From Food Forest to Plate: The Influence of Cultural Context and Environmental Concern on Consumer Acceptance

Abstract

Food forests are perennial, multi-layered agroforestry systems that offer environmental and nutritional benefits. Benefits, such as increased biodiversity, improved soil health, and enhanced dietary diversity. In the Netherlands, their success partially depends on consumer acceptance of the food derived from food forests. This research explores how cultural context and environmental concern influence Dutch consumers acceptance of incorporating food from food forests into their regular diet. By understanding these drivers, this study aims to provide insights that support the integration of sustainable food innovations into dominant food systems. A quantitative approach was used, involving cross-sectional survey of Dutch consumers (N = 221) assessing variables related to cultural context, environmental concern and consumer acceptance of food from food forests. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, linear regression and confidence interval were conducted to examine the relationship between the independent variables (cultural context and environmental concern) and the dependent variable (consumer acceptance). Cultural context showed a poor internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.58) yet significantly predicts a negative relationship with consumer acceptance ( = -0.860, p<0.001, 95% CI = -1.281; -0.438). Whereas environmental concern showed a strong internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.9) significantly predicting a positive relationship with consumer acceptance ( = 9.786, p<0.001, 95% CI = 9.028;10.441). These results indicate that cultural context forms a barrier for consumer acceptance whilst higher environmental concern results in greater consumer acceptance. These findings emphasize the importance of environmental awareness and cultural adaptation in enhancing consumer acceptance of sustainable food sources. Increasing familiarity with food from food forests and aligning them with existing food culture could further strengthen consumer acceptance and contribute to the broader transition towards sustainable diets.