IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v6y2014i12p9494-9509d43740.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Health and Environmental Concerns Meet in Food Choices?

Author

Listed:
  • Alessia Cavaliere

    (Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Elena Claire Ricci

    (Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Matteo Solesin

    (Accenture S.p.A., Via Maurizio Quadrio 17, 20154 Milan, Italy)

  • Alessandro Banterle

    (Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

The objective of the study is to analyze if there is a relationship between health and environmental sustainability concerns in food choices. We used data of 300 Italian consumers collected through a vis-à-vis survey. We performed cross-tabulations and chi-square tests for a selected set of variables measuring both types of concerns, segmenting the sample by age, gender and education. Our results suggest that the association between health and environmental concerns is often statistically significant, though we observe a high variable specificity of the associations. Socio-demographic conditions seem to play a role in determining the association between the two concerns, with middle-aged and/or highly-educated respondents showing a stronger association between health and environmental concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessia Cavaliere & Elena Claire Ricci & Matteo Solesin & Alessandro Banterle, 2014. "Can Health and Environmental Concerns Meet in Food Choices?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:12:p:9494-9509:d:43740
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/12/9494/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/12/9494/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Banterle, Alessandro & Cavaliere, Alessia & Ricci, Elena Claire, 2012. "Food labelled Information: An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Preferences," 2012 International European Forum, February 13-17, 2012, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 144960, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    2. Wolf, Oliver & Pérez-Domínguez, Ignacio & Rueda-Cantuche, Jose M. & Tukker, Arnold & Kleijn, René & de Koning, Arjan & Bausch-Goldbohm, Sandra & Verheijden, Marieke, 2011. "Do healthy diets in Europe matter to the environment? A quantitative analysis," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 8-28, January.
    3. Banterle, Alessandro & Ricci, Elena Claire, 2013. "Does the Sustainability of Food Products Influence Consumer Choices? The Case of Italy," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 4(2), pages 1-10, November.
    4. Goodland, Robert, 1997. "Environmental sustainability in agriculture: diet matters," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 189-200, December.
    5. Grunert, Klaus G., 2011. "Sustainability in the Food Sector: A Consumer Behaviour Perspective," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 2(3), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(S1), pages 23-32.
    7. Blaylock, James & Smallwood, David & Kassel, Kathleen & Variyam, Jay & Aldrich, Lorna, 1999. "Economics, food choices, and nutrition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(2-3), pages 269-286, May.
    8. Douadia Bougherara & Pierre Combris, 2009. "Eco-labelled food products: what are consumers paying for?," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 36(3), pages 321-341, September.
    9. Marette, Stéphan & Messéan, Antoine & Millet, Guy, 2012. "Consumers’ willingness to pay for eco-friendly apples under different labels: Evidences from a lab experiment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 151-161.
    10. de Boer, Joop & Aiking, Harry, 2011. "On the merits of plant-based proteins for global food security: Marrying macro and micro perspectives," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(7), pages 1259-1265, May.
    11. Ramona Robinson & Chery Smith, 2003. "Associations between self-reported health conscious consumerism, body-mass index, and attitudes about sustainably produced foods," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 20(2), pages 177-187, June.
    12. Sungchul Choi & Alex Ng, 2011. "Environmental and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability and Price Effects on Consumer Responses," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(2), pages 269-282, December.
    13. Banterle, Alessandro & Cavaliere, Alessia, 2014. "Is there a relationship between product attributes, nutrition labels and excess weight? Evidence from an Italian region," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P1), pages 241-249.
    14. Thibert, Joël & Badami, Madhav G., 2011. "Estimating and communicating food system impacts: A case study in Montreal, Quebec," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(10), pages 1814-1821, August.
    15. Kissinger, Meidad, 2012. "International trade related food miles – The case of Canada," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 171-178.
    16. Andreas Drichoutis & Panagiotis Lazaridis & Rodolfo Nayga & Maria Kapsokefalou & George Chryssochoidis, 2008. "A theoretical and empirical investigation of nutritional label use," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 9(3), pages 293-304, August.
    17. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(Supplemen), pages 23-32, January.
    18. Schumacher, Ingmar, 2010. "Ecolabeling, consumers' preferences and taxation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 2202-2212, September.
    19. Avermaete, T. & Mathijs, Erik, 2008. "Sustainable food versus health concerns," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 44237, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    20. Klaus G. Grunert, 2005. "Food quality and safety: consumer perception and demand," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 32(3), pages 369-391, September.
    21. Grunert, Suzanne C. & Juhl, Hans Jorn, 1995. "Values, environmental attitudes, and buying of organic foods," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 39-62, March.
    22. Capacci, Sara & Mazzocchi, Mario & Shankar, Bhavani, 2012. "The regional price of junk foods relative to healthy foods in the UK: indirect estimation of a time series, 1997-2009," 86th Annual Conference, April 16-18, 2012, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 134720, Agricultural Economics Society.
    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. Rodolfo Bernabéu & Margarita Brugarolas & Laura Martínez-Carrasco & Roberto Nieto-Villegas & Adrián Rabadán, 2023. "The Price of Organic Foods as a Limiting Factor of the European Green Deal: The Case of Tomatoes in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-15, February.
    2. Nikolett Nemeth & Ildiko Rudnak & Prespa Ymeri & Csaba Fogarassy, 2019. "The Role of Cultural Factors in Sustainable Food Consumption—An Investigation of the Consumption Habits among International Students in Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-27, May.
    3. Shin-Yi Lin & Chia-Chi Chang, 2020. "Tea for Well-Being: Restaurant Atmosphere and Repurchase Intention for Hotel Afternoon Tea Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Alessia Cavaliere & Massimo Peri & Alessandro Banterle, 2016. "Vertical Coordination in Organic Food Chains: A Survey Based Analysis in France, Italy and Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-12, June.
    5. Elena Claire Ricci & Alessandro Banterle, 2018. "The effects of expo Milano 2015 on consumer food choices," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 20(2), pages 233-244.
    6. Andrea Marchini & Chiara Riganelli & Francesco Diotallevi & Bianca Polenzani, 2021. "Label information and consumer behaviour: evidence on drinking milk sector," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 9(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Bingzhen Du & Lin Zhen & Rudolf De Groot & Xin Long & Xiaochang Cao & Ruizi Wu & Chuanzhun Sun & Chao Wang, 2015. "Changing Food Consumption Patterns and Impact on Water Resources in the Fragile Grassland of Northern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-20, May.

