IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i5p2233-d1605261.html

Drivers, Barriers, and Innovations in Sustainable Food Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Bogdan Nichifor

    (Facultatea de Stiinte Economice, Universitatea Vasile Alecsandri din Bacau, Calea Marasesti 157, 600115 Bacau, Romania)

  • Luminita Zait

    (Facultatea de Stiinte Economice, Universitatea Vasile Alecsandri din Bacau, Calea Marasesti 157, 600115 Bacau, Romania)

  • Laura Timiras

    (Facultatea de Stiinte Economice, Universitatea Vasile Alecsandri din Bacau, Calea Marasesti 157, 600115 Bacau, Romania)

Abstract

Sustainable food consumption is crucial for mitigating environmental degradation and promoting social and economic well-being. Despite growing interest in sustainability, significant challenges persist in consumer adoption and market integration. This study conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to explore the key drivers, obstacles, technological innovations, and corporate strategies shaping sustainable food consumption. The review synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed research published between 2015 and 2024, analyzing patterns across economic, geographic, and sociobehavioral contexts. Health concerns and environmental awareness are primary drivers, complemented by ethical values, taste perception, and social norms. However, economic constraints, limited product availability, lack of awareness, and behavioral inertia hinder its widespread adoption. Technological advancements, including digital platforms, AI-driven food safety solutions, blockchain for traceability, and alternative proteins, present opportunities to address these challenges. Corporate initiatives such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), fair-trade programs, and eco-labeling enhance consumer trust and accessibility. This study highlights key research gaps, particularly regarding cross-cultural variations in sustainable consumption patterns, long-term behavioral shifts, and the role of digital interventions in influencing consumer decision-making. A multi-stakeholder approach involving academia, businesses, and policymakers is crucial for developing strategies to facilitate the transition toward a sustainable and resilient food system.

