Machiel J. Reinders

• PhD
• Senior Researcher at Wageningen University & Research

The current work contains one of the first empirical studies targeting trust and consumer acceptance of food products incorporating the social and environmental costs in the price of the product (‘true price food products’). Our two studies drew on a unique sample of Dutch supermarket patrons who could purchase ‘true price’ food products, and on a...

Increasing consumer adoption of upcycled food products contributes to making the food system more resource efficient and to transitioning towards a circular economy. Yet, it is unclear how upcycled food can best be communicated towards consumers so that it signals something positive about consumers and make consumers more inclined to purchase upcyc...

Background There has been growing attention towards personalizing dietary advice to the specific lifestyle, phenotypic and genotypic properties of consumers. Consumer acceptance and advice adherence is critical for the success of services offering personalized dietary advice. However, more insight is needed in the current body of knowledge on the d...

Nigerian consumers have been found to view vegetables as healthy and health is a principal motivation for consumption; however, consumers also experience barriers related to preparation time and availability of vegetables. We therefore conducted a Veg-on-Wheels intervention, in which ready-to-cook, washed and pre-cut green leafy vegetables (GLV) we...

Reduced meat intake by Western consumers would benefit public health and the environment. However, meat consumption is notoriously difficult to change, among other things because it is often the outcome of automatic and habitual behavior. Interventions that make use of automatic decision-making processes are therefore promising, but these too vary...

(1) Background: The aim of the current study is to investigate which between- and within-person factors influence the acceptance of personalized dietary advice. (2) Methods: A repeated measurements design was used in which 343 participants (M (SD) age = 48 (17.3), 49% female) filled out a baseline survey and started with nine repeated surveys. (3)...

Restaurants are characterized by high levels of meat being consumed in this out-of-home setting, while plant-based meat alternatives remain a niche product, thus preserving a high environmental impact of food consumption. We tested whether subtly re-designing the restaurant menu, so that plant-based meat alternatives were perceived as the default t...

The current health status of the general public can substantially benefit from a healthy diet. Using a personalized approach to initiate healthy dietary behavior seems to be a promising strategy, as individuals differ in terms of health status, subsequent dietary needs, and their desired behavior change support. However, providing personalized advi...

UNSTRUCTURED The current health status of the general public can substantially benefit from a healthy diet. Using a personalized approach to initiate healthy dietary behavior seems to be a promising strategy, as individuals differ in terms of health status, subsequent dietary needs, and their desired behavior change support. However, providing pers...

Food consumption has a significant environmental impact which can be alleviated when consumer adoption of plant-based food innovations is increased. Attempts to increase adoption are often tailored to instrumental product attributes that consumers find important, but our studies show this is not necessarily a prerequisite. The current work aims to...

Individuals can apply different healthy eating strategies to help them make healthy eating choices. Previous research showed that individuals differ in their preferred strategy, but also that a mix of strategies is often applied by a single person across contexts. The current research investigated the extent to which differences within an individua...

Self‐regulation plays an important role in healthy eating behaviors. The current research explores temporary fluctuations in self‐regulation next to variations between individuals. In an online observational study, 892 participants (Mage = 44.3, SDage = 12.7) monitored their self‐regulation three times a week before a meal moment for 3 weeks. To an...

In view of all kinds of sustainability concerns related to our current diet, it is essential to gain a good understanding of the sustainability motives consumers have for selecting their food. A comprehensive and validated scale to measure sustainability motives within the full range of food choice motives could contribute to this understanding, es...

Consumers’ dietary patterns have a significant impact on planetary and personal health. To address health and environmental challenges one of the many possible solutions is to substitute meat consumption with alternative protein sources. This systematic review identifies 91 articles with a focus on the drivers of consumer acceptance of five alterna...

Providing dietary suggestions based on an individual’s nutritional needs may contribute to the prevention of non-communicable dietary related diseases. Consumer acceptance is crucial for the success of these personalised nutrition services. The current study aims to build on previous studies by exploring whether ambivalent feelings and contextual f...

