Mindful and informed: promoting Mediterranean diet sustainability through environmental information and mindfulness induction

Abstract

Purpose The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of an informative message (providing information about the environmental impact of food production) and a brief mindfulness induction message (proposing breathing and interdependence exercises) alone and in combination on promoting sustainable food selection aligned with the Mediterranean diet. Additionally, we examined whether the environmental driver, defined as the momentary importance attributed to environmental impact in food purchasing decisions, mediated the relationship between the messages and sustainable food selection. Design/methodology/approach A community-based randomized experimental design was implemented using the Prolific online platform between October and December 2024. The sample consisted of 271 Italian-speaking participants randomly assigned to one of four conditions: control (no message), informative message, mindfulness induction message or combined message (informative plus mindfulness induction). Following message exposure, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed through a simulated food purchasing task. Findings Participants exposed to the combined message showed significantly higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet compared to those exposed to no message, and to both those exposed to the mindfulness message or the informative message alone. Moreover, both the mindfulness induction and the combined message exerted significant indirect effects on Mediterranean diet adherence and overall diet scores through an increase in the environmental driver, relative to the control condition. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that combining informational content with brief experiential practices that promote awareness and self-reflection can more effectively support sustainable food choices than information-based interventions alone.