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This randomised control trial will study the effects of two interventions (i.e., colour coded eco-labels, colour coded receipt) on sustainable food choices in an online supermarket. Participants will complete the shopping task twice over two sessions to assess whether the effectiveness of the colour coded labels is maintained over time and the presentation of the receipt in the first session influences more sustainable food choices in the second session.

Currently, our food systems are not sustainable for human or planetary health (Araújo et al., 2023). This is evident from the rates of malnutrition, which highlights simultaneous problems with undernutrition and obesity (Fathelrahman et al., 2022). Furthermore, 34% of global greenhouse gas emissions are produced by our food systems, mainly attributable to agricultural practices (Crippa et al., 2021). In particular, the production of meat is resource intensive and emits substantially more emissions than plant or other animal-based products (Scarborough et al., 2014). Recommendations for a more sustainable and healthy diet suggest that consumer’s need to modify their diet, by reducing meat and eating considerably more vegetables, legumes, nuts and unsaturated oils (Willett et al., 2019). In the UK, the number of people who consumed a vegetarian or vegan diet was estimated at 4.5% of the population (The Vegetarian Society., 2019). Although interest and the uptake of plant-based diets has increased (Clem., 2021), these people still represent a minority of the global population. This indicates that this dietary transition is potentially unachievable. The literature has identified many barriers towards the adoption of plant-based foods. For example, a scoping review by Corrin and Papadopulos (2017) indicated that the enjoyment of eating meat, health and convenience were the most frequently reported barriers. Furthermore, beliefs are held by some consumers that humans are supposed to eat lots of animal-based meat and that plant-based foods would not be tasty or enjoyable (Perez-Cueto et al., 2022). Culture also has an impact on the consumer's acceptance of plant-based meats. For instance, participants from the USA were significantly less likely to buy plant based meats than participants from India and China (Bryant et al., 2019). Furthermore, the same study identified that meat attachment was significantly higher for participants from the USA and China, in comparison to Indian consumers. Taken together, these findings highlight that for some consumers, the perceived environmental and health benefits of a plant based diet are not substantial enough to initiate a change to meat consumption habits. Consequently, an alternative approach is needed for people who are unwilling to stop eating meat. Instead, strategies are required that improve the sustainability of meat. Briefly, some of these approaches include the use of meat extenders, cultured meat and the purchase of organic meat. Meat extenders partially replace meat with plant-based substances such as pulses, cereals and mushrooms (Pintado et al., 2020). Alternatively, cultured meat involves the recreation of edible meat from the extraction of muscle cells from a live animal (Chriki & Hocquette., 2020). Organic meat is produced from animals that have been fed an organic diet and do not contain synthetic growth substances, preservatives or genetically engineered products (Pathak et al., 2003). However, there are problems with these approaches that require consideration. For example, the ingredients in meat extenders are used as binders, emulsifiers, fat replacers, texture enhancers and improve the durability of products during cooking (Owes-Ansah et al., 2022). Consequently, these products require substantial processing, which implicates the nutritional quality of these foods (Ahmad et al., 2022). Furthermore, consumer's perceptions of cultured meat indicate doubts over the product's healthiness, naturalness, taste, accessibility, and whether it aligns with one's identity and culture (Jairath et al., 2021; Tomiyama et al., 2020). Finally, although organic meat has better nutritional qualities than conventional meat (Davis et al., 2022), greenhouse gas emissions from organic meat production are equivalent to conventional farming methods due to larger space requirement for animals and lower productivity of organically raised animals (Pieper et al., 2020). Another key problem with cultured and organic meat is the price (Verbeke et al., 2015; Rabadán et al., 2020). One study indicated that consumers who were price conscious were less willing to pay for organic poultry (Schipmann-Schwarze & Hamm., 2020). Consequently, organic and cultured meat may not be accessible for people with lower income. A more accessible option considers the increased consumption of organ meat, also known as offal. Offal refers to the internal organs of butchered animals, including liver, intestines, heart and kidney (Ayman et al., 2020). Offal contains essential amino acids, minerals, and has a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins than lean meat (Irshad & Sharma., 2015). Depending on which organ is consumed, offal can be a substantial protein source. For example, a portion of mutton kidney contains 52% of the daily recommended protein allowance (Bester et al., 2018). Based on these findings, offal has been regarded as an inexpensive nutritious food that could positively influence global security (Pretorius & Schönfeldt., 2021). Increased offal consumption could also help the environment. For instance, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 26% by reducing the disposal of offal during slaughter and increasing consumption in our diet (Xue et al., 2019). However, offal consumption in the UK is low. Between 2008 to 2019, the amount of offal consumed per week decreased from 19.6 grams to 9.8 grams (Stewart et al., 2021). Based on previous studies, this is attributable to psychological factors such as food disgust sensitivity (Bearth et al., 2021; Sabbagh et al., 2023), sensory perceptions, limited exposure (Llauger et al., 2021) and food neophobia (Akin et al., 2023; Sabbagh et al., 2023). Research has also tried to understand what strategies can promote the acceptance of offal. For example, a recent study identified that providing information about the health and environmental benefits of offal led to more positive evaluations, in comparison to not receiving any information (Lavranou et al., 2023). This was also supported in a qualitative study. The openness to try offal was higher following the suggestion that consumption could improve hair, skin, nail and muscle condition (Henchion et al., 2016). In a different context, chefs and restaurateurs were interviewed to understand what strategies could be used to facilitate the acceptance of offal dishes in restaurants (Cai et al., 2021). In this study, restauranteurs expressed the importance of familiarity for customers. Therefore, when introducing offal dishes to new customers they would use conventional cooking methods or pair the offal with more familiar meats. The current study will expand upon the offal literature by employing a comprehensive theoretical framework. Previously, the theory of planned behaviour has been applied to consider the acceptance of offal based products (Laugher et al., 2021; Sabbagh et al., 2023). However, this theory does not consider wider sociocultural influences, such as personal identity, socioeconomic status and cultural beliefs (Randall et al., revise and resubmit). Instead, the current research framework is based on the food choice model (Chen & Antonelli., 2020). This model suggests that food choice is influenced by internal/external food factors, personal state factors, cognitive factors and sociocultural factors. Of particular interest to this research is the exploration of sociocultural differences. For instance, many of our traditional dishes in the UK contain offal (i.e., steak and kidney pie, liver and onions, black pudding, haggis, faggots), yet offal consumption is much lower than that of Asian cultures. Considering sociocultural influences provides a better understanding of the specific context where offal is deemed (un)acceptable and whether the information that is available to the consumer (i.e., health and sustainability benefits) can potentially challenge inherent negative perceptions of disgust.

