Food Well-Being and Consumer Health Choices
Summary
Food well-being encompasses the physical, psychological and social dimensions of eating, recognising that dietary choices extend beyond nutrient intake to include pleasure, social connection and personal values. Consumers negotiate complex decisions shaped by sensory appeal, cultural norms, health perceptions and marketing cues. These decisions influence both individual health outcomes and broader public health trajectories, as patterns of consumption contribute to the rise or mitigation of non-communicable diseases worldwide. Understanding the drivers of food choice—ranging from front-of-pack labelling and nutritional rhetoric to emotional and symbolic aspects of meals—is essential for designing interventions that promote healthier diets without compromising the enjoyment and cultural significance of food.
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Food Well-Being and Consumer Health Choices publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in food well-being and consumer health choices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Food well-being: A multidimensional construct reflecting physical health, psychological satisfaction and social values derived from eating experiences.
Hedonic eating experience: Consumption driven primarily by pleasure and sensory gratification rather than by physiological need.
Intention–behaviour gap: The discrepancy between consumers’ stated dietary intentions and their actual eating practices.
Computational modelling: The use of algorithmic and statistical methods to simulate psychological processes and predict decision outcomes.
References
- Adaptation and Validation of the Well-Being Related to Food Questionnaire (Well-BFQ©) for the French-Speaking General Adult Population of Québec, Canada. Nutrients (2023).
- Factors that Influence the Perceived Healthiness of Food—Review. Nutrients (2020).
- Computational Methods for Predicting and Understanding Food Judgment. Psychological Science (2022).
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