Rethinking food systems: the role of consumers

Current food systems place significant pressure on environmental resources while contributing to the global burden of diet-related diseases. In response, the transition towards more plant-based diets has emerged as a key strategy to improve both human and planetary health. However, developing new plant-based foods and increasing their availability has proven insufficient to drive meaningful dietary change.

A central challenge lies in consumer behaviour. While many consumers express positive attitudes towards sustainable and plant-based eating, this does not always translate into actual consumption. This discrepancy – often referred to as the attitude–behaviour gap – highlights the complexity of food choice, which is shaped not only by knowledge and intentions, but also by habits, sensory preferences, social norms, and contextual factors.

In this context, the success of plant-based foods depends not only on their nutritional and environmental profile but also on their ability to meet consumer expectations and integrate into everyday life. Taste, convenience, familiarity, and emotional responses play a decisive role in determining whether a product is actually adopted or remains a one-time experience.

Importance of familiarity and repeated exposure

One of the most critical factors influencing food acceptance is familiarity. Consumers tend to prefer foods that are known, predictable, and culturally embedded. Conversely, unfamiliar foods can trigger uncertainty or even rejection, particularly when they differ in taste, texture, or preparation methods.

However, research suggests that repeated exposure can significantly increase acceptance of novel foods. Through familiarity-building processes, consumers may gradually learn how to integrate them into their daily diets, adjust their expectations, and even increase liking over time. This dynamic process suggests that initial rejection may not necessarily predict long-term failure.

From unknown to mainstream: what drives success?

The market success of previously unknown plant-based products, such as hummus and kombucha in Europe, demonstrates that unfamiliar foods can, under the right conditions, become widely accepted. Understanding what drives this transition is essential for supporting the successful introduction of new, healthier and more sustainable food products.

Current evidence tells us that the success of food innovations is influenced by multiple interconnected factors. Product-related characteristics, such as sensory appeal and perceived health benefits, interact with external elements, including marketing strategies, social influence and cultural context. Importantly, successful products often combine novelty with elements of familiarity.

Despite growing interest in this topic, there is still limited understanding of how these factors unfold over time in real-life contexts. Much of the existing research relies on single-exposure sensory tests conducted in controlled environments, which may not fully capture the complexity of everyday food consumption.

How is our partner from the University of Porto addressing these challenges?

At the Consumer Perception and Sensory Analysis Group from GreenUPorto – Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, research is grounded on the understanding that sustainable food systems can only be achieved if innovations are aligned with consumer expectations and real-world settings.

Within this framework, the group has been actively contributing to advancing methodologies and insights in consumer science and sensory evaluation, particularly in the context of food perception, acceptance, liking and behaviour. A central focus of this research is to move beyond traditional, controlled sensory testing environments to better capture the complexity of real-life consumption.

Besides contributing to a broad range of studies addressing consumers’ perspectives on different food- and sustainability-related domains, the group also explores how context influences sensory perception and food consumption. In particular, immersive and augmented virtuality systems, as well as home-based studies, have been applied to approach real consumption situations.

Another key methodological strength of this research group lies in the integration of quantitative and qualitative techniques and longitudinal designs, enabling the full capture of the multidimensional nature of food choice and behaviour.

“Sustainable food systems can only be achieved if innovations are aligned with consumer expectations and real-world settings.”

Bringing research into real life: the Sustain-a-bite approach

Building on this research background, the Sustain-a-bite project offers a concrete opportunity to address existing gaps in the literature by adopting a more holistic, ecologically valid approach to studying how plant-based foods are experienced and adopted over time. The focus lies on understanding how consumers incorporate new plant-based food products similar to the food prototypes being developed within the project.

To achieve this, the University of Porto team is leading a home-based intervention study with consumers from Portugal, recruited by Sense Test, and Switzerland, recruited by our partner BFH-HAFL, combining real-life exposure with controlled sensory evaluation. Participants are invited to integrate a selection of plant-based foods and beverages into their routines over several weeks, allowing us to observe not only their initial reactions but also how their perceptions evolve.

A key feature of this study is the comparison between two types of products:

1. Foods that are already familiar and widely accepted in European markets, such as hummus and kombucha.
2. Foods that remain largely unfamiliar, such as mämmi, a Finnish malted rye dessert, and börs, a Romanian fermented wheat-based drink.

This contrast will enable us to analyse how different products are perceived over time and to identify the factors that distinguish those that have been successfully implemented.

Capturing the dynamics of food experience

The study design integrates both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of consumer behaviour.

In the home setting, participants repeatedly consume the products and document their experiences, including details of consumption, meal contexts, and portions consumed. This allows us to capture how foods fit into real-life routines and how usage patterns develop.

In parallel, sensory evaluations conducted in a laboratory setting provide structured measurements of liking, acceptance, and emotional responses at different time points. These repeated assessments enable us to track changes over time and identify potential adaptation or familiarisation effects.

Additionally, qualitative interviews offer deeper insights into consumers’ expectations, experiences, and perceived barriers or facilitators to consumption. This mixed-methods approach is essential to understand not only what changed, but also why it changed.

Bridging the gap between innovation and consumption: future outlooks

By combining real-life exposure, longitudinal assessment, and cross-cultural comparison, this research will contribute to a more integrated understanding of how innovative, healthier and more sustainable plant-based food products can be more easily adopted by consumers.

Importantly, the findings will help identify the drivers that support a successful transition from new product development to sustained consumption.

Ultimately, fostering more sustainable food systems requires more than technological innovation. It requires a deep understanding of consumers and the ability to design foods that truly resonate with their interests and needs.

“The future of food is not just about what we can create. It is also about what people are willing to adopt and keep consuming over time.”