Individuals increasingly consume their meals away from home. This article describes a series of studies that examined the effects of meals with reduced amounts of meat and increased amounts of vegetables on food consumption, waste and guest satisfaction in four real-life restaurant settings in the Netherlands: an a-la-carte restaurant, six company...

To realize the potential environmental benefits that recycling and/or composting bio-based plastic packages can deliver, it is important that consumers view bio-based packaging as environmentally-friendly, but also correctly dispose of the packaging. The current experimental lab-in-the-field study was conducted among German consumers (n = 281) and...

A targeted approach to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, considering the heterogeneity of food choice motives across consumers and across contexts, is expected to be more effective than the often used 'one-size-fits-all approach'. Therefore, the current study aims to increase understanding of consumers' food choice motives across contexts,...

This study examines the extent to which a company's fair trade reputation, and the fit between this reputation and the company's communicated fair trade message, influences consumer scepticism and positive electronic word-of-mouth. The results of two experiments show that a previous fair trade reputation has a direct and indirect effect, via consum...

Based on the multi-item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) originally developed by Steptoe and colleagues (1995), the current study developed a single-item FCQ that provides an acceptable balance between practical needs and psychometric concerns. Studies 1 (N = 1851) and 2 (2a (N = 3290), 2b (N = 4723), 2c (N = 270)) showed that the single-item FCQ sc...

To reduce human dependency on fossil fuels, increasing attempts are being made to substitute synthetic materials in products with bio-based materials. Global brands attempt to differentiate themselves by adding bio-based materials to their products. However, little is known about consumers' reactions regarding brands that use bio-based materials. T...

This article aims to explore whether subjective ambivalence increases the understanding of consumers' intentions to buy bio-based products. Subjective ambivalence is the aversive feeling that accompanies evaluations containing both negative and positive elements. Two studies (N = 1851) in six European countries show that subjective ambivalence incr...

Background The aim of this research was to investigate whether increased portion sizes of vegetables and decreased portion sizes of meat on main dishes increased the amount of vegetables consumed in a real-life restaurant setting without affecting customer satisfaction. The participants were unaware of the experiment. Methods A cross-over design w...

Organic brands have become increasingly important as an offering by which retailers can differentiate themselves. The current study examines the role of two key drivers (i.e., brand equity and social identification) in the consumption of organic private label brands (PLBs) and the extent to which this role differs compared to organic national brand...

New agrifood technologies are often difficult to grasp for the public, which may lead to resistance or even rejection. Insight into which technology features determine public acceptability of the technology could offer guidelines for responsible technology development. This paper systematically assesses the relative importance of specific technolog...

This study explores people's perceptions (i.e., positive and negative associations, mixed feelings) regarding the concept of 'bio-based' in general and specific bio-based products. This exploratory study is one of the first consumer studies in the field of bio-based research. Three focus group discussions were organized in the Czech Republic, Denma...

Although consumers' awareness of the environmental and ethical consequences of their behaviour has grown, research on the role of multiple consumer identities in sustainability behaviours is scarce. The aim of the current study was to explain sustainable behaviour from a social identity perspective. We conducted a longitudinal cross-national within...

Purpose – Although awareness of environmental sustainability has increased over the past few decades, the current market share of sustainable products remains low. Because of their market position, large-scale and high-volume consumer interactions, food retailers are appropriate venues to entice consumers to buy more sustainable foods. The purpose...

In dit rapport wordt de maatschappelijke waardering van de Agri & Food sector en zijn subsectoren gemeten. Ook wordt in kaart gebracht of de waardering van de Agri & Food sector is veranderd ten opzichte van 2012. Ten slotte wordt inzicht gegeven in de factoren die maatschappelijke waardering beïnvloeden en of deze factoren stabiel zijn over de tij...

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess research relevant to understanding consumer and societal attitudes to genetic modification applied to agri-food production. The objective was to compare attitudes in different global regions, at different times and between applications. Seventy articles were included in the final meta-a...

Deze Agrofoodmonitor beoogt de maatschappelijke waardering van de Agro & Food sector te definiëren, meetbaar te maken en aangrijpingspunten te identificeren die de waardering kunnen beïnvloeden. De aanleiding voor de agrofoodmonitor is de wens van de Agro & Food sector haar 'licence to operate' in Nederland te borgen en om duurzaam te groeien. Maat...

