Reshaping the Traditional Pattern of Food Consumption in Romania through the Integration of Sustainable Diet Principles. A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The Romanian traditional pattern of food consumption as a whole is no longer a reference point in shaping a healthy and sustainable food behavior due to the growing discrepancies between the return to traditions and the constraints of sustainable development, so the aim of this study is to provide solutions for reshaping the food pattern by incorporating the principles of sustainable diet. The research conducted is based on qualitative data and the semi-structured interview was used as method of data collection from a sample of 21 Romanians traditional food consumers. The study led to a typology of respondents that combines two consumption orientations, “healthy” and “convenience”, with two attitudes towards traditional diet, “hedonism” and “conformism”. Although respondents do not completely reject the idea of flexitarianism, they showed the tendency for overconsumption of meat-based traditional foods and a weak concern for environmental sustainability. For these reasons, a set of recommendations for a new model of sustainable diet for Romanian population, focused on the relationship between traditionality, sustainability, and health, was put forward. The research findings show the need for supporting nutritional education programs and extensive information campaigns targeted at Romanian consumers to encourage the adoption of flexitarian style and the switch to a more sustainable diet in the near future.

Influencing Factors of a Sustainable Vegetable Choice. The Romanian Consumers’ Case

“…The elderly respondents tend to consider consuming vegetables from local production more, even if they do not have high consideration for ecological production and the type of crops. The choice of locally grown vegetables is the most common form of expressing their sustainable choice for the respondents, correlating the results with the study of Vermeir et al [91], and confirming the results of Voinea et al [37] that environmental concern is not yet developed in the conscience of the Romanian consumer. Furthermore, the results suggest that the social aspect of sustainability [26] is the most pregnant one in the Romanian consumers' conscience as buying local vegetables is a direct aid for the local producers.…”

“…The respondents to this study appreciate their vegetable consumption as very important in their diets, female respondents had a higher consumption of vegetables than male respondents while considering the age distribution, the majority appreciates having a high or very high vegetable intake. Considering sustainability-related criteria in the choice and consumption of vegetables, the respondents demonstrate that they do not have a conscious environmental concern, validating previous results in the field [37]. Yet, their choices, while uneducated towards sustainability, do have some natural or unconscious sustainability reasoning that might be used in a conscious guiding towards sustainable food choices and diets.…”

“…The country is working on solving some critical problems such as social polarization [34], a rate of 32.5% of the people being exposed to the risk of extreme poverty [35] and an average Gross Domestic Product equal to one-fifth of the EU average [36], hence the purpose of this study is to determine the possibility of the Romanian population to meet the dietary recommendations regarding the vegetable consumption, and if not, what are the main barriers perceived by the Romanian consumers. Some studies provide that Romania's consumption pattern is heavily based on traditional meat dishes and has a low presence of environmental concern [37], but that the young population prefers the organic and local grown food [38]. Moreover, the income serves as the prime factor in the choice of food for Romanians [39].…”

Food Waste Behavior among Romanian Consumers: A Cluster Analysis

“…Thus, out of the total respondents, 84.8% were females and 15.2% males. The explanation for the high participation of women in the survey compared to men is represented by the fact that, in Romania, women are traditionally the main responsible in the family for the acquisition and preparation of food [49]. The higher participation of women was also observed in other studies that aimed to evaluate the behavior of food consumption [49] or that related to food waste [36,37,39].…”

Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior in Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Maramures County, Romania

“…Ianole et al [32] and Lakatos et al [72] presented a replica of the young consumer's sustainable consumption behavior for foods, as applied to Romanian students, and identified as a strong point the trend of a healthy diet and the purchase of organic products, which are more pronounced at the consumer level than on the shelf. The support for healthy eating habits of Romanians was also studied by Voinea et al [73], and the results showed the need for supporting educational campaigns targeted at consumers aiming to develop healthy food habits.…”