From Morality to the Plate: Moral Foundations, Food Neophobia, and Sustainability Preferences
Abstract
The present study examined whether moral foundations and food neophobia are associated with sustainable food choices and support for food-related sustainability policies in a sample of 296 Italian adults. Food neophobia (FN), a stable psychological tendency to refuse new foods, has been associated with reduced dietary variety and lower consumption of plant-based alternatives. Moral foundations (MFs) shape individuals' pre-reflective sensitivities to different moral orientations and have been linked to pro-environmental attitudes and food-related behaviors. Drawing on Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), we hypothesized that binding and individualizing foundations would differentially predict FN and, through it, sustainable food outcomes. Binding MFs (i.e., oriented toward purity and ingroup preservation) may function as dispositional antecedents of FN, as individuals who strongly endorse these concerns are likely to perceive novel foods as potential sources of contamination or threats to cultural and group identity. Conversely, individualizing MFs (i.e., oriented toward care and fairness) may reduce such avoidance by fostering openness toward foods associated with reduced harm and environmental benefit. Results showed that binding MFs were associated with higher FN, whereas individualizing MFs were negatively associated with it. FN was negatively associated with liking for plant-based foods and consumption frequency, as well as with policy support. FN fully mediated the…
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