nations (Peano et al., 2019). The knowledge of environment
spurs personal values and norms in individuals that encourage them to practice sustainable
patterns of food consumption (Creswell et al., 2014). Personal values such as benevolence and
universalism play a key role in informing the decision-making process of persons in developed
countries.
Apart from that, persons in developed countries are more educated as compared to those
in developing and under-developed nations. Governments of developed nations have sufficient
resources to support education and environmental programs that create awareness of the
contemporary environmental and sustainability among the people (Assadourian, 2010). The
presence of advanced education systems reinforced with technology puts people in developed
nations at the forefront in knowledge about environment and sustainability (Lazzarini et al.,
2016). The sustainability ideas originate from developed countries because they have advanced
technology that enables them to conduct complex scientific experiments beneficial to all people.
According to research, environmental and sustainability awareness is higher among the educated
people as compared with the less educated individuals (Chen & Lobo, 2012). Therefore, this
justifies why consumption of sustainable foods is higher in developed nations as compared with
developing and under-developed countries.
The trend of consumption of sustainable foods decreases significantly in developing and

under-developed nations. The study also found out that only 56.33 per cent and 36.65 per cent of
people consume sustainable foods in developing and under-developed countries respectively.
The trend can be explained in the same version as that of the developed nations (Wee et al.,
2014). The knowledge of environment and sustainability is much higher among the people in
developing countries as compared with those in under-developed countries (Lazzarini et al.,
2016). As a result, the number of people practicing sustainable food consumption is higher in
developing nations as compared with the number in under-developed nations.
4.1.2 Pie Chart of Consumer Influence of Choice
PRICE
BRAND
STORE
DISTANCE
The above pie chart demonstrates factors that influence consumer’s purchasing decision.
Brand of a commodity is highly rated by 894 respondents out of 2153 respondents. Price of
sustainable food also determines about thirty percent of consumers’ perception. Among the
respondents who consider the storage mode of sustainable food were 378. The distance from
which the commodity would be bought was not significantly justified because only 231
respondents argued it’s a factor.
The research provides an interesting finding about the effect of brand name on the
consumers’ purchasing behavior of products (Havard, 2019). In this research, brand name is the
major factor influencing buying decisions of consumers. Everyone has personal product brand
that they trust beyond the ethical factors. The belief of quality and trust bestowed upon various
brands is a great factor affecting consumers’ buying decisions (Zhu et al., 2013). If presented
with the choice between personal favorite brand and another sustainable product, 42 per cent of
consumers would choose their favorite brands with no concern over ethical issues. The scenario
can be explained by the loyalty the consumers have developed to such brands. Consumers
develop loyalty for products that satisfy their needs and wants. Once the customer identifies the
favorite product brand, they become loyal to buying it without shifting to other alternative
brands.
The price of commodity is another significant factor influencing buying behavior of

consumers. Consumers always strive to minimize spending while maximizing quality and
quantity of products (Zhu et al., 2013). Consumers in a market where the price of sustainable
foods is extraordinarily high are most likely to consider cheaper alternatives to save costs. In
such a case, the consumer will not consider the sustainability value of the highly priced food but
the price instead (Wee et al., 2014). The price consideration may be as a result of various factors
such as low amount of disposable income, availability of alternative foods, and lack of
willingness of consumers to buy the product at the price offered.
The mode of food storage affects the buying decision of consumers. Individuals have
different personal tastes and preferences. Some people prefer buying from specific stores.
Loyalty to a particular store is the major influence for their buying decisions. Some people want
foods stored and preserved in fridge while others do not prefer buying refrigerated foodstuffs.
The taste for each individual is different. Another storage factor influencing buying decision is
the display of foods on shelves (Peano et al., 2019). Foods that are well-displayed are more
likely to be purchased as compared with those not well-displayed. The way the supermarket or
food store arranges foods can either attract buyers or not. Therefore, the storage mode and
display of foods in food shops influences the buying decision by consumers.
The distance from which the food is bought affects the consumers’ buying decision. In
this research, 11 per cent of the interviewed respondents expressed concern over distance from
which the food has to be bought. Some consumers prefer purchasing from local stores near their
homesteads while others do not bother where the food comes from so long as it is of high
quality, favorite brand, and affordable price (Popovic et al., 2019). The distance from which the
food is to be sourced influences the buying decision of only 11 percent of respondents
interviewed. Therefore, it was the factor with the least influence on consumers’ buying behavior.
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Introduction
This study aims to advance the theory of consumer behaviour within the context of
sociological factors of reflexivity and sustainability of food provisioning. It seeks to establish
personal interaction to the natural world and the possibility that people consume sustainable
food. Therefore, expectations are to illustrate the relationship between pro-environmental
diversity and the nature of sustainable food consumption.
5.2 Summary of the Findings
From the analyzed data, sustainable food products are highly consumed in developed
countries as compared to growing economies. Suppressed economies consume sustainable food
products poorly. The developed countries have higher knowledge of environment and
sustainability. The development of values such as benevolence and universalism fosters ethical
food development and consumption in developed countries as compared with developing and
under-developed nations.
Decision to buy sustainable food is greatly influenced by the brand, price, particular store
or distance. The brand dominates consumer decision followed by price. Purchasing a commodity
from a particular storage facility is another factor that highly influences consumer rationale.
Distance from which the product is purchased also influences the consumers’ decision for
buying.
5.3 Conclusion
The consumers’ attitude to sustainable food consumption is greatly influenced by various

