Alternative food consumption (AFC): idiocentric and allocentric factors of influence among low socio-economic status (SES) consumers

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the factors that drive consumer demands for alternative food consumption (AFC) options in western society (i.e. plant-based, organic and local diets) as means to achieve sustainability and a state of food well-being. Specifically, we propose a holistic framework in order to identify factors that influence its adoption: idiocentric (functional, ideological and experiential) and allocentric (situational, sociocultural and institutional). The proposed framework provides a basis for discussion on how marketing can contribute to the establishment of AFC in western society and contribute to sustainability and food-well-being among low socio-economic status (SES) consumers. Marketing and public policy implications of this framework are discussed in light of food consumption by low SES consumers, a target particularly vulnerable to flawed states of food well-being.

KEYWORDS:

• Alternative food consumption (AFC)
• low SES
• food well-being
• policy
• marketing
• allocentric and idiocentric factors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/en/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wided Batat

Wided Batat is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Lyon 2 (France). Her research looks after young consumer education and the ethical implications, consumption cultures, food consumption cultures, alternative food consumption, vulnerability and well-being, consumption meanings and experiential consumption. Her works have been published in French and English academic journals such as Research and Application in Marketing, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Marketing Management, Kybernetes, International Journal for Consumer Studies, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Research for Consumers and Advances in Consumer Research.

Paula C. Peter

Paula C. Peter is an associate professor of marketing in the Department of Marketing, College of Business Administration at the San Diego State University, San Diego, USA. Her research interests include the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in consumer decision-making, with special emphasis on strategies in order to help consumers help themselves. Her research is published in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Marketing Theory, Journal of Research for Consumers, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management and Advances in Consumer Research.

Handan Vicdan

Handan Vicdan is an associate professor of marketing in the Department of Markets and Innovation at EMLyon Business School, Ecully, France. Her research focuses on the sociology of consumption and consumer culture, as well as transformative consumer research, including topics such as sustainable consumption/production, sustainable lifestyles in alternative communities, alternative food consumption and implications on consumer wellbeing. Her research is published in international journals such as Marketing Theory, Journal of Consumer Culture, Journal of Business Research, Consumption and Markets & Culture and Journal of Macromarketing and in books such as The Digital Consumer and Digital Virtual Consumption.

Valerie Manna

Valerie Manna is a senior lecturer of marketing in the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce at Lincoln University, New Zealand. Her research spans the areas of consumer well-being, social marketing and ethics, with a particular emphasis on health issues. Current research projects focus on developing dairy-based functional food products for the Chinese market and the Chinese consumer’s attitudes regarding organic foods.

Ebru Ulusoy

Ebru Ulusoy is an assistant professor of marketing in School of Business Administration, SUNY Farmingdale State College. Her research interests include experiential consumption and sustainable/responsible consumption. Her research is published in Journal of Business Research, Consumption, Markets and Culture, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development and Advances in Consumer Research.

Emre Ulusoy

Emre Ulusoy is an assistant professor of marketing at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. He is primarily interested in the social, cultural and philosophical issues as they relate to the phenomena of consumption, marketing and markets. His research covers studies of subcultures, music consumption, consumer resistance, market co-optation, fragmentation, identity politics, social movements, ethical consumption, sustainability and veganism. His articles have been published in journals such as Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Culture, Journal of Global Responsibility and Marketing Theory. He has also presented at leading conferences, such as Association for Consumer Research, American Marketing Association and Macromarketing

Soonkwan Hong

Soonkwan Hong is an associate professor of marketing at Michigan Technological University. His research focuses on sociocultural and ideological aspects of consumption, which should facilitate our understanding of a variety of consumption practices, consumers’ lived experiences and stylisation of their lives. Currently, he studies alternative sustainable lifestyles in multiple eco-villages in the US and Europe and conducts research on eco-tourism. His research interests also extend to globalisation of popular cult ure. He has published in international journals, such as Journal of Business Research, Marketing Theory, Qualitative Market Research and Arts and the Market, and presented at prestigious conferences.