Local fresh food products and plant-based diets: an analysis of the relation between them

Goal number 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals proposes attaining sustainable production and consumption. Public administrations, firms, and organizations must be involved in this achievement, as well as citizens as consumers. In our case, we focus on consumers and on two food-related decisions: the buying and consumption of local products, specifically vegetables and fruits, and the decision to follow a plant-based diet, concretely vegans and vegetarians. The aim is to check if there exists a relation between the two questions. We carried out empirical research in a South European city, and we found that a significant relation between these behaviors does not exist. It is necessary to increase consumer perception about the advantages of consuming local products, reducing the limitations that they come across, and transmitting clear information from administrations and industries. Greater involvement from consumers in sustainable food practices will contribute to sustainability.