factors such as economic background of individual consumers. Persons in developed nations are
more aware of environmental and sustainability issues as compared with those in developing and
under-developed nations. The awareness of environment and sustainability is determined by the
education, economic ability, age, and geographic location of consumers. People who are well-
educated, wealthy, young, and living in urban areas are more knowledgeable in environmental
and sustainability issues than the illiterate, poor, older adults, and living in rural areas. The
intention and purchasing behavior of consumers is determined by brand name, price, particular
store, and distance. Personal favorite brand has the strongest influence on the buying intention
and behavior of consumers followed by prices, specific stores, and the distance.
5.4 Recommendation for the Policy
Implementation of sustainable food development and consumption is a major concern

that requires swift action to develop and implement strategies for sustainable present and the
future environment. Organizations and individuals should consider the following
recommendations to ensure sustainable food development and consumption.
Recommendation 1: Purchase foods from local food shops
Individuals and organizations should purchase foods from local shops and suppliers to
strengthen the local food chain, support local enterprises, and shorten food supply. The
consumption of locally purchased food prevents development of environmental problems
associated with transport such as emission of greenhouse gases that pollute the air and lower the
quality of air on which animals and plants depend.
Recommendation 2: Adopt self-service system of food consumption
Individuals and organizations should encourage self-service system whereby each one
serves what they can comfortably consume wholly to avoid unnecessary wastage of food. The
remaining leftovers can be preserved for later use or donated to those who lack food.
5.5 Direction for Future Studies
The research found out that consumers’ perception of sustainable development in food
consumption is higher in developed nations as compared with both the developing and under-
developed countries. It further showed that the intention and buying behavior of individuals is
mostly influenced by product brand. However, more studies are required to determine the
correlation between the brand name and the attitude to consume sustainable foods.
APPENDIX
APPENDIX A
1) Are you a consumer/Buyer?
2) Which country or region do you come from?
3) What is your gender?
4) How old are you?
5) Have you heard of the concept 'Sustainable Consumption'?
a) Yes b) No
6) If yes, where have you heard about Sustainable Consumption?
a) School
b) TV
c) Social Media
d) Family and friends
e) Organization's activities
f) For answer "No"
7) Have you ever bought any of these products from the following category in the last 3
months?
a) Vegetables
b) Fruits
c) Lean protein e.g., meat, fish, chicken
d) fizzy drinks e.g. sodas, energy drinks
e) Herbal teas
8) How often do you buy the following products?
a) Daily
b) Weekly
c) Monthly
d) Yearly
e) Never
9) If you are super hungry, what food would you choose to eat? (Only one)
a) Burgers
b) Fish
c) Brown bread
d) Chips
e) Candy
f) Water
10) What would you consider the most when buying food?
a) Price b) Brand / Packaging c) Particular grocery stores d)

Distance
11) How do you find information about sustainable food?
a) Social media b) Friends/family recommendations c) Advertisements and

magazines d) In the stores e) Television f) Websites
12) Is anyone in your household interested in sustainable products?
a) Yes b) No c) Maybe
13) When did you start looking for sustainable products?
a) Last month b) 6 months ago c) Last year d) Over 5

years
e) Never
14) Do you read the description of the product before buying it?
15) How do you usually do your shopping?
a) Car
b) Bike
c) Walk
d) Public transportation
e) Home delivery
16) Do you make a list of what you need before going to the store?
a) Yes b) No c) Sometimes
17) How do you get rid of left-over food?

a) Store in fridge b) Throw away c) Give to charity
d) Other, please specify
18) Can you eat food that expired a day late?
a) Yes b) Never c) Maybe d)

Sometimes
19) Do you have a favorite shopping store?
a) Yes b) No
20) Where do you often buy food stuff?
a) Grocery stores b) Local "Green" stores c) Online
21) Which store would you say is the most sustainable friendly?
22) Can you pay more for sustainable food products as compared to others?
a) Yes b) No c) It depends on how much I need to pay

