Consumption of discretionary food: ecological, economic and social aspects
Olesya O. Sergeeva & Alla A. Kravchenko
Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
The report discusses the consumption of discretionary food products through the prism of "sustainable development" and identifies the ecological, economic and social aspects, which are the basis of the production and consumption of this product category. From the ecological point of view, the production and consumption of discretionary food products has an impact on the environment; it is potentially significant, environmentally redundant and leads to an increase in the ecological footprint. Emissions of carbon dioxide from the production of discretionary food constitute 33% of CO2 emissions, which is several times higher than the emissions from non-discretionary products. From the economic point of view, discretionary food products are more affordable for the poor and are increasingly targeted at consumers in developing countries. Socially, they are nutritionally superfluous and are harmful to human health.
Since more frequent consumption occurs among young people, a study of consumption in a student environment has been conducted. 38% of respondents believe that consumption of discretionary products is a trend of modern lifestyle, but only 3% do it consciously. 65% spend on such products up to 20% of their food budget. The conclusion is made about ecological indifference - to the question whether you refrain from consumption of 1 hamburger, which consumes 2,400 liters of water and leads to carbon dioxide mission, 40% replied they will not. Factors influencing food behavior and the decision to purchase discretionary products have been identified. Using Pearson coefficient, causal relationships have been identified between the current and future preferences of consumers. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given on the need to reduce the production and consumption of discretionary food products.