The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to global food security, and it changes consumers’ food buying and consumption behavior. This research not only investigates trends in Spanish consumers’ general food shopping and consumption habits during the lockdown, but also investigates these trends from the perspective of sustainable purchasing. Specifically, total food consumption (C), food expenditure (E), and purchase of food with sustainable attributes (S) were measured. Data were collected from a semi-structured questionnaire which was distributed online among 1203 participants. The logit models showed that gender, age, employment status, and consumers’ experiences were associated with total food consumption and expenditure during the lockdown. In addition, consumers’ risk perceptions, shopping places, trust level in information sources, and risk preference were highly essential factors influencing consumers’ preferences and sustainable behavior. Consumers’ objective knowledge regarding COVID-19 was related to expenditure. Furthermore, family structure only affected expenditure, while income and place of residence influenced food consumption. Mood was associated with expenditure and the purchase of sustainable food. Household size affected purchasing behavior towards food with sustainable attributes. This research provides references for stakeholders that help them to adapt to the new COVID-19 situation.

Circular farming is a sustainable agricultural system that promotes waste reuse and nutrient recovery by minimizing external inputs, closing nutrient loops, and reducing environmental impact. To our knowledge, this study is the first to apply open-ended choice experiments (OECEs) to assess consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) and demand for food products from circular farming, involving 5289 participants across six EU countries. Three product categories were analyzed: pork, milk, and bread. Results showed that there is market potential for the food products produced from circular farming in Europe, as consumers are willing to pay a premium for circular products compared to conventional ones. Spanish consumers exhibited the highest WTP premiums (>26%) across all categories, whereas Hungarian consumers showed the lowest premiums. Socio-demographic factors, environmental attitudes, and price levels significantly influenced the quantity of circular food products that consumers were willing to purchase.

Circular farming, as a sustainable agricultural system, contributes to the reuse of waste and optimizes the recovery of nutrients (C, N, P). By circular farming we refer to farming activities that focus on using minimal amounts of external inputs, closing nutrient loops, and minimizing environmental impacts. Here we employed open-ended choice experiments (OECEs) to analyze consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) and demand for food products obtained from circular farming with a questionnaire involving 5,591 participants from 6 EU countries. We chose three product categories: pork, milk, and bread. We found that a market niche existed for the food products produced from circular farming, with consumers exhibiting a willingness to pay a premium for circular products compared to conventional products. Spanish consumers displayed the highest WTP premium (>26%), whereas Hungarian consumers exhibited the lowest in all categories. Socio-demographic characteristics, environmental attitudes, and price levels influenced the quantity of circular products consumers are willing to purchase.