Suggested Citation

  • Bogdan Nichifor & Luminita Zait & Laura Timiras, 2025. "Drivers, Barriers, and Innovations in Sustainable Food Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-44, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2233-:d:1605261
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2233/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2233/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Beibei Yue & Guanghua Sheng & Shengxiang She & Jiaqi Xu, 2020. "Impact of Consumer Environmental Responsibility on Green Consumption Behavior in China: The Role of Environmental Concern and Price Sensitivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, March.
    2. Marike Venter de Villiers & Joy Cheng & Lorna Truter, 2024. "The Shift Towards Plant-Based Lifestyles: Factors Driving Young Consumers’ Decisions to Choose Plant-Based Food Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Xingyi Yang & Xiaopei Dai & Yijing Zhang, 2024. "The Government Subsidy Policies for Organic Agriculture Based on Evolutionary Game Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-24, March.
    4. Shoufeng Cao & Henry Xu & Kim P. Bryceson, 2023. "Blockchain Traceability for Sustainability Communication in Food Supply Chains: An Architectural Framework, Design Pathway and Considerations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-21, September.
    5. Laura Blanco-Murcia & Mónica Ramos-Mejía, 2019. "Sustainable Diets and Meat Consumption Reduction in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Joachim J. Schouteten & Xavier Gellynck & Hendrik Slabbinck, 2021. "Do Fair Trade Labels Bias Consumers’ Perceptions of Food Products? A Comparison between a Central Location Test and Home-Use Test," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    7. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    8. Sudbury-Riley, Lynn & Kohlbacher, Florian, 2016. "Ethically minded consumer behavior: Scale review, development, and validation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2697-2710.
    9. Rim Lassoued & Janet Music & Sylvain Charlebois & Stuart J. Smyth, 2023. "Canadian Consumers’ Perceptions of Sustainability of Food Innovations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-22, April.
    10. Kelly Cooper & Ozgur Dedehayir & Carla Riverola & Stephen Harrington & Elizabeth Alpert, 2022. "Exploring Consumer Perceptions of the Value Proposition Embedded in Vegan Food Products Using Text Analytics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, February.
    11. Evelyn Markoni & Thanh Mai Ha & Franziska Götze & Isabel Häberli & Minh Hai Ngo & Reto Martin Huwiler & Mathilde Delley & Anh Duc Nguyen & Thi Lam Bui & Nhu Thinh Le & Bao Duong Pham & Thomas A. Brunn, 2023. "Healthy or Environmentally Friendly? Meat Consumption Practices of Green Consumers in Vietnam and Switzerland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, July.
    12. Ildikó Kovács & Marietta Balázsné Lendvai & Judit Beke, 2022. "The Importance of Food Attributes and Motivational Factors for Purchasing Local Food Products: Segmentation of Young Local Food Consumers in Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-14, March.
    13. Isabel Lema-Blanco & Ricardo García-Mira & Jesús-Miguel Muñoz-Cantero, 2023. "Understanding Motivations for Individual and Collective Sustainable Food Consumption: A Case Study of the Galician Conscious and Responsible Consumption Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-18, February.
    14. Jiyoon An, 2024. "Structural topic modeling for corporate social responsibility of food supply chain management: evidence from FDA recalls on plant-based food products," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(6), pages 1089-1100, January.
    15. Li Jia & Guanghua Qiao, 2022. "Quantification, Environmental Impact, and Behavior Management: A Bibliometric Analysis and Review of Global Food Waste Research Based on CiteSpace," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-24, September.
    16. Daniel Francisco Pais & António Cardoso Marques & José Alberto Fuinhas, 2023. "How to Promote Healthier and More Sustainable Food Choices: The Case of Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-23, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mihai Stoica & Mihai Ioan Roșca & Laura Daniela Roșca & Ioana Cecilia Popescu, 2025. "External Drivers of Dominant Green Positioning for Organic Food Brands: Evidence from an Emerging Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-27, September.
    2. Mgana, Adam Shaaban & Huo, Aidi & Zhao, Yilu & Joshi, Padam Raj & Firaouni, Abderrahim, 2026. "Advancing crop growth modeling: Challenges, model integration, and pathways for improved decision support," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 512(C).
    3. Heon-Dong Lee & Chang-Yu Hong, 2025. "Implications for Policy in South Korean Seafood Education via the Lens of the Social, Ecological, and Technological Systems (SETS) Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-22, May.
    4. Juta Deksne & Jelena Lonska & Lienite Litavniece & Tatjana Tambovceva, 2025. "Shaping Sustainability Through Food Consumption: A Conceptual Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-55, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dávid Takács & Ingrida Košičiarová & Zdenka Kádeková & Adriana Mateášiková, 2025. "Cartooning Consumption: The Power of Mascots in the Plant-Based Consumer Sustainable Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Guth, Marta & Poczta-Wajda, Agnieszka, 2025. "European Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Sustainable Food Consumption – Systematic Literature Review," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2025(1).
    3. Dongming Wu & Liukai Yu & Qianqian Zhang & Yangyang Jiao & Yuhe Wu, 2021. "Materialism, Ecological Consciousness and Purchasing Intention of Electric Vehicles: An Empirical Analysis among Chinese Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    4. Siqi Dai & Kai Chen & Rui Jin, 2022. "The effect of message framing and language intensity on green consumption behavior willingness," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 2432-2452, February.
    5. Zhong Zheng & Chalita Srinuan & Nuttawut Rojniruttikul, 2025. "Exploring the Impact of Digital Platform on Energy-Efficient Consumption Behavior: A Multi-Group Analysis of Air Conditioning Purchase in China Using the Extended TPB Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-25, June.
    6. Shanmugavel, Nagarajan & Balakrishnan, Janarthanan, 2023. "Influence of pro-environmental behaviour towards behavioural intention of electric vehicles," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    7. Helen X. H. Bao & Yuna Song, 2022. "Improving Food Security through Entomophagy: Can Behavioural Interventions Influence Consumer Preference for Edible Insects?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Valentin, Alvin Patrick M. & Hechanova, Ma Regina M., 2023. "Addressing plastic pollution through green consumption: Predicting intentions to use menstrual cups in the Philippines," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    9. Dagna Siuda & Magdalena Grębosz-Krawczyk, 2025. "The Role of Pro-Ecological Packaging in Shaping Purchase Intentions and Brand Image in the Food Sector: An Experimental Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-19, February.
    10. Nishant Kumar & Divya Mohan, 2021. "Sustainable apparel purchase intention: collectivist cultural orientation and price sensitivity in extended TPB model," Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(2), pages 149-161, April.
    11. Yan-Shiang Chiou & Pei-Ing Wu & Je-Liang Liou & Ta-Ken Huang & Chu-Wei Chen, 2023. "What Is the Willingness to Pay for a Basket of Agricultural Goods? Multi-Features of Organic, Animal Welfare-Based and Natural Products with No Additives," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, September.
    12. Khuong, Phuong M. & Scheller, Fabian & McKenna, Russell & Keles, Dogan & Fichtner, Wolf, 2020. "Willingness to pay for residential PV: Reconciling gaps between acceptance and adoption," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 46, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    13. José Magano & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira & Bruna Ferreira & Ângela Leite, 2022. "A Cross-Sectional Study on Ethical Buyer Behavior towards Cruelty-Free Cosmetics: What Consequences for Female Leadership Practices?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-15, June.
    14. Marica Barbaritano & Elisabetta Savelli, 2021. "How Consumer Environmental Responsibility Affects the Purchasing Intention of Design Furniture Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, May.
    15. Xiaoxiao Li & Ming Li & Pick-Soon Ling & Chee-Hua Chin, 2025. "Modelling Gen Z’s Photovoltaic Purchase Intentions: A Mediator–Moderator Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-19, September.
    16. Athanasios Polyportis & Freya Keyzer & Anne-Marie Prooijen & Leonie C. Peiffer & Yijing Wang, 2025. "Addressing Grand Challenges in Sustainable Food Transitions: Opportunities Through the Triple Change Strategy," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 5(2), pages 901-920, April.
    17. Daoyan Guo & Xinping Wang & Taozhu Feng & Shuai Han, 2022. "Factors Influencing the Waste Separation Behaviors of Urban Residents in Shaanxi Province during the 14th National Games of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-14, April.
    18. Magdalena Grębosz-Krawczyk & Agnieszka Zakrzewska-Bielawska & Sylwia Flaszewska, 2021. "From Words to Deeds: The Impact of Pro-Environmental Self-Identity on Green Energy Purchase Intention," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    19. Salem, Mohammed Z. & Ertz, Myriam & Sarigӧllü, Emine, 2021. "Demarketing strategies to rationalize electricity consumption in the Gaza Strip-Palestine," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    20. Nagarajan Shanmugavel & Rema Rajendran, 2022. "Adoption of Rainwater Harvesting: a Dual-factor Approach by Integrating Theory of Planned Behaviour and Norm Activation Model," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(8), pages 2827-2845, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2233-:d:1605261. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.