Exploring Key Factors Driving Urban Foraging Behavior in Garden and Non-Garden Locations

Abstract

Since the occurrence of COVID-19 and food price inflation, alternative forms of food procurement increased in popularity. The present study is dedicated to urban foraging and aims to explore key factors driving food foraging behavior in the U.S. Two specific foraging behaviors, namely “leaving food behind” or “taking it all”, have been investigated in a gardening and non-gardening location. Leaving food behind is crucial to sustainable foraging practices, as it allows plants and ecosystems to recover and promotes fairness in foraging communities. Data was procured from an online consumer survey and analyzed using SmartPLS 4, which allowed the use of partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). PLS-SEM is particularly suitable for complex exploratory studies as it does not require distributional assumptions. Results indicate that nature and food attitudes predict attitudes toward urban foraging. Foraging attitudes, such as food foraging is challenging and food foraging benefits people and the planet, which are the most important drivers for taking or leaving behaviors in both types of locations. These findings are of relevance to managers in municipalities, landscape designers, horticultural businesses, and other stakeholders who create, shape, and govern landscapes used for food foraging.

No Cow? Understanding US Consumer Preferences for Plant-Based over Regular Milk-Based Products

“…Engagement with food-related activities such as home and community gardening, food foraging, food processing, cooking, and eating are important predictors of food-related consumer behaviour, as studies on alternative forms of food procurement and consumer preferences show [34,35]. In addition to these active hands-on food-related actions, passive forms of engagement are also important predictors.…”

“…These include watching YouTube videos on food production and preparation and reading cookbooks [34]. Since the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on US food retail, including the disruptions of supply chain grids and food price inflation, engagement with food-related activities has increased in relevance for US consumers [34,35]. Active and passive engagement with food has become more important, and this knowledge has increased its influence on consumer food choices.…”

Bioactive (Poly)phenol Concentrations in Plant-Based Milk Alternatives in the US Market

“…Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs) are a relatively new class of processed foods and have rapidly increased in popularity over the past decade, 1 as a growing number of Americans choose PBMAs to substitute for traditional cow milk for ethical, environmental, or perceived health reasons. 2 With a 36% growth in total sales from 2019 to 2022, 3 PBMAs have rapidly become established in the American market, while cow milk unit sales declined by 4% over the same time period. 3 PBMA can now be found in 12% of US households with onethird of Americans reporting consumption of PBMAs at least once per week.…”

Should I Go Back to the Roots to Obtain My Food? Understanding Key Factors Driving U.S. Consumers’ Preferences for Food Foraging over Buying and Growing Food

“…These often use vertical farming systems, which do not require land and soil, such as hydroponics or aeroponics [9]. In the United States (U.S.), food foraging as a consumer trend encompasses offerings such as food foraging tours, cookbooks, foraging courses, maps, and apps, and takes place in rural and urban landscapes [10][11][12][13]. Food foraging is rooted in culture and tradition [14] and has individual and social benefits such as obtaining food, saving money, contributing to landscape design and use, food security, sustainability, health, and wellbeing [6].…”

“…Food foraging as a consumer behavior is yet to be explored more widely. Recent marketing studies have been dedicated to consumers' willingness to try edible wild plants, food foraging as a form of tourism, consumers' willingness to accept opportunity costs and risks of foraged food, as well as consumer behavior in gardening and non-gardening locations [1,11,13,26]. Other research has investigated food foraging in the context of pandemic preparedness [27].…”