Purpose To better understand fruit consumption and its determinants this paper aims to explore the relationship between the consumption of different types of fruit and other snacks and consumer taste preferences for sweet, salty and sour is explored. Design/methodology/approach Respondents ( n =2,083) from Poland, Greece, Spain and The Netherlands...

One of the greatest challenges to developing more successful marketing strategies in the food sector is gaining an understanding of the diversity of consumer needs. The current study aims to identify consumer segments based on consumers’ self-stated general importance ratings of a range of food benefits. It also aims to explore whether these segmen...

In recent years, researchers have observed the process of mainstreaming Fair Trade and the emergence of alternative sustainability standards in the coffee industry. The underlying market dynamics that have contributed to these developments are, however, under-researched. Insight into these dynamics is important to understand how markets can develop...

Healthy nutrition is widely assumed to have a beneficial influence on educational performance and social behaviour. Yet research in developed countries about the effects of food intake on children's behaviour and school performance is limited. We propose a randomised controlled field experiment to study the effects of a school lunch programme in th...

In 2009 is een enquêteonderzoek uitgevoerd onder een representatieve steekproefgroep van circa 500 jongeren tussen 12 en 18 jaar in Nederland. In het eerste onderdeel is het eetgedrag van de jongeren onderzocht en hoe ze tegen voeding aankijken. Het tweede onderdeel ging in op de groenteconsumptie en de groentebeleving van de jongeren en de factore...

Het tankstation staat na de supermarkt in Nederland bovenaan als locatie om eten of drinken te kopen. Duurzame producten komen in het petrolkanaal echter nog relatief weinig voor. Dit rapport verkent wat de marktkansen en mogelijkheden zijn voor verduurzaming van het petrolkanaal. Door middel van een beknopte literatuurverkenning, een groot onlinep...

Consumption of fruit and vegetables among 12-18 year olds is well below recommendations. In the Netherlands, this comprises a group of approximately 1.4 million individuals. The health promoting effects of a diet with sufficient fruit and vegetables is well recognized within this group, but it is a “non-issue”. Eating in general does not receive a...

Sustainability is becoming a permanent feature of our food system, and as such, has received increased attention from consumers, firms and governments. This current study, which is based on a large project funded by the Dutch government called 'Food Balance', shows how consumers, representing the demand side, and retailers, caterers and brand manuf...

In dit rapport wordt een overzicht gegeven van de huidige stand van zaken op het gebied van onderzoek naar technologie en maatschappij met een focus op het werkveld van Wageningen UR, de levenswetenschappen. Er is in toenemende mate onderzoek gedaan naar de maatschappelijke aspecten van technologieontwikkeling. Er is vanuit veel verschillende disci...

In dit rapport is onderzocht op welke manier scholen en zorginstellingen voedsel aanbieden en hoe dit aanbod het voedselkeuzegedrag van leerlingen en de eetlust van ouderen beïnvloedt.

Structural transformations or transitions are necessary to resolve social problems. A ‘transition’ can be defined as a long-term process of change during which a society or a subsystem of society is fundamentally altered (Loorbach and Rotmans, 2006). Transitions require systems of innovations. Typically, this implies the co-evolution of different i...

This article summarizes the results of a systematic review of the literature on consumer innovativeness and its correlates and provides a propositional inventory for future research. The authors identified seventy-nine relevant empirical articles from international journals through a search of multiple databases using specific search terms, a manua...

In dit achtergrondrapport "Voedselbalans: Aanbieders" staat een uitgebreide beschrijving van het onderzoek dat is uitgevoerd onder bedrijven uit de retail-, Out-Of-Home (OOH) en Voedings- en genotsmiddelenindustrie/ fabrikanten (VGI).

In dit rapport zullen verschillende mogelijke strategieën besproken worden die ingezet kunnen worden om de consumptie van groenten door jongeren te verhogen. De centrale vragen van dit onderzoek zijn: 1) Hoe kunnen groenten in het eetpatroon van jongeren een vaste plek van voldoende omvang krijgen? 2) Hoe kunnen groenten concurreren met minder gezo...

