Message Framing, Sustainability Labelling and Consumer Judgements of Environmental Sustainability of Food

Abstract Promoting sustainable food consumption is an urgent priority. This study surveyed 510 UK adults to test two aspects of sustainability communication. First, it examined behavioural responses to gain versus loss message framing, measuring reactions, intentions, label-checking, and willingness to pay more. Second, it assessed how label presence (organic certification, carbon footprint, and eco-friendly packaging) shapes consumers’ judgments of product sustainability. Participants evaluated vignettes and ranked label importance. The analysis involved Welch’s t-tests, chi-square tests, correlations and logistic regression with interactions. The findings show that message framing influenced participants’ emotional reactions, but it did not lead to significant differences in behavioural intentions. Although loss framing led to a slightly stronger reaction, the evidence is not sufficient to suggest it is more persuasive than gain framing. In contrast, the labelling component produced clear effects. Products with organic certification were significantly more likely to be judged as environmentally sustainable. The absence of the organic label reduced the odds of a positive sustainability judgement by nearly 90%. These results suggest that multi-dimensional labelling and targeted communication for less-informed populations can further support informed and sustainable food choices.