Involving consumers in food product development: Perspectives on the application of circular food design

Consumers and the food they choose, along with the actors providing the food, play a crucial role in the transformation toward a more sustainable food system. The circular food design model is a tool that supports consumer orientation in food product development and shows that it is not a static one-way direction but includes feedback loops and co-creative processes. In this study, circular food design was applied in two cases. Specifically, the following was explored: (1) How the application of circular food design can be carried out in different phases of product development? (2) How creativity and interaction can be stimulated? and (3) How different business disciplines can be involved? Learnings from a series of workshops were described from the perspectives of company and consumer research. The results showed that to make consumer research valuable in this development process, there was a need for interaction in different ways, including focused consumer research and understanding by food production actors in an interactive and iterative process supported by a creative approach and visualizations, and with cooperation between different departments within companies. Using this interaction for combining consumer- and market-driven thinking delivers more tailored and technically feasible innovations with engagement among all actors

An explorative study with convenience vegetables in urban Nigeria - The Veg-on-Wheels intervention

This data was collected for the Veg-on-Wheels intervention study, in which ready-to-cook, washed and pre-cut green leafy vegetables (GLV) were kept cool and sold for five weeks at convenient locations near workplaces and on the open market in Akure, Nigeria. Surveys were conducted prior to the intervention with 680 consumers and during the final week of the intervention with 596 consumers near workplaces and 204 consumers at the open market. Both buyers and non-buyers of the intervention were included; 49% buyers in the workplace sample and 47% in the open market sample. It measures vegetables intake, intervention awareness, attitudes and customer satisfaction, motives and barriers for buyers and non-buyers

An explorative study with convenience vegetables in urban Nigeria - The Veg-on-Wheels intervention

This data was collected for the Veg-on-Wheels intervention study, in which ready-to-cook, washed and pre-cut green leafy vegetables (GLV) were kept cool and sold for five weeks at convenient locations near workplaces and on the open market in Akure, Nigeria. Surveys were conducted prior to the intervention with 680 consumers and during the final week of the intervention with 596 consumers near workplaces and 204 consumers at the open market. Both buyers and non-buyers of the intervention were included; 49% buyers in the workplace sample and 47% in the open market sample. It measures vegetables intake, intervention awareness, attitudes and customer satisfaction, motives and barriers for buyers and non-buyers

Sustainable food choice motives : The development and cross-country validation of the Sustainable Food Choice Questionnaire (SUS-FCQ)

In view of all kinds of sustainability concerns related to our current diet, it is essential to gain a good understanding of the sustainability motives consumers have for selecting their food. A comprehensive and validated scale to measure sustainability motives within the full range of food choice motives could contribute to this understanding, especially as sustainability is a multi-faceted concept in which the different aspects can sometimes be conflicting. The current paper aims to 1) develop the Sustainable Food Choice Questionnaire (SUS-FCQ) that covers the full concept of sustainability, 2) test which dimensions of sustainable food choice motives can be distinguished and 3) validate the scale as part of the Food Choice Questionnaire in multiple countries. An online survey was completed by 5,116 respondents from five European countries (The Netherlands, Denmark, Czech Republic, France and Italy). The scale was developed with a Dutch sub-sample and validated in all included countries. Exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a two-factor solution. A ‘general sustainability’ dimension (6 items, covering environmental, ethical and animal welfare aspects) and a ‘local & seasonal’ dimension (3 items) were identified. The Sustainable Food Choice Questionnaire shows to be reliable and valid in the five included countries and can be used as an addition to the Food Choice Questionnaire developed by Steptoe and colleagues (1995). The scale is suitable to gain a better understanding of the position of sustainability motives against other motives in consumers food choices and can be used for country comparisons.</p

Vegetable consumption in the food system of Benin : identifying drivers of consumer behaviour and entry point for interventions

Despite its health benefits, vegetable consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa is below recommended levels. This report is part of a larger project, aiming to pilot and scale innovative approaches within the food systems of Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso to improve consumption of safe vegetables. The aim of this report is to obtain insights into the vegetable consumption behaviour of urban consumers in Benin. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted. Results were reviewed and validated by relevant experts in the field of nutrition, health, and food safety in Benin. This was important as most relevant literature referred to the larger context of West Africa. This report describes the results for Benin and identifies potential entry points for enhancing the consumption of safe vegetables