Background Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are essential tools for promoting healthy, sustainable diets, yet global adherence is low. Health and nutrition professionals are key to translating these policies into practice, but the factors influencing their implementation efforts remain under-researched. Objective This study aimed to identify factors influencing FBDG implementation from the perspective of health and nutrition professionals and to explore opportunities for strengthening implementation. Methods Using a socio-ecological framework, this study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Phase 1 involved 20 qualitative interviews with professionals across six continents. Insights informed Phase 2, a quantitative survey (n = 118) of global professionals. Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis and descriptive statistics. Results While 80.5% of professionals use FBDGs in practice, 57.6% rate them as only "somewhat" or "slightly" helpful in promoting healthy, sustainable food choices. Major barriers include perceived food industry influence (83.0%) and public misinformation. Facilitators include the "plate" visual format (77.1%) and the inclusion of more plant-based options. Critically, professionals advocate for systemic change, identifying fiscal policies—such as subsidies for healthy foods and tax reductions on vegetables and legumes—as essential to address cost barriers and create supportive food environments. Furthermore, inclusive designs that account for diverse cultural and nutritional philosophies are viewed as vital for increasing professional implementation. Conclusions Health and nutrition professionals encounter multiple barriers and facilitators in implementing national FBDGs. Policy makers and scientific committees should address these barriers and leverage facilitators to improve FBDG development and implementation. Findings provide initial valuable insights for future research and policy efforts aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable diets. Statement of Significance This is the first global analysis to explore FBDG implementation through a socio-ecological lens. It uniquely highlights the views of health and nutrition professionals on barriers and facilitators in their daily work and the translation of these guidelines from policy into practice.

The brown shrimp fishery is a traditional fishery along the German North Sea coastline with high economic value for the German fishing industry. North Sea brown shrimp are a unique regional product for locals and tourists, yet the product has an international value chain for hand-peeling and further processing. This leads to long transport distances, high use of preservatives, and puts the value chain at risk for shocks, e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain this fishery regional peeling could address some ethical and sustainability issues and add regional value to the local economy, but also presents challenges, particularly in relation to high costs and quality concerns. Thus, the objective of this study was to gain insights into gatekeepers’ (gastronomes, retailers) perspectives and to investigate their attitudes towards transforming the brown shrimp value chain to include regional peeling. These actors are of specific importance to distribute and promote sustainably produced foods. Therefore, qualitative interviews (with gastronomes, n = 12) and two focus groups (with wholesalers and retailers, n = 13) were employed. The results show that gastronomes have already implemented some solutions to avoid peeling brown shrimp abroad and to increase regional value creation. Wholesalers, retailers and gastronome stakeholders emphasized the importance of brown shrimp for regional gastronomy and tourism. They are in favour of regional processing, but have concerns regarding high costs, the supply of sufficient quantities and product quality aspects such as shell residue when brown shrimp are peeled by machine. Recommendations on how to market high-priced regionally peeled brown shrimp are described.

The urgency of reducing the environmental impact of food production necessitates innovative approaches to promote sustainable consumer choices. This study investigates how varying levels of interaction with natural environments influence consumer's connection to nature and their preferences for products with sustainable attributes. Using the forest as a representative natural environment, German consumers (n = 210) were exposed to either a real forest immersion, static images of the forest, a virtual reality video of a forest, or memory-based recall before completing a questionnaire and a discrete choice experiment focused on a model sustainable food product: organic honey. The findings reveal that direct interaction with the forest significantly increased willingness to pay for sustainably produced goods, such as organic products, while virtual reality occupied an intermediate position between visual and real-life experiences. The study highlights the potential of integrating a sense of connection to nature to foster more sustainable consumer behaviour, with implications for environmental policy and marketing strategies.

Shifting to dietary patterns rich in plants and low in animal-source foods could substantially lower emissions from the food sector while reducing the global burden of non-communicable diseases. The EAT–Lancet Commission proposed the planetary health diet (PHD) to emphasise plant-forward diets and set global targets to guide an urgently needed food-system transformation. However, the PHD's meat-reduction approach has attracted criticism and prompted debate on the potential micronutrient shortfalls of the plant-forward dietary approach. Since the planet simply cannot sustain human diets defaulting towards animal-based solutions, the objective of this Viewpoint is to provide recommendations that address the shortfalls of the PHD, with an emphasis on plant-based sourcing of food. Using a socioecological approach, along with an Integrative Sustainability Framework to evaluate dietary guidelines, in this Viewpoint we recommend seven key thematic areas for further development of the PHD. These themes relate to the bioavailability of micronutrients from plant-based foods, the inclusion of indigenous foods and practices, fortification and supplementation, cultural inclusiveness, and gender-based differences, a broader perspective on processed foods, and strengthening the concept by integrating the One Health approach.

