Eye-Tracking Studies on Sustainable Food Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In recent decades, sustainable products have been increasingly investigated using eye-tracking. Eye-tracking is applied to the record eye movements and visual attention of consumers as they search for food, and from this, conclusions can be drawn about their sustainable food consumption. To obtain a comparative overview of the previous utilization of eye-tracking in studies on sustainable food and consumption, a systematic literature search following the guidelines of the PRISMA statement was applied. In total, 38 eye-tracking studies were identified, with six main areas of investigation emerging: eye-tracking application, labeling, consumer attention, consumer choice and preference, consumer attitude and behavior, and willingness-to-pay. The review is aimed at both researchers and managers. In future research, the sample size of eye-tracking should be increased or focused on certain age groups in order to uncover sustainable consumer habits. In addition, field and not just laboratory studies with eye-tracking need to be conducted. To obtain comparable results, it is necessary that researchers apply the same eye-tracking metrics and terms. Organic labels can influence consumer attention and purchase decisions if bottom-up factors of the labels are better aligned with other product information. Top-down factors, i.e., consumer attitude and choice, must also be taken into account.