IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i18p13460-d1235517.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Consumers Adhere to a Sustainable Mediterranean Food Pattern? An Analysis of Southern Italian Consumer Practices

Author

Listed:
  • Debora Scarpato

    (Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, 80133 Naples, Italy)

  • Gennaro Civero

    (Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, 80133 Naples, Italy)

  • Mariarosaria Simeone

    (Department of Political Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Napoli, Italy)

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet (MD) concept has evolved in recent decades, moving from the perception of a healthy diet model to the awareness that it is also a sustainable food model. This dietary model, in fact, brings benefits in terms of nutrition, health, and maintenance of local traditions and food culture, but it also has a better impact in terms of the emission of greenhouse gasses, water and land use, energy consumption, and environment contamination. The aim of this study is to analyze the knowledge of and the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in a sample of adults in southern Italy during 2022, as well as their orientation towards the social dimension of sustainability (in terms of human health and animal welfare) and towards environmental sustainability. To collect information, a questionnaire was prepared for a population of 570 Italian consumers. Using the data from the questionnaires, a multivariate analysis was developed by performing a principal component analysis and a cluster analysis. The results of the empirical analysis proposed by the present study confirm the fact that the analyzed sample lacks adequate knowledge of the MD and, as a result, does not satisfactorily adhere to a healthier lifestyle marked by the criteria of this diet. Most of the clusters derived from the empirical analysis demonstrate low-to-moderate adherence to the MD. There is a need to generate renewed interest in the general population in a sustainable dietary pattern that provides nutritional, environmental, and social benefits. This requires effective health promotion and national interventions to promote the health benefits of the MD.

Suggested Citation

  • Debora Scarpato & Gennaro Civero & Mariarosaria Simeone, 2023. "Do Consumers Adhere to a Sustainable Mediterranean Food Pattern? An Analysis of Southern Italian Consumer Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-12, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13460-:d:1235517
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13460/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13460/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gennaro Civero & Vincenzo Rusciano & Debora Scarpato & Mariarosaria Simeone, 2021. "Food: Not Only Safety, but Also Sustainability. The Emerging Trend of New Social Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Hamed Taherdoost, 2019. "What Is the Best Response Scale for Survey and Questionnaire Design; Review of Different Lengths of Rating Scale / Attitude Scale / Likert Scale," Post-Print hal-02557308, HAL.
    3. Hamed Taherdoost, 2019. "What Is the Best Response Scale for Survey and Questionnaire Design; Review of Different Lengths of Rating Scale / Attitude Scale / Likert Scale," Post-Print hal-03741841, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liao, Junyun & Pang, Jiecong & Dong, Xuebing, 2023. "More gain, more give? The impact of brand community value on users’ value co-creation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    2. Carmen Fernández Amat & Francisco Javier Zarza-Alzugaray & Luis Barrio Aranda, 2024. "Design and validation of a scale for the assessment of educational competencies in traditional musical games," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Bo Li & Rita Yi Man Li & Thitinant Wareewanich, 2021. "Factors Influencing Large Real Estate Companies’ Competitiveness: A Sustainable Development Perspective," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Yohannes Girma & Berhanu Kuma & Amsalu Bedemo, 2023. "Risk Aversion and Perception of Farmers about Endogenous Risks: An Empirical Study for Maize Producers in Awi Zone, Amhara Region of Ethiopia," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-29, February.
    5. del Val Núñez, Maria Teresa & de Lucas Ancillo, Antonio & Gavrila Gavrila, Sorin & Gómez Gandía, José Andrés, 2024. "Technological transformation in HRM through knowledge and training: Innovative business decision making," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    6. Jacopo Gaspari & Ernesto Antonini & Lia Marchi & Vincenzo Vodola, 2021. "Energy Transition at Home: A Survey on the Data and Practices That Lead to a Change in Household Energy Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-24, May.
    7. Rinaldi, Marta & Bottani, Eleonora, 2023. "How did COVID-19 affect logistics and supply chain processes? Immediate, short and medium-term evidence from some industrial fields of Italy," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    8. Fuyong Lu & Xintao Wang & Siheng Li & Qun Zhao, 2023. "How Mobile Health Livingstreaming Engages the Consumer-Insights from a Dual-Process Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-22, May.
    9. Ray, Manojit & Chakraborty, Basab, 2022. "Impact of demand flexibility and tiered resilience on solar photovoltaic adoption in humanitarian settlements," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 895-912.
    10. Hamed Taherdoost, 2021. "Data Collection Methods and Tools for Research; A Step-by-Step Guide to Choose Data Collection Technique for Academic and Business Research Projects," Post-Print hal-03741847, HAL.
    11. Hamed Taherdoost, 2021. "Data Collection Methods and Tools for Research; A Step-by-Step Guide to Choose Data Collection Technique for Academic and Business Research Projects Authors," Post-Print hal-03741834, HAL.
    12. Loo Seng Neo & Jean Yi Colette Tan & Tierra Wan Yi Chew, 2022. "The Influence of COVID-19 on Women’s Perceptions of Work-Family Conflict in Singapore," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-13, February.
    13. Ioannis Manikas & Balan Sundarakani & Foivos Anastasiadis & Beshir Ali, 2022. "A Framework for Food Security via Resilient Agri-Food Supply Chains: The Case of UAE," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-13, May.
    14. Ryan Kusi Osei-Asibey & Faustina Dufie Wireko-Manu & Robert Aidoo & Stanley Boakye-Achampong & Felix Charles Mills-Robertson & Dieudonne Baributsa, 2022. "Farmers’ Perception of the Use and Benefits of Cowpea Storage Methods in Northern Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-10, April.
    15. Ke Ran Tee & Abdul Samat Ismail & Yong Heng Ang & Hidayah Husna Hishamuddin & Vinneeshah Jacob Paul & Azimatun Noor Aizuddin & Ida Zarina Zaini, 2022. "Prevalence of Anxiety and Burnout, and Coping Mechanisms among Clinical Year Medical Undergraduate Students in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    16. Hamed Taherdoost, 2022. "Designing a Questionnaire for a Research Paper: A Comprehensive Guide to Design and Develop an Effective Questionnaire," Post-Print hal-03741836, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13460-:d:1235517. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.