Modern poultry production relies heavily on a limited number of intensively selected commercial breeds and hybrids, putting many local chicken breeds at risk of extinction due to their low productivity. Yet, maintaining agro-biodiversity is critical for adaptability and ensuring a diverse genetic resource pool for ecosystem integrity. Crossbreeding of local breeds and commercial breeds may increase productivity, provided that pure local breeds are maintained as nucleus flocks, thereby contributing to the preservation of agro-biodiversity. This study aimed to assess sensory consumer acceptance and willingness to pay for local German chicken crossbreeds with an information intervention regarding agro-biodiversity. An in-situ experiment conducted in a university cafeteria in Germany (n = 642) provided real-life conditions to evaluate consumer behaviour, using a 3-factorial design. The results showed that overall liking was higher for commercial breeds. However, consumers preferred local crossbreed thighs over commercial breed thighs, with local breed thighs rated higher for tenderness, meal satisfaction, and being less dry. The information intervention significantly enhanced consumers' overall liking for local crossbreeds and positively influenced their attitudes toward the preservation of agro-biodiversity. The information intervention led to an increased willingness to pay for local crossbreeds, highlighting the potential of information dissemination to promote support for locally adapted breeds and the preservation of agrobiodiversity. Overall, offering local chicken breeds in cafeterias, combined with information on agro-biodiversity, can enhance consumer acceptance and contribute to the sustainable preservation of genetic diversity in poultry.

This paper aims to understand the link between the appreciation of sustainable food and taste. By taking the example of pasture-raised beef, we analyze the role of relevant information and the perception of taste by consumers. The latter is particularly crucial for its long-term acceptance. The objective of this study was, first, to assess consumers' sensory liking for hamburgers prepared with pasture-raised beef patties in a real-life setting and, second, the effect on the sensory evaluation by adding comprehensive information about the production system. A total of 507 German consumers participated in a home test. Using a between-subjects design, consumers were randomly assigned into four groups. While the same meat was used, three groups tested the burgers under informed condition. The first informed group received truthful information about the pasture-based production system. The second informed group received information flyers about organic husbandry and the third informed group about conventional husbandry. The fourth group received no information (i.e., blind condition), serving as a control group. Overall, consumers evaluated pasture-raised beef burgers in terms of sensory liking positively. Providing additional information about the extrinsic quality of the product affected sensory perception. Labeling beef burger patties as “pasture-raised” and “organic” positively affected hedonic ratings, whereas labeling beef burger patties as “conventional” tended to have a negative effect. Consequently, information on beef production system practices seems to transmit consumers’ perceptions of quality and hence may be an important cue to strengthen more sustainable production systems.

Especially for long-term acceptance, taste is the most important determinant to assess consumer habitual uptake of food products. Monitoring neuronal processes is expected to provide insights for hedonic preferences. The aims of this study are: (1) to find out whether and how two different taste nuances are reflected in the neuronal data and (2) to assess whether preference of two plant-based milk alternatives can be detected. In total 91 subjects underwent a tasting experiment with two different plant-based milks (oat and almond milk) and a water sample (neutral taste), while neuronal data was recorded. A relative decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb) during tasting was detected in parts of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). However, no differences were detected between the three samples, although the overall liking on hedonic scales differed. Hence, the assessment may have visualized the taste process activation, but could not assign a differentiated hedonic preference evaluation. For the latter a stronger polarity may be needed.

Prior research suggests that personality traits are associated with meat consumption. However, this association is not uniform across all types of meat. For instance, Big Five personality traits such as openness and agreeableness are negatively associated with red meat consumption but positively associated with fish. Using a large sample of Chilean university students (N = 1,149), we examined whether these differential meat consumption patterns can be explained by an intermediary variable of animal-related ethical values. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized associations. The results suggest that animal-related ethical values mediate the effect of certain personality traits on the consumption of beef and poultry.

