Consumers Expect F&B Brands to Be Sustainable, But Not Entirely Sure What That Means: Morning Consult

The survey revealed large differences between demographic groups in the degree to which climate change impacts eating and drinking behaviors. Younger consumers, Democrats, and those who follow a meatless or reduced meat diet say climate change has a larger impact on what they eat or drink than do older generations, Republicans, and those who don’t follow any special diet. In terms of personal behavior, consumers are widely adopting their own sustainability practices around food and beverages. At least half of respondents said that they have adopted these practices in the past year, even if the main motivation wasn’t sustainability : reducing food waste, recycling packaging, using reusable bags when grocery shopping, purchasing products sold in sustainable packaging, eating fruits / vegetables only when they are in season, eating locally sourced foods, buying groceries in bulk, reducing meat consumption and reducing dairy consumption. It’s an ongoing challenge for food and beverage companies to translate what consumers say they value into predictions of actual behavior. Morning Consult uses the Theory of Planned Behavior, which looks at three factors – subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitudes – to predict intentions, which in turn predict behavior.