Leveraging By-Products: Understanding Consumer Preferences for Sustainable and Story-Driven Products

Although sustainability and food waste reduction have garnered interest, acceptance of upcycled food products by consumers still presents an important challenge. Previous research has explored consumer perceptions of sustainable food, but there are few studies evaluating the impact of story-telling-based marketing and sensory experiences on purchase behaviour. This study intends to fill this gap by investigating how sustainability narratives influence purchase intent and consumer perceptions of wafers containing 10% malt spent grain (a byproduct of beer and whisky industry). A mixed-methods approach was employed to combine a quantitative survey (133 student responses) and sensory evaluation (30 students participating in a taste test) to measure consumer attitudes, product acceptance and the role of story-telling in shaping perceptions. The results suggest that sustainability affinity is strongly correlated to purchase intention; consumers with high sustainability affinity reported better ratings for tested wafers than the conventional (store-bought) version. This study also demonstrates that transparent story-telling and digital strategies can improve the marketability of foods derived from by-products. The core results from quantitative analysis illustrated that advertising approaches which emphasize story-telling (e.g. interactive QR-coded packaging, behind-the-scenes narratives) could strengthen consumers’ perceptions of trust and subsequently their purchase intent. This study builds upon the existing literature regarding sustainable consumer behaviour by adding valuable insights into how businesses can effectively market upcycled food. The additional value of this study was the integrated approach between circular economy, marketing and food engineering to provide practical advice for businesses. Food producers could utilize targeted messaging that emphasizes a product’s sensory appeal and educate their consumers, accelerating the adoption of innovations in sustainable food while addressing concerns surrounding food waste and environmental sustainability. Future research should be conducted to improve generalizability of this study, by extending the sample population to a broader demographic beyond university students.