    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. Irz, Xavier & Mazzocchi, Mario & Réquillart, Vincent & Soler, Louis-Georges, 2015. "Research in Food Economics: past trends and new challenges," Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, Editions NecPlus, vol. 96(01), pages 187-237, March.
    2. Danilo Bertoni & Daniele Cavicchioli & Franco Donzelli & Giovanni Ferrazzi & Dario G. Frisio & Roberto Pretolani & Elena Claire Ricci & Vera Ventura, 2018. "Recent Contributions of Agricultural Economics Research in the Field of Sustainable Development," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-20, December.
    3. Barlagne, Carla & Bazoche, Pascale & Thomas, Alban & Ozier-Lafontaine, Harry & Causeret, François & Blazy, Jean-Marc, 2015. "Promoting local foods in small island states: The role of information policies," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 62-72.
    4. Yokessa, Maïmouna & Marette, Stéphan, 2019. "A Review of Eco-labels and their Economic Impact," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 13(1-2), pages 119-163, April.
    5. Biancamaria Torquati & Lucio Cecchini & Chiara Paffarini & Massimo Chiorri, 2021. "The economic and environmental sustainability of extra virgin olive oil supply chains: An analysis based on food miles and value chains," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 23(1), pages 1-28.
    6. Marthe Hårvik Austgulen & Silje Elisabeth Skuland & Alexander Schjøll & Frode Alfnes, 2018. "Consumer Readiness to Reduce Meat Consumption for the Purpose of Environmental Sustainability: Insights from Norway," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-24, August.
    7. Orset, Caroline & Monnier, Marco, 2020. "How do lobbies and NGOs try to influence dietary behaviour?," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 101(1), July.
    8. Vlaeminck, Pieter & Jiang, Ting & Vranken, Liesbet, 2014. "Food labeling and eco-friendly consumption: Experimental evidence from a Belgian supermarket," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 180-190.
    9. Wenjuan Mu & Gert Spaargaren & Alfons Oude Lansink, 2019. "Mobile Apps for Green Food Practices and the Role for Consumers: A Case Study on Dining Out Practices with Chinese and Dutch Young Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-19, February.
    10. Muriel C. D. Verain & Siet J. Sijtsema & Hans Dagevos & Gerrit Antonides, 2017. "Attribute Segmentation and Communication Effects on Healthy and Sustainable Consumer Diet Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Santini, Fabien & Ronzon, Tevecia & Perez Dominguez, Ignacio & Araujo Enciso, Sergio Rene & Proietti, Ilaria, 2015. "What if meat consumption would decrease more than expected in the developed countries?," 2015 Fourth Congress, June 11-12, 2015, Ancona, Italy 207352, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA).
    12. Jessica Aschemann-Witzel & Ilona De Hooge & Pegah Amani & Tino Bech-Larsen & Marije Oostindjer, 2015. "Consumer-Related Food Waste: Causes and Potential for Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-21, May.
    13. van Dooren, Corné & Douma, Annely & Aiking, Harry & Vellinga, Pier, 2017. "Proposing a Novel Index Reflecting Both Climate Impact and Nutritional Impact of Food Products," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 389-398.
    14. van Dooren, C. & Marinussen, Mari & Blonk, Hans & Aiking, Harry & Vellinga, Pier, 2014. "Exploring dietary guidelines based on ecological and nutritional values: A comparison of six dietary patterns," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 36-46.
    15. Vlaeminck, Pieter & Jiang, Ting & Vranken, Liesbet, 2014. "Labelling and consumer behaviour: experimental evidence from a Belgian supermarket," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182742, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Van Loo, Ellen J. & Hoefkens, Christine & Verbeke, Wim, 2017. "Healthy, sustainable and plant-based eating: Perceived (mis)match and involvement-based consumer segments as targets for future policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 46-57.
    17. Dorward, Leejiah J., 2012. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)? A comment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 463-466.
    18. Yue, Shen & Munir, Irfan Ullah & Hyder, Shabir & Nassani, Abdelmohsen A. & Qazi Abro, Muhammad Moinuddin & Zaman, Khalid, 2020. "Sustainable food production, forest biodiversity and mineral pricing: Interconnected global issues," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    19. Maiyar, Lohithaksha M & Thakkar, Jitesh J, 2019. "Environmentally conscious logistics planning for food grain industry considering wastages employing multi objective hybrid particle swarm optimization," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 220-248.
    20. Alessia CAVALIERE & Elisa DE MARCHI & Alessandro BANTERLE, 2013. "Time preference and health: the problem of obesity," Departmental Working Papers 2013-13, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.

    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:6:y:2014:i:12:p:9494-9509:d:43740. 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.