Several health control policies have been discussed as a regulatory approach to tackle the increasing prevalence of obesity and other health risks related to sugar consumption. Health warnings, like the ones used in tobacco control worldwide, are one of the most promising approaches. However, in the case of health warning messages for food products, it is much more complicated and involves much more consumer involvement than tobacco guidance. Therefore, it is important to better understand the efficacy, evaluation, and reactance of health warning labels in the food sector regarding consumers' behavior, persuasion, and perceptions. The aim of this study was to examine how different types (design and message) of health warning messages in combination with graphical applications affect consumer behavior.In a 3 × 3 × 3 symmetrical design, 1,040 German participants completed an online discrete choice experiment including various text-only and image-and-text health warning labels on sweets. An accompanying questionnaire assessed socio-demographic variables as well as psychometric scales to understand the relationship between fear, control, reactance, and shocking/inhibiting/mediating health-related warnings.Our results suggest that especially emotional graphical images combined with text health warning labels might be more influential. The health effects of immediate (caries) and more distant health consequences (diabetes/obesity) differ in their impact. Further, results show that especially when consumers engage in a danger control process for overweight, warning messages have a negative impact on their choices.Hence, warning labels on sweets can potentially be a decisive factor when communicating health threats related to excessive sugar consumption. In the context of a targeted health policy, we see the need for further research, especially concerning the perception and understanding of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the population.

Growing global demand for fish in combination with stagnating capture fishery production challenges aquaculture. Aquaculture is dependent on fishmeal which is criticized for its overall environmental impact. Sustainable growth of aquaculture requires the integration of alternative protein sources. Spirulina has been found to be a viable fishmeal substitute in various fish species and it is known to elevate yellow pigmentation which results in an unusual yellow color for trout fillets. For this reason, the influence of fillet color and other attributes like, country of origin, price and feed claims have on consumer preferences for trout fillet was tested. A discrete choice experiment was conducted to assess German consumer preferences and willingness to pay for yellow fillet color compared to conventional white fillet. Results indicate that spirulina-fed yellow fillet color will not deter consumers away from the unfamiliar colored product, when informed about the potential benefits of spirulina as a fish feed. In fact, informed consumers prefer the spirulina colored product compared to the more usual white fillet. Furthermore, respondents revealed the strongest preferences for fillets of domestic origin (Germany) ahead of Denmark and Turkey. In contrast, feed claims showed no significant effect, except for the claim "fed with sustainable resources", which had marginal impact. Marketing activities to successfully integrate sustainable feeds like spirulina for rainbow trout into the German fish market should foremost focus on consumers' interest in domestic or nearby production. It seems valuable to raise consumers' awareness of sustainable value chains and production methods in aquaculture through an effective transfer of information.

A low-processive plant-based diet is considered valuable for a sustainable diet profile-it is supposed to meet health as well as environmental concerns. However, there is a growing trend toward plant-based meat alternatives, most of which are to be classified as ultra-processed food (UPF). The paper aimed to understand the consumption of different ultra-processed foods to describe their relation to dietary patterns and sustainability. The objective was (1) to depict the status-quo of consumption of plant-based meat alternatives along with other UPF groups (i.e., convenience products, fast foods, snacks, ultra-processed beverages) in a German sample (n = 814) and (2) to investigate the extent to which all examined UPFs are represented in different dietary patterns (vegetarian, flexitarian, regular meat-eaters, high meat-eaters). UPF intake and dietary groups were determined using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Potential factors influencing UPF consumption, such as attitudes toward sustainability and healthy eating practices, were assessed using validated and fitted psychometric scales. Overall, the frequency of UPF consumption varies significantly along the product groups studied. Plant-based meat alternatives were the least consumed food (12.3%), followed by convenience products (57.4%), fast foods (55.9%), ultra-processed beverages (80.1%), and sweet and salty snacks (97.3%). Plant-based meat alternative consumption predominated within a vegetarian diet, while other UPFs, like convenience products, fast foods, sweet and salty snacks, and ultra-processed beverages, were mainly consumed by meat-eaters. Remarkably, flexitarian diets depict low consumption of all types of ultra-processed foods. In order to meet societal sustainability goals, diets and corresponding societal and political actions should emphasize not only plant orientation but also the increase of non- and low-processed foods.

