Consuming less but better: Food Sufficiency from the perspective of Danish and French youth

Problem definition: As the largest driver of environmental change, food production must be transformed to maintain its impact within the limits of the planet, while providing sufficient and healthy food for all (Willett et al., 2019). There is an urgent need for a food transition towards sufficiency, particularly in the Global North (Wiedmann et al., 2020). While this transition primarily relies on economic, political and social changes, it must also be understandable and desirable to consumers. Rethinking food practices through the prism of sufficiency requires us to see food sufficiency not as deprivation, but as an ethical quest for pleasure rooted in "consuming less but better" (Hémar-Nicolas and Hedegaard, 2023). This transformation faces barriers, as evidenced by the "green gap" between intentions and actual behaviour (Carrington et al., 2016).
Young people will be most affected by the ecological crisis (Thiery et al., 2021). Most of them are concerned, even worried. However, a large part of the young generation remains attached to consumerism and very few of them are involved in environmental movements (ADEME, 2024). Existing research on young adults’ diets has examined sustainable food consumption habits (Ford et al., 2023; Manika et al., 2022). However, little is known about how they understand food sufficiency and how they think about, potentially live their commitment to food sufficiency.

Method: This study is based on semi-structured interviews with 18 French and 10 Danish young people aged between 19 and 25. The integrally transcribed interviews were analysed on the basis of thematic content analysis, using a coding process based on a priori and a posteriori categories.

Results: The concept of sufficiency itself is often unfamiliar to participants, and the idea of "consuming less but better" is perceived as clearer and more appealing. They associate sufficiency with less meat consumption, less processed food, cooking, organic produce from local producers and less food waste. None of them are involved in a collective movement for ecology. However, their perceived commitment to food sufficiency differs. Some of them privilege foods that they perceive as healthy for them. Others have adopted sufficient food practices through family habits, but do not feel committed. Those who seek to adopt sufficient foodways speak of a kind of 'epiphany' that leads to a reflexivity about their essential needs and their collective responsibility. For them, learning sufficiency is a gradual and arduous process that ultimately increases pleasure and eudemonic well-being.

Significance to mainstreaming sustainable consumption: Despite differences in approach to food sufficiency between Danish and French respondents, this cross-cultural study shows how young people perceive their role in achieving food sufficiency and how they are acting on it. As they are at a transitional stage in their lives, either starting their work-life or engaging in studies, it is likely that they will find it easier to change habits. Therefore, we suggest a targeted approach to support them in their transition.