COSUS - Consumers in a sustainable food supply chain: understanding barriers and facilitators for acceptance of visually suboptimal foods
Food waste could for a large part be avoided if consumers, who contribute directly and indirectly, were willing to accept suboptimal food (SOF) i.e. food that deviates in sensory characteristics (odd shapes, discolourations) or that has a best-before date that is approaching or has passed, but that is still perfectly fine to eat. The choice to accept or discard SOF is taken both before and after purchase (either in retail stores and in the household). Our aim is to increase consumer acceptance of SOF before and after purchase by implementing targeted strategies that are based on consumer insights and are feasible for and acceptable by the food sector. The project will provide validated strategies to promote the distribution and consumption of suboptimal food products, therewith improving resource efficiency in the food supply chain and contributing to a more sustainable food provision.
In cooperation with:
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås
- Nofima research institute, Ås
- The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK), Göteborg
- Department of Business Administration, Aarhus University, Aarhus
- Institute of Marketing and Consumer behaviour, Wageningen University, Wageningen
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala
German contribution supported by:
- Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Projektträger BLE)
Project researchers and contact:
© Surber
Dr.-Ing. Susann Zahn
Consumer science; Process engineering: Cleaning
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© Tobias Ritz
Senior Professor Dipl.-Ing. Dr. nat. techn. habil. Harald Rohm
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