CEIGRAM is carrying out the project ‘Population segmentation and narrative testing for the improvement of public policies in the field of healthy and sustainable diets’, an initiative funded by FECYT that seeks to identify opportunities and barriers for the expansion of more sustainable eating habits in different segments of Spanish society.

The project, with reference FCT-24-20825, was selected in the Call for Grants for the Promotion of a Culture of Public Innovation 2024 by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), in the category of research projects aimed at obtaining scientific evidence to improve the design of public policies. The initiative is led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) through CEIGRAM and has the collaboration of the Directorate-General for Public Health and Health Equity of the Ministry of Health.

Healthy and sustainable diets: a challenge for health and the planet

Promoting diets rich in plant-based foods is essential for preventing chronic diseases such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which are responsible for a significant proportion of global mortality. At the same time, the current food system is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and the disruption of biogeochemical cycles such as the nitrogen cycle.

Although there are synergies between healthy and environmentally sustainable foods, the expansion of these diets faces various barriers. Furthermore, the incidence of these barriers does not affect society as a whole in the same way, nor do the possible interventions have the same transformative potential when targeted at different people. Therefore, the project will identify and characterise existing social profiles in relation to sustainable food. This segmentation of the population will enable the analysis of the main psychosocial and contextual barriers for each type of food consumer, as well as the proposal of the types of intervention with the greatest potential impact.

Objectives and methodology: segmentation and testing of narratives

The overall objective is to increase the impact of public policies by obtaining scientific evidence on the barriers and opportunities in different segments of Spanish society. The project is structured around four specific objectives:

  • Identify the main population segments in relation to healthy and sustainable diets.
  • Assess the impact of different narratives to improve each group’s receptiveness to plant-rich diets.
  • Design communication strategies and personalised interventions for each segment.
  • Develop effective communication tools to transfer this knowledge to the public administration.

To achieve this, the team will use a methodology that includes focus groups and a representative panel survey of the population residing in Spain. The data will be analysed using Latent Class Analysis, a technique that will identify ‘archetypes’ of citizens according to their lifestyles, personal values and eating habits.

The project’s research team consists of Bárbara Soriano (PI), Alberto Sanz Cobeña, Ana Iglesias and Ivanka Puigdueta, all of whom are recognised for their work in agri-food sustainability. Collaboration with the Ministry of Health will be coordinated through a Coordination Committee with the Directorate-General for Public Health and the Sub-Directorate-General for Health Promotion, Prevention and Equity.

This alliance ensures that the results of the research, which will be conducted between 2025 and 2027, will be easily applicable to national strategies such as AESAN’s Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Recommendations.

Funding and transfer of results

The project has a total budget of €129,882.95, of which €96,530 is financed by FECYT. In addition to scientific articles, the project will generate outreach materials such as infographics, short videos, podcast collaborations, and a final conference to present the results to key players in the public and private sectors.

The Project Population Segmentation and Narrative Testing for the Improvement of Public Policies in the Field of Healthy and Sustainable Diets was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) – Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.