Healthy Eating and Sustainable Consumption in Foodservice Industry
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 June 2023) | Viewed by 23242
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges of our time and is a topic that has attracted a large amount of attention for a long time. Mitigation efforts to slow down and stabilize the progress of global warming have been embraced worldwide. In particular, the foodservice industry, including retail food businesses (e.g., grocery stores), the commercial foodservice sector (e.g., restaurants, food trucks, cafeterias, coffee shops), and the non-commercial foodservice sector (e.g., schools, university, corporations), has increasingly prioritized initiatives centering on environmental and social sustainability.
However, during the COVID19- pandemic, many of these sustainable efforts suddenly halted. Most foodservice establishments ended sustainability initiatives and shifted their focus to health and hygiene concerns related to COVID-19. Furthermore, many foodservice businesses had to change their operations to accommodate the rise in take-out, curbside pick-up, and delivery services. This change in focus, while primarily focused on keeping the industry alive, had unintended consequences on environmental management practices.
As far as the consequences and impacts of the sustainability of food consumption/practices in the foodservices sector and incidental effects are concerned, the body of research on foodservices is rather limited. These gaps underscore the need for theoretical and practical research to advance the progress on sustainability in the foodservice sector by addressing central research issues, which is the reason behind the current call for papers. Consumer attitudes, menu choices, packaging strategies, sustainable practices, and communication strategies have all impacted public health, the environment, society, the economy, and even climate change. Thus, gaining a better understanding of consumers’ behavior towards healthy eating and sustainable consumption and the role of businesses is crucial.
These things have all changed and we need to be at the forefront of research on the issues and implications of sustainability and foodservice management.
The aim of this Special Issue is to collect research relating to sustainability in the foodservice sector, where consumers and businesses play a role in improving healthy eating and sustainable consumption. Contributions may wish to address but are not limited to the topics of:
- Sustainable consumer behavior in the foodservice industry;
- Sustainable consumption drivers and behaviors:
- Consumer perceptions and behaviors regarding the waste generation process;
- Interventions and strategies to improve healthy eating behaviors;
- Interventions and strategies to promote sustainable consumption;
- Interventions and strategies to reduce food waste and plastic waste from take-out or delivery options;
- Communication strategy in sustainability messaging and marketing;
- Sustainability-oriented brands and price sensitive segments;
- Sustainability initiatives, such as developing plant-based diets and using biodegradable materials;
- Innovative supply chains that change the way consumers access food and packaging;
- Business models underpinning the creation of sustainable consumption;
- Technological transformations in sustainability.
Dr. Eojina Kim
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- sustainable consumption
- healthy eating
- foodservice
- restaurants
- food delivery
- food waste
- responsible behavior
- consumer behavior
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