The SOC–COM-B Framework for Sustainable Food Choices: Tailoring Mobile Application Content to Consumers’ Behavioural Readiness

Background/Objectives: Consumers often hold positive attitudes towards sustainable food, but this rarely translates into behaviour, as everyday food decisions are shaped by routines, constraints and situations. Research on food-related mobile applications has focused mainly on their functions or persuasive power, with less attention to whether their content matches the conditions under which consumers decide. We conceptualise such applications as decision-support environments and examine how their content could be tailored to behavioural readiness to change. Methods: We combined the Transtheoretical Model (stages of change, SOC) and the COM-B model. Three quantitative studies among Polish consumers examined food literacy, decisional balance, values, well-being and use of mobile applications. Results: We found non-linear differences across stages in motivational profiles and values, with health as the most consistent motivator. Readiness was not linearly related to well-being or engagement with digital tools: consumers at the earliest stage did not report the lowest well-being, and some consumers willing to use sustainability-oriented applications were unaware that such applications existed. Conclusions: Standardised, persuasive approaches are, therefore, of limited use. We propose the SOC–COM-B framework as a conceptual and decision-support design approach for organising application content according to behavioural readiness. It is a basis for prospective testing and informs developers of nutrition-related applications.