This report by the European Commission promotes behavioural insight, nudges that subtly shape the choice environment to encourage better decisions at little cost, for policy to address wicked problems like climate, inequality and health. 

This report by EIT Food assesses the level of trust European food consumers have with new technologies and innovations within the food system. It finds that levels of trust have remained relatively unchanged, but it points to potential pathways to improve the current state of trust between food consumers and other actors in the food system. 

This report reflects on trends in hunger and malnutrition in South Asia, highlighting the growing issue of obesity coexisting with rising levels of hunger and malnutrition. It proposes new policy actions targeting the entire food value chain in order to address the challenges which have destabilised South Asian food systems over the past five years. 

This article aims to explore the consumer perceptions and preferences for sustainability in food production and food labels through interactive workshops conducted in the UK, Ireland, and Denmark. The researchers find that consumers lack necessary information to assess the sustainability of food products. Consumers in this study said that food retailers and producers must take more responsibility for providing public information and awareness campaigns. 

Gene drives are landscape-scale gene editing technologies that have the potential to reduce pests, crop damage, pesticide use and crop prices. One potential negative impact explored by this paper is the restriction of consumer choice affecting consumer welfare. In order to understand this impact, the paper surveyed US consumers about their preferences regarding gene drives compared with pesticide use and GM crops.

This study looked at consumer perceptions surrounding the healthiness of processed foods and how this relates to food classification systems and nutrient profiling. It involved an online survey of 498 Swiss consumers. Participants were asked to describe their associations and feelings towards ‘food produced by the food industry’.

Alt-protein or plant-based meat has recently seen a decline in its market shares with flagship companies like Beyond Meat struggling to stay afloat. However, this article argues that this is simply a symptom of hype cycles - as the initial hype following an innovation wanes novel products and technologies commonly experience a “trough of disillusionment”. Those products and technologies that survive this “trough” tend to achieve mainstream acceptance, which this article suggests will be the case for the alt-protein industry.

This book explores the origins, science and economics of Ultra-Processed Foods and unpacks the effects that the increased dependence on these foods is having on human and environmental health. The book questions narratives of individual choice and responsibility, demonstrating instead how the increased consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods is driven by addiction, big business and a limiting food environment. A series of solutions for doctors, policy makers, and consumers are presented in order to take action against on a global scale.

This report from the Centre for Food Policy at City University of London discusses the role middle-chain actors, particularly food manufacturers and retailers, play in influencing farmer and consumer behaviours and how this leads to negative environmental impacts. The findings presented in this report highlight the importance of policy approaches that promote mutual responsibility across the entire supply chain to achieve sustainable production and consumption.