"more"
23) If you must pick a sustainable food product at an affordable cost and a non
sustainable product for free which will you pick?
a) Sustainable food product b) Non - Sustainable food product
24) Do you think all food products should be sustainable?
a) Yes, Absolutely b) No, not necessarily c) Maybe, at least a

majority
25) Should sustainable food be introduced to children at a younger age?
a) Yes Definitely b) No not necessarily c) Maybe

26) Who uses more sustainable food products?
a) Developed countries b) Developing countries c) Underdeveloped

countries
27) Should there be less tax on sustainable food products?
DEV DEVE UNDER
COUNTRY ELOPED LOPING DEVELOPED
CONSUMER US 90.74 56.33
S PERCENTAGE ERS % % 36.65%
N
ON- 9.30
USERS % 44% 63%
PRICE 650
BRAND 894
STORE 378
DISTANCE 231
Project Schedule and Milestone Dates/Project Deliverables.
Deliverable Due Date Milestone/ D

deliverables one
Statement of Project Intention June 7, Y
2020
Draft Research Proposal June 21, Y
2020
Final Research Proposal June 28, June 30, 2020 Y
2020
Draft Research Methodology August 9, July 19, 2020
and Plan 2020
Draft Ethical Review August 9, July 26, 2020
2020
Final Research Methodology August 23, August 9, 2020
and Plan 2020
Final Ethical Review August 23, August 16, 2020
2020
Draft GMP-C October September 13, 2020
11, 2020
Final GMP-C November October 18, 2020
5, 2020
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Running head: CONSUMERS' PERCEPTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT IN FOOD CONSUMPTION 1

CONSUMERS' PERCEPTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE

1.1 Background of the Study

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Population growth has contributed greatly to environmental degradation (Zaman, Khan,

1.3 Research Question

The primary question of the study is:

(i) How do consumers perceive the mission to implement a perspective of sustainable

(iii) How does COVID-19 pandemic reshape food consumption?

The model of consumer behaviour serves primarily as reference during investigation of

2.1 Theoretical Literature Review

2.1.1 The Attitude of Consumers towards the Purchase of Sustainable Food

Despite several studies reporting the willingness of consumers to purchase sustainable

Determinants of Consumers’ Attitude

Promotions, Personal Knowledge and Behavioral Control

Involvement (Social Uncertainty Availability

Decision-Making Attitude Buying Behavior

(i) Promotions, Personal Needs, Values, and Motivation

(ii) Knowledge, Information, and Uncertainty

The availability of knowledge and reliable information on sustainable food consumption

(iii) Behavioral Control, Availability of Sustainable Products, and Perceived

The availability of sustainable products is a vital determinant to consumers’ attitude and

2.1.2 Purchasing Hindrances Perceived by Consumers of Sustainable Food Product

Low availability of sustainable products is a hindrance to high consumption. This

2.1.3 Environmental and Sustainability Knowledge

Environmental and sustainability knowledge is a major determinant for consumers’

According to Stoimenova (2016), knowledge about environment and sustainability has

2.2 Empirical Study

Among the possible sustainable development is sustainable consumption. Therefore the

Consumer habit influences purchasing behavior for sustainable foods. There is a

Several studies cite environmental knowledge as a factor influencing consumption of

Sustainable food consumption contributes to sustainable food system. Currently, many

Proper waste management is necessary to enhance sustainable food consumption. Hotels

Organizations should ensure proper management of food ingredients. Ingredients used to

3.1.1 Research Approach

3.1.2 Deductive Approach

3.2 Research Purpose

3.3 Data Collection

3.3.2 Questionnaire Design

3.3.3 Design of Research Inquiry

If found appropriate, this project shall adopt an organization-centered approach to

3.5 Key Variables under Study

The reliability of a study can be considered under different consistencies: test-retest

3.8 Expected Outcomes and Significance of the Research

The trend of consumption of sustainable foods decreases significantly in developing and

The price of commodity is another significant factor influencing buying behavior of

5.2 Summary of the Findings

The consumers’ attitude to sustainable food consumption is greatly influenced by various

5.4 Recommendation for the Policy

Implementation of sustainable food development and consumption is a major concern

Recommendation 1: Purchase foods from local food shops

Recommendation 2: Adopt self-service system of food consumption

5.5 Direction for Future Studies

1) Are you a consumer/Buyer?

2) Which country or region do you come from?

3) What is your gender?

4) How old are you?

5) Have you heard of the concept 'Sustainable Consumption'?

6) If yes, where have you heard about Sustainable Consumption?

d) Family and friends

f) For answer "No"

d) fizzy drinks e.g. sodas, energy drinks