Legume consumption and sustainability – The minority goes green

The current food systems and the dominating dietary patterns in most EU countries contribute to climate change and are not sustainable. Legumes have the potential to make consumption patterns more sustainable, especially if they come from local or organic production systems. Yet, legume consumption in Germany is low. Thus, this study aimed to increase legume consumption, understand consumer preferences for organic and local production in relation to the processing level, and provide marketing recommendations for different target groups. An online survey including an information display matrix was conducted with 1300 participants from Germany. Preferences for locally and organically produced lentils were identified by search depth and order and a multinomial logistic regression analysis. A latent class cluster analysis (LCA) identified five consumer segments relevant to legume consumption based on psychographics. Results showed a preference for local and organic lentils, regardless of the processing level of the product. Of the five consumer segments, two segments (accounting for 55 %) were rather price-sensitive with a low legume and high meat consumption. Another two segments (23 %) were sustainably-oriented and one segment had a strong preference for cooking. Concluding, there is a potential to market local and organic legumes, however, only for the sustainably-oriented consumers. Hence, for now, legumes remain a niche product in Germany. For a significant increase in legume consumption, also consumers’ awareness has to increase: for the environment, health, and the environmental impact of meat consumption.