Food well-being matters: measurement, drivers, and inequality in sustainable food choices

Purpose To better understand the conception of food well-being (FWB) conception from a consumer perspective by providing a new measurement instrument and exploring its antecedents in Canada. Design/methodology/approach To validate the FWB measure and test the structural model of its antecedents, we conducted a two-stage quantitative study: (1) an exploratory online survey (n = 168) to develop the measurement scale; and (2) a national online survey (n = 300), representative of the Canadian population. Findings (1) Exploratory factor analysis provided a 25-item FWB scale comprising four dimensions: food literacy, food-related concerns, marketing, and food-related goals. (2) Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling revealed that consumer FWB is positively related to environmental consciousness, cold-glow, personal values, and perceived corporate social responsibility. (3) Multi-group analysis further established that income significantly moderates relationships within the structural model. Practical implications This study provides recommendations for consumers, marketers, and policymakers to improve consumer FWB and attenuate vulnerability. Originality/value This study makes three main contributions to the FWB literature: (1) it develops a new consumer-based measurement scale for FWB; (2) it offers an in-depth examination of FWB antecedents and their effects on sustainable food purchase intentions; and (3) it empirically tests income as a moderator across the FWB mechanism, thereby providing new insights into vulnerability and inequality in sustainable food consumption.