University of Liverpool and Food Standards Agency collaboration. Secondary analyses of Food and You 2, Wave 4 data.

Exploring what helps/hinders People Living with Obesity (PLWO) and food insecurity purchase healthier, more sustainable food choices in the UK retail food environment. WP1 of the TUKFS FIO Food project. Submitted on behalf of the FIO Food Team.

A secondary analysis of Food and You 2, Wave 4 data to explore how food security levels predict healthier, more sustainable dietary behaviours.

Development and validation of a two-part scale to measure stigma experiences as a result of food insecurity and food support access.

Previous research (Kao, Wu & Chiou, 2019) has found that exposure to natural images, relative to control images, reduced delay discounting and increased healthy dietary choices. Furthermore, delay discounting mediated the effect of nature exposure on dietary choice. Building upon this initial evidence, the proposed study intends to determine whether exposure to nature images, relative to urban images, reduces delay discounting when administered in an online context. Furthermore, a novel food desirability measure will be used to determine whether nature exposure (relative to urban images exposure) increases preference for healthier foods and decreases preference for unhealthy foods.

This is an update study which involves a series of questionnaires addressing relationships between engagement in urban agriculture (growing own fruit and vegetables), perceived food security, and well-being, Specifically, this will be in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak and its resulting lockdown. During the initial lockdown, a previous study by the investigators found the relationship between urban-growing and well-being was mediated by food insecurity, with home-growing predicting lower food insecurity and higher well-being. We aim to investigate whether this effect persisted through the pandemic; and whether this effect now exists in newly established home-growers.

An online study to explore the effect of nature and urban agriculture exposure on food preferences.

This scoping review will map the existing literature to understand how the Theory of Planned Behaviour has been applied to research to understand sustainable food choices in consumers. The review will also aim to identify any knowledge gaps in this field, specifically referring to what information about samples are reported and how sustainable food choices are measured.