Australian Consumers’ Attitudes towards Sustainable Diet Practices Regarding Food Waste, Food Processing, and the Health Aspects of Diet: A Cross Sectional Survey

Janelle D. Healy (), Satvinder S. Dhaliwal, Christina M. Pollard, Piyush Sharma, Clare Whitton, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Carol J. Boushey, Jane A. Scott () and Deborah A. Kerr
Additional contact information
Janelle D. Healy: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Satvinder S. Dhaliwal: Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Christina M. Pollard: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Piyush Sharma: School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Clare Whitton: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Lauren C. Blekkenhorst: Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA 6000, Australia
Carol J. Boushey: Epidemiology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Jane A. Scott: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Deborah A. Kerr: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent Street, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Environmentally sustainable diets are increasingly aspired to in food-based dietary guidelines across the world. However, little is known about consumer attitudes toward these diets when making food decisions. This study aimed to identify the demographic characteristics of Australian adults based on the level of attention they paid to the healthfulness of their diet, their consideration of the level of food processing, and their concern about household food waste and sustainable packaging disposal. Adults aged from 18 to over 75 years (n = 540) were surveyed online. Thirty-seven percent were concerned about sustainable food waste, 28% considered the level of food processing when making food decisions, and 23% paid attention to the healthfulness of the food they ate. Adults who had higher educational attainment (above Year 12) were twice as likely to be concerned about food waste and sustainable packaging disposal (odds ratio (OR) = 2.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29–3.4), and processing levels (OR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.23–3.42) (controlling for age and gender). Those earning an income over AUD$100,000 were twice as likely to pay attention to the healthfulness of their food choices than those earning less than AUD$50,000 (OR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.28–3.74). Only 9% percent were concerned about or paid attention to all three of the components of healthy sustainable diets investigated, and 45% paid no attention and were not concerned about all three components. These findings suggest there is a need to educate the public to raise awareness of and concern for healthy, minimally processed, and sustainable food choices.

Keywords: sustainable diets; food waste; environmental sustainability; food processing; dietary guidelines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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