Consumers are the biggest cause of food waste and are confronted with additional challenges in urban areas, such as the spatial separation from food production. In these areas of tension, decisions for or against sustainable food consumption have to be made.
The extended integrative model of environmentally friendly everyday behavior tries to explain why consumers act sustainably in their food consumption. According to this model, consumers are motivated to make sustainable choices by their personal ecological norm, by social ecological norms and by sustainability motives. Intentions are formed, but not necessarily translated into an act of action, when prevented by a lack of offers, opportunities or skills. Environmentally friendly habits and negative emotions promote sustainable food consumption, as does an ongoing redefinition loop to adapt behavior and/or apply defensive strategies.
An urban place of residence seems to be associated with both advantages and disadvantages or challenges with regard to sustainable food consumption. Among other things, it has been shown that the spatial separation between production and consumers can be reduced by dealing with the origins of food, for example through self-cultivation, and that the appreciation of food can thus be increased.