As global demand for dietary protein continues to grow, insects and algae are receiving increased attention as sources of sustainable raw materials for animal feed. However, a lack of evidence on consumer perceptions, demand, and preferences besets changes in EU regulations necessary to produce and use alternative feedstuffs in livestock production. This paper reports the results of a discrete choice experiment (n = 1197) with German consumers eliciting their preferences for chicken breast produced with spirulina algae or insect meal as alternatives to traditional soy-based feed. Participants were randomly assigned to an information treatment that varied the presence of meat quality, feedstuff information, and price attributes about the competing choice options. Estimates of error-component random parameter logit models indicate that consumers informed about the feed-type used in production highly prefer insect-fed chicken when this feedstuff is declared. The provision of information unveils preference heterogeneity, however, with the positive willingness to pay for insect feed confined to environmentally conscious consumers. Mainstream consumers may refrain from purchasing chicken breast produced using insects as feed. Spirulina algae, as a chicken feed, is largely rejected by consumers, due to the altered color in the end product, which can partially be mitigated by information provision. As the debate over alternative protein feed gains momentum, overcoming widespread barriers like disgust and rejection of insects or algae may hinge on the mandatory declaration of feedstuffs and the provision of credible information especially to suspicious mainstream consumers.

Consumer experiments in real-life environments that capture consumer responses in context and link them to consumers' daily habits are valuable for reflecting multi-faceted decision environments, reducing consumer cognitive burden, and other empirical biases. The objective of this study was to investigate and link consumers' sensory acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) in a real-life study situation by taking the example of oat and pea protein milk. A total of 144 German consumers were recruited in a café in a middle-sized town in Germany. Under blind conditions, consumers were asked to indicate their hedonic liking, willingness to pay a premium for cappuccino prepared with plant-based milk, and their adaptability and motivation for integrating the plant-based milk alternatives into their daily diet. The sensory evaluation of this study showed good acceptance of cappuccino prepared with oat milk and pea protein milk; high acceptance was reflected in reasonable and realistic WTP estimates.

Seit 2020 hat sich die Lebenssituation, insbesondere die der Ärmsten, durch politische und umweltbedingte Krisen weiter verschärft. Lebensmittel erfüllen die basalen Grundbedürfnisse über Grenzen, Kulturen und Normen hinweg, gerade deshalb ist der Bereich ‚systemrelevant‘. Aber wie auch unterschiedliche Trends zeigen, braucht es sowohl auf individueller als auch auf gesellschaftlicher Ebene holistische Ansätze, um Alternativen zu finden. Im Einzelnen ist jeder gefragt, sein Verhalten souverän verantwortungsvoll zu gestalten und Aspekte der Ressourcengerechtigkeit im Großen wie im Kleinen zu integrieren.

Consumer acceptance and product development of sustainable, healthy, and tasty plant-based alternative products (PBAPs) are closely interlinked. However, information on consumer perceptions of the sensory profile of plant-based meat, cheese, and milk remains scarce. The study aimed to investigate German consumers’ (1) sensory evaluation of PBAPs and (2) consumers´ motivations and knowledge underlying the purchase of such products. This was analyzed in relation to different dietary styles of consumers (omnivore, flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan). A sample of 159 adults completed two tasks: first, a sensory test in which participants tasted and rated three different PBAPs in two consecutive sessions, and second, a questionnaire on consumption behavior, motivation, and knowledge. Results show few differences between nutrition styles in sensory evaluation of individual product attributes. However, overall liking was rated significantly higher by vegans than by omnivores. All dietary styles reported animal welfare and environmental aspects as the main motivations for consuming PBAPs. Most participants acknowledged that meat and cheese alternatives are highly processed foods and not a fad but are not automatically healthier or more environmentally friendly than their animal-based counterparts. Future research should focus on emerging product segments such as plant-based cheeses to better understand how consumers evaluate PBAPs.

Discussing plant-based diets and substitutions for animal-based foods in food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) can be a key step in making dietary recommendations more sustainable and healthy as well as more inclusive. The existing large-scale evaluations of FBDGs do not assess whether and to what extent countries cover the broad spectrum of plant-based diets and have policy positions on vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, and whether they mention specific plant-based alternatives to milk, dairy products, and meat. The main aim of this state-of-the-art review was to determine whether and how FBDGs provide such information. An overall 95 guidelines and 100 corresponding countries were assessed via an exploratory sequential mixed method. This involved qualitative explorative content analysis of the guidelines, followed by hierarchical cluster analysis. Furthermore, the Balanced Food Choice Index (BFCI) was constructed, which measures the extent to which FBDGs provide recommendations that cover the broad spectrum of plant-based diets, with some or no animal-based products. To explore the correlations between FBDGs’ recommendations and ecological and economic country characteristics, ordinary least squares regression was used. It was found that most countries do not provide information to their citizens that cover the broad spectrum of plant-based diets, as indicated by the mean score of the BFCI (33.58 of 100 points). A total of 38 guidelines (40%) contain a position on vegetarian diets. Nearly half (45%) of all FBDGs already mention plant-based alternatives to meat or animal milk. The regressions showed that the BFCI correlates positively with countries’ ecological efforts and negatively with the importance of animal-based products in their economies. This study demonstrates considerable information insufficiency in current FBDGs worldwide. FBDGs should provide recommendations for the broad spectrum of plant-based diets and balance the ethical, ecological, religious, and economic aspects that play a role in people's food choice.

