Sustainable food – how much do consumers care?
Over the last few years, the sale of sustainable foods has seen massive growth.
Between 2015 and 2022, sales of food products marketed as sustainable grew 2.7 times faster than conventionally marketed products.
However, the figures in 2023 are not looking as promising.
Recent figures from the consumer intelligence company NIQ show that in the UK, the sale of chilled meat alternatives during this year’s Veganuary were down 16.8% compared to last year.
And a number of brands have recently pulled their plant-based ranges from the shelves.
Although plant-based is just one aspect of choosing food sustainably, a 2023 Mintel report claims that due to the cost of living crisis, sustainability is now less of a priority for consumers in general.
So, are consumer attitudes towards sustainability changing? What is behind the slowdown in growth? And where could the market be heading?
Klaus Grunert, Founder, MAPP Research Center
Klaus G. Grunert is Professor of Marketing at Aarhus University, and is the founder of the MAPP Research Center.
He is a consumer behaviour researcher with an interdisciplinary orientation. Most of his research is on consumer behaviour with regard to food and drink with a background in the disciplines of marketing, agricultural economics and food science.
He has dealt with questions on the relationships of consumer decision-making, consumer values and attitudes, consumer experience and consumer lifestyle. His research has equal focus on scientific excellence and practical applicability and he has extensively cooperated with both industry and public policy institutions.
He believes in interdisciplinarity and has cooperated widely with researchers in other social sciences as well as in the technological and natural sciences. Having an h-index of 93, he is the author of 12 books, more than 250 academic papers in international refereed journals and numerous other publications.
Klaus is a past president of the European Marketing Academy and was professor of the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management.
