A new UK study , published in Food and Humanity Journal, suggests that facts about human health, climate change and environmental impact may not be enough to change the way we eat.
Instead, it's our personal values -especially the old-fashioned virtue of frugality - that are more likely to inspire sustainable food choices.
While environmental campaigns often focus on raising awareness of the climate cost of meat or the carbon footprint of imported foods, researchers have found that values such as fairness, solidarity, and a dislike of waste are far stronger motivators when it comes to what people actually put on their plates.
The University of Portsmouth study surveyed 212 UK adults and found that frugality and sustainable development values such as respect for nature and shared responsibility were more predictive of sustainable food motives than environmental attitudes.
People don't change what they eat just because they're told it's bad for the planet. They change because it connects to something deeper, a value they already hold, like not wasting food or treating others fairly. Frugality in particular came through as a powerful motivator, not in a miserly sense, but as a way of valuing resources and making conscious choices.
Steven Iorfa, Lead author and PhD research student at the University of Portsmouth
Steven Iorfa, lead author and PhD research student at the University of Portsmouth, said: "People don't change what they eat just because they're told it's bad for the planet. They change because it connects to something deeper, a value they already hold, like not wasting food or treating others fairly. Frugality in particular came through as a powerful motivator, not in a miserly sense, but as a way of valuing resources and making conscious choices."
While the study did find that some environmental attitudes influenced sustainable food choices - such as enjoyment of nature, trust in science, and ecocentric thinking - these were significantly less impactful than the broader personal values people hold.
This raises important questions about the effectiveness of current sustainability messaging. Instead of overwhelming the public with data and directives, the researchers suggest focusing on everyday values people already live by.
"If we meet people where they are, by tapping into values like frugality or fairness, we're far more likely to see lasting change", explained Steven Iorfa.
We get a lot of advice these days about avoiding food waste and fast fashion to help the planet. We need to reframe sustainability as a question of values, not just information. Frugality is not only good for your wallet, it might be one of the most overlooked tools we have in the fight against climate breakdown.
Professor Lisa Jack, Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Portsmouth
The findings have wider implications for how governments, NGOs, and campaigners approach the shift to more sustainable food systems. Rather than trying to convince people with cold facts or guilt-driven messaging, efforts might be more successful if they centre on values-based narratives that resonate with people's lived experiences, particularly in an age of economic insecurity and climate anxiety.
In practical terms, this could mean embedding ideas of resourcefulness, local responsibility, and fairness into food policy, school curricula, and public campaigns, and recognising that sustainability isn't just a scientific issue, but a cultural one.
Professor Lisa Jack , from the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Portsmouth said: "We get a lot of advice these days about avoiding food waste and fast fashion to help the planet. We need to reframe sustainability as a question of values, not just information. Frugality is not only good for your wallet, it might be one of the most overlooked tools we have in the fight against climate breakdown."
By exploring how attitudes and values influence choices, the study goes beyond the usual focus on environmental and health facts showing that sustainable food motives - from eating local and seasonal to caring about animal welfare - are more deeply rooted in personal values than previously thought. This challenges the idea that awareness campaigns alone will shift behaviour and calls for a values-led approach to promoting sustainable eating.