As ethical and environmental concerns regarding current poultry production systems arise, consumers look for alternatives. This study assesses consumers’ preferences for chicken meat of dual-purpose breeds (DPBs), regionally produced feedstuff, and specific breeds, along with attitudes and social norms that explain these preferences. We conducted an online survey (n = 934) including a discrete choice experiment and elements of the theory of planned behavior. Results show that after price, product and feedstuff origin are preferred by consumers, followed by breeding form and specific breed. Utilities for each attribute and level were calculated and consumer segments were created using latent class analysis. Three different consumer groups were identified: (1) price-sensitive consumers, (2) price-sensitive and origin-oriented consumers, and (3) origin-oriented consumers. We conclude that although consumers are interested in meat from DPBs, this attribute alone is not enough to influence the purchase decision, and geographical origin seems to be of crucial importance. However, by highlighting important attributes (i.e., animal welfare, regional/local production), DPB products could be introduced to the market. The consumption of these alternative products has economic implications, such as not relying on imports and promoting local production/consumption, along with social implications as refraining from killing day-old chicks.

As poultry production and consumption have increased in the last decade, so have consumers' concerns about intensified production methods and the impacts they have on animal welfare. At the same time, poultry consumption has increased and enjoys great popularity. Also, a shift in consumers' consumption behavior can be observed as nowadays most consumers purchase chicken cuts, especially breast filets, rather than whole animals, mostly due to convenience and taste. Although consumer concerns have increased, market shares of alternative poultry products, i.e., those that are produced under higher standards compared to conventional products, remain comparably low. One of the main reasons are the large differences in prices. The higher prices for alternative chicken products such as organic result partly from increased production costs on farm level. Besides, consumer preferences for chicken cuts intensify cost differences. While alternative chicken breasts (e.g., organically produced) might be valued by some consumers, other cuts such as wings or thighs are not and are therefore sent into the conventional market. In these cases, the breasts need to remunerate all additional costs. Analyzing consumers' concerns about production methods and learning about consumers' obstacles to buy whole chickens might offer farmers greater possibilities to succeed in alternative markets. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain insights into consumers' chicken consumption behaviors, how consumers imagine an ideal chicken farm and whether they would be willing to purchase a whole chicken from this ideal farm. Three focus group discussions (total n = 30) with German consumers were held online in June 2020. The results show that participants associate the ideal chicken farm with four main characteristics: good husbandry system, positive economic impact for the farmer, high transparency, and proximate location of the farm in the same geographical region. However, willingness to purchase a whole chicken, even from the ideal farm, remains low due to mainly convenience reasons and daily routines.

While modern food retailing is characterized by high price pressure and low-quality differentiation resulting in a limited supply of sustainably produced alternative food products, cooperative retailing structures offer additional synergies in terms of logistics and operations that hold great potential to support the expansion of sustainable produce. Many retailers in Germany are organized in cooperatives of sufficient size to generate large-scale effects while still allowing individual retailers to pursue independent business structures. Cooperatives targeted to elaborate on collectivity operate a business. In economic terms this means that scale effects are used to elaborate and help single business. In the food sector cooperative structures in Germany provide a substantial impact in food delivery and provision, especially fresh foods are very sensitive and need fast circulation. Sourcing sustainable, local and regional foods are often produced (or rather crafted) in small scale entities. This paper asks the question of how and whether cooperative marketing structures help to deliver and use scale effects of larger entities, while still collaboratively encouraging food marketing. Accordingly, this paper reports on an investigation of the main challenges faced by members of a large-scale cooperative in retailing sustainably produced products and the motives of these retailers in choosing whether or not to sell such products. Taking the case of grass-fed beef sold by retailers within a large German cooperative, the study reveals that some of the obstacles to selling this sustainable product are comparable to challenges typically encountered in other retailing channels beyond cooperative structures. However, we also find that the flexibility of the cooperative structure enables individual retailers to bring their intrinsic motivation into (sustainable) action in the marketplace while taking advantage of the support offered by the cooperative in terms of marketing and consultation, etc. This analysis confirms that personal motivation within this cooperative structure is a strong determinant for individual retailers to pursue different pathways for the marketing and sale of sustainably produced food.