Sustainable Food Consumption – The Case of the Czech Republic

The sustainability challenges such as depletion of finite resources stem largely from an explosion in consumption. So far, most attention has been paid to socially efficient use of resources in production. However, the recent increase in demand for biomass and food followed by soaring food prices calls for reconsidering our approach and focusing on consumption too. This includes consuming less but mainly differently, and reducing and recycling wastes. Since food consumption is integrated with our life style it is important to understand socioeconomic and cultural contexts, the formal and informal institutions and government policy which form our food consumption behaviour. The paper refers to our ongoing research carried in the 7FP project PACITA on the technology assessment. We show main patterns and trends in food consumption and buying habits in the Czech Republic and initiatives promoting sustainable consumption in the country and in the selected EU member states. Possible reasons for so poor attention to sustainability of food consumption in the Czech Republic is discussed.