Sustainable food consumption: concept and policies

Responsible food consumption may play an important role in the broad framework of policies aimed at improving food system sustainability. The paper introduces to the concept of sustainable food consumption, analysing factors hindering responsible consumer behaviours and suggesting corrective policies. Three main obstacles to sustainable food consumption were identified: the rebound effect; the Knowledge-to-action gap; the Behaviour-impact-gap problem; the "double dividend", i.e. the opposition between weak and strong sustainable consumption. In order to remove such obstacles public policies should include a balanced mix between command-and-control, market-based instruments, and education and information campaigns. Moreover, a change in the ethical principles currently shaping economic theory and consumer behaviour should take place, substituting utilitarianism with deontological and intrinsic-value based moral theories.