A Review of the Literature on Food Values and Their Potential Implications for Consumers’ Food Decision Processes

Abstract

This article offers a semi-systematic literature review on the concept of food values. Specifically, 36 relevant research articles were analyzed. The results underscore the novelty and rapid popularity of this concept in different professional, scientific, and academic fields. Among the findings, the article highlights how the concept of food values has evolved to accommodate the features and behaviors of specific markets. Nonetheless, one can group food values into three distinct clusters. This article expands our understanding on the evolution of food values along different dimensions (various clusters and segments related to geographic regions and social classes). It also identifies several research gaps and translates them into different research proposals.

The Embodiment of Muslim Intention Elements in Buying Halal Food Products: A Literature Review

“…This has been accompanied by increased public knowledge and awareness about food safety [5][6][7]. Taste, price, safety, appearance, comfort, nutrition, naturalness, origin, tradition, fairness, and environmental impact are physical attributes that become the basic food value sets of consumers' choices [8]. Béné et al (2019) and Velten et al (2015) showed that sustainable agriculture incorporates production systems that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare [9,10].…”

From kitchen scraps to delicacies to food waste

“…A value system can guide consumer's food behavior. A literature review 72 on food values and their potential implications for consumers’ food decision processes revealed three distinct clusters: (1) credence (environmental impact, origin, and fairness), experience (taste, appearance, convenience, and novelty), and price paid (price), (2) beneficial value (taste, price, nutrition, and appearance), social value (restauration, employment creation, origin, and environment), safety value (food inspection methods), (3) product value (texture, color, and freshness), process value (production and processing practices, environmental impact, naturalness, and animal welfare), location value (setting of food purchase or consumption), and emotional value (feel-good factor, experience, entertainment, indulgence, and consumption of specific foods or brands). Process values are particularly relevant in shaping consumer behavior as they include consumers’ ethical concerns about the production processes, fast-changing technological innovations, animal welfare and environmental pollution.…”