Weight Loss for the Mind: Consumers’ Construction of Food Related Health Values and Their Impact on Food Health Behaviour

Consumers may pursue health as a value through their food consumption. However, health may be constructed in various ways and thus have various impacts on nutritional behaviour. This is what this paper sets out to explore. First, we investigate what food related health means to consumers (Study 1). Second, we illustrate how different constructions of food related health affect involvement, and ultimately food health behaviour (Study 2). Study 1 is based on qualitative depth interviews with 16 interviewees, while Study 2 is based on data (n=599) collected from a nationally representative consumer panel. Results show that food related health can be constructed in several different ways and that certain health values have a positive indirect impact on food health behaviour through food health involvement, while others have a negative indirect impact on food health behaviour through food health involvement. Finally, the marketing and policy implications of the results are discussed.