Sustainable Consumption of Agrifood Products

The aim of this chapter is to analyse sustainable food consumption in Mediterranean countries. This topic has increasingly affected the international debate over the time, because it is directly related to economic, social, environmental and institutional issues. In particular, in recent decades, the scientific literature and international institutions have highlighted the need to focus not only on consumption trends but also on consumers’ choices, by considering the evolution of lifestyles values and socio-cultural factors that affect individuals’ consumption and purchasing behaviour. Clearly, in countries characterized by a different degree of development, the concept of sustainable food consumption assumes different meanings. Notably, in Mediterranean countries, the problem of food and nutrition security coexists with an increasing diffusion of obesity and overweight issues, although with differing relevance depending on the context specificities. Differences among various socio-economic systems represent a further element of complexity, whose consideration cannot be neglected in an attempt to define public policies aimed at promoting the diffusion and development of (really) sustainable models of production, trade and consumption.