Supporting consumers to make sustainable food choices

Abstract

The daily consumption of food influences the health of society and the planet. The current food consumption of an average Dutch consumer could be described as unsustainable behaviour (Muilwijk et al., 2019). Especially the intake of animal proteins should decrease and be replaced with plant proteins to realise a positive impact (Kramer & Blonk, 2015). However, the consumer is not the only responsible stakeholder for this, because food processors, foodservice operators and retailers shape the market and influence consumers’ dietary choices (European union, 2020). In other words, the consumption system influences the consumer.

Therefore a transition of the system is required to realise sustainable food consumption. This thesis applies a system perspective to explore essential actors and identify barriers and triggers for the transition (Loorbach et al., 2017). The system is locked in the feedback loop of demand and supply and the consumer strongly influences the demand side of the system. A change in demand means a change in consumer behaviour. Behaviour is influenced by a complex interplay of factors and to change the system a bottom-up strategy is applied. This requires a context-specific case to change the consumption system (McKenzie-Mohr,2011). In conclusion, the focus of this project is to design an intervention which supports consumers to replace animal proteins with plant proteins when ordering food.

The consumer journey emphasises the importance of the right choice in order to change behaviour and purchase differently. Due to unconscious routine behaviour, the consumer needs support in the decision process. Personalised triggers and simplification of the consumption process supports the desired behaviour and could lead to a new habit of consuming sustainable food (Eyal, 2014).

A concept is designed to match personalised meal suggestions with consumer preferences. Additionally, actionable support is provided to ease the choice between different forms of food delivery. The goal of the concept is to offer personalised inspiration, actionable support and accessible education for the consumer and the foodservice stakeholders to realise sustainable food consumption. The concept operates according to a platform business model where multiple stakeholders are included to add value. The added value for every stakeholder is validated with several expert interviews and online consumer discussions. The platform is self-learning and uses consumer data to advise the foodservice actors about anticipation of consumer needs. The translation of consumer data into valuable insights for the industry generates a viable revenue model. The key business activities are the data analysis and the matchmaking between consumers and meals. The implementation of the concept is explained according to a roadmap and indicates a strategy for entering the market. The concept is positioned as an honest and truthful platform that serves and supports stakeholders in their sustainable consumption behaviour. This creates a competitive advantage compared to other delivery platforms.

The concept covers all SHIFT factors to encourage sustainable food consumption and therefore owns the potential to change consumer behaviour (White, 2014). A change in consumer behaviour results in new consumer demand. The change will affect the supply side of the feedback loop and contributes to the transition of the consumption system.