Advancing Sustainable Food Consumption: A Bibliometric Analysis of Practice Theory in Food Studies

The application of practice theory to food studies has gained remarkable momentum over the past two decades, offering a powerful framework to move beyond individualist accounts of behavior toward systemic understandings of consumption. Despite this growing relevance, research in this area remains dispersed across disciplines and lacks a consolidated overview of its intellectual evolution. This article addresses this gap through a bibliometric analysis of 189 documents indexed in Scopus between 2008 and 2025. Using the Bibliometrix R-package, the study maps publication trends, identifies leading authors and journals, and examines the thematic structure and conceptual evolution of the field. The results highlight three major intellectual trajectories. First, sustainability-oriented practices have emerged as motor themes, underscoring how practice theory has been mobilized to address pressing environmental and health challenges. Second, practice theory itself shows evidence of theoretical consolidation, increasingly recognized as a mainstream explanatory lens in food consumption research. Third, several peripheral and emerging themes, such as alternative proteins, sustainable food systems, and cultural consumption, are identified as promising yet underexplored domains. These findings reveal a field that is both conceptually robust and open to innovative interdisciplinary extensions. The contribution of this study is threefold. It consolidates a fragmented body of literature, providing a systematic overview of its intellectual foundations. It clarifies research gaps, pointing to opportunities for advancing theory, methodology, and global inclusivity in practice-oriented food research. Finally, it offers actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners by framing food practices as leverage points for sustainability transitions. In doing so, this article positions practice theory as a central framework for addressing the intertwined challenges of sustainable consumption, food security, and public health.