Dit onderzoek geeft aan hoe Demeter tot een verbetering van haar concept kan komen. Hierbij is onderzocht wat consumenten van biologisch-dynamische producten vinden. Via kwalitatief onderzoek in de vorm van focusgroepen onder bewuste consumenten is inzicht verkregen in de herkenning en beleving van Demeterproducten en de mogelijke meerwaarde van de...

De Voedselbalans werkt met een model waarin het gedrag van consumenten en aanbieders wordt beschreven. Daarbij gaat het om wetenschappelijk onderbouwde factoren. De resultaten van het onderzoek worden vertaald in handelingsperspectieven.

Generally, radical innovations are not easily adopted in the market. Potential adopters experience difficulties to comprehend and evaluate radical innovations due to their newness in terms of technology and benefits offered. Consequently, adoption intentions may remain low. This paper proposes bundling as an instrument to address these problems. Mo...

The aim of this study was to compare the role of (1) demographic characteristics, (2) domain-specific innovativeness, (3) social representation of new foods, and (4) social identification on the adoption of new organic food products. Three studies in the United States (N = 1001), the United Kingdom (N = 1010), and Germany (N = 961) show that social...

The present study examines how communicated messages could be effective in affecting consumers' attitudes and behavioural intentions regarding genetically modified (GM) foods. Based on Regulatory Focus Theory, it was hypothesized that exposure to a communication message matching a consumer's regulatory orientation (i.e. regulatory fit) leads to mor...

Dit onderzoek beschrijft de rol van voedsel bij jongeren in hun dagelijks leven en hoe ze hiermee omgaan. Jongeren zijn te motiveren tot duurzame en gezonde voedselkeuzes als alle partijen, die jongeren beïnvloeden, tot een integrale aanpak komen die aansluit bij de belevingswereld van jongeren.

The present report, deliverable D.1.2.7, gives a final view of the work done in ISAFruit Work Package (WP) 1.2. Average Europe fruit consumption is below the recommended level and moreover the consumption level is still decreasing in Europe. A large survey was carried out in four European countries that consisted of questions regarding the importan...

In de vorm van literatuuronderzoek, groepsinterviews en een onlinevragenlijst is door het LEI onderzoek gedaan naar de houding van prille moeders in Nederland ten aanzien van de voeding van het kind tot 2 jaar. Prille moeders zijn in dit onderzoek vrouwen die maximaal 2 jaar geleden hun eerste of tweede kind hebben gekregen. Op basis van dit onderz...

Dit onderzoek beschrijft hoe natuurvoedingswinkels hun marktpositie kunnen verstevigen en welke mogelijkheden er zijn voor verdere groei binnen dit afzetkanaal. Via een kwalitatief en kwantitatief onderzoek onder consumenten is gekeken naar de aankooppatronen en aankoopmotieven van biologische producten door de heavy users en light users van biolog...

Dit onderzoek verschaft inzicht in het overdrachtsmechanisme tussen de introductie van nieuwe producten in de catering (bedrijfsrestaurants) en de acceptatie van deze nieuwe producten door de consumenten. In Deel I van het rapport wordt een conceptueel model gepresenteerd dat als handvat dient voor de empirische toetsing. Deel II beschrijft een pra...

In dit rapport wordt aangegeven wat de belangrijke aanknopingspunten vormen voor vermindering van voedselverspilling, welke aandachtspunten prioriteit hebben voor de korte en lange termijn, en met welke partijen samengewerkt kan worden om de reductiedoelstelling te behalen.

Het rapport geeft weer wat consumenten vinden van de maatschappelijke aspecten van voedselproductie en -consumptie en consumenten deze mening vertalen in hun aankopen en consumptie. Centraal in deze studie staat dus de mening en opvatting van Nederlandse consumenten alsook zijn gedrag inzake vijf (van de negen) voedselwaarden, die het ministerie va...

Self-service technologies (SSTs) are increasingly introduced in public transport. A self-service technology (SST) can be defined as "a technological interface that enables customers to produce a service independent of direct service employee involvement" (Meuter et al., 2000, p. 50). Examples of these self-service technologies or technology-based s...