Suboptimal food products in Indonesia: a sustainable consumption behavior choice experiment and unveiling the attributes with a causality approach

Abstract

Suboptimal food products in Indonesia are identified as a set of attributes that indicate the sustainable transformation of consumer behavior. As preferences for suboptimal food products are influenced by attributes, consumers consider attributes in various ways, and the current state is still far behind the desired state in practice. This study aims to explore the attributes that enhance sustainable consumption behavior. An approach combining the fuzzy Delphi method and a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory is employed to assess the interrelationships among the attributes following experts' judgments, and a choice experiment is used to evaluate the attributes of consumers' preferences. As a result, socially responsible consumption and information framing represent the critical aspects of achieving sustainable consumer behavior. Socially responsible consumption is also found to be important in influencing consumers' willingness to adopt SCB. In practice, food waste avoidance and saving behavior are the criteria for enhancing consumers' acceptance of suboptimal food products.