Cooking for Change: Evaluating the Impact of Sustainable Food Education on Eating Behavior

This study investigates the effects of a sustainability-oriented food education program on participants’ dietary behavior and ecological awareness. The instructional framework integrates key principles of global food security, environmental sustainability, and responsible consumption, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The curriculum combines theoretical instruction with experiential culinary activities, emphasizing the use of locally sourced ingredients, plant-based protein alternatives, food waste reduction, and energy-efficient cooking practices. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving an experimental group and a control group, both receiving equivalent sustainability-focused content. Data were collected through validated instruments assessing sustainability knowledge and health-oriented eating behaviors. Analytical procedures using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were conducted to evaluate the mediating role of sustainability education in the relationship between pedagogical intervention and behavioral outcomes. Results indicate that participants exposed to the full intervention demonstrated significantly greater improvements in dietary attitudes, awareness of sustainable practices, and behavioral engagement. Furthermore, sustainability education was found to fully mediate the pathway from instruction to behavior change. These findings highlight the value of integrating sustainability pedagogy into food education, offering empirical support for the development of transformative, behaviorally anchored curricula that foster responsible eating habits in response to global food and environmental challenges.