Determinants of highly processed food consumption in economically active adults: the role of marketing mix and sustainability in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

Authors

Keywords:

Marketing mix, Alimentos altamente procesados, Sustentabilidad

Abstract

This study analyzes the determinants of the consumption of highly processed foods among economically active adults in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, considering the influence of the marketing mix and sustainability perception on consumer behavior. The research is justified by the sustained increase in the consumption of ultra-processed products and their implications for public health and the sustainability of contemporary food systems. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted through the application of 190 structured surveys to individuals over 18 years of age with economic activity. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that product, price, place, and promotion positively influence the consumption of highly processed foods, while sustainability perception presents a significant negative relationship. It is concluded that consumption responds to the interaction between commercial and socio-environmental factors, highlighting the need to promote healthier and more sustainable food consumption patterns in urban populations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alonso-Martínez, D. (2018). Social progress and international patent collaboration. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 134, 169–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.06.001

Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2020). Marketing: An introduction (8th European ed.). Pearson.

Baker, P., Machado, P., Santos, T., Sievert, K., Backholer, K., Hadjikakou, M., Russell, C., Huse, O., Bell, C., Scrinis, G., Worsley, A., Friel, S., & Lawrence, M. (2020). Ultra-processed foods and the nutrition transition: Global, regional and national trends, food systems transformations and political economy drivers. Obesity Reviews, 21(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13126

Campos-Uscanga, Y. (2024). Food marketing and dietary behaviors in Mexico: Implications for public health. Salud Pública de México, 66(2), 210–218.

Clark, M. A., Springmann, M., Hill, J., & Tilman, D. (2019). Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(46), 23357–23362. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906908116

Clark, M., Springmann, M., Hill, J., & Tilman, D. (2020). Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(37), 23257–23262. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007695117

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.

Dicken, S. J., Batterham, R. L., & Brown, A. (2024). Determinants of ultra-processed food consumption: A systematic review. Nutrients, 16(3), 412. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16030412

Drewnowski, A., & Rehm, C. D. (2023). Ultra-processed foods: Definitions, policy issues, and the price paradox. Current Developments in Nutrition, 7(2), 100039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100039

Elizabeth, L., Machado, P., Zinöcker, M., Baker, P., & Lawrence, M. (2020). Ultra-processed foods and health outcomes: A narrative review. Nutrients, 12(7), 1955. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071955

Fleming-Milici, F., & Harris, J. L. (2020). Food marketing to youth in the digital age. Current Obesity Reports, 9(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-020-00375-7

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2022). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R: A workbook. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Joshi, Y., & Rahman, Z. (2015). Factors affecting green purchase behaviour and future research directions. International Strategic Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ism.2015.04.001

Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2019). Marketing 3.0: From products to customers to the human spirit. Wiley.

Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2021). Marketing 5.0: Technology for humanity. Wiley.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2022). Marketing management (16th ed.). Pearson.

Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 140, 1–55.

Lim, W. M. (2016). A blueprint for sustainability marketing. Journal of Strategic Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593115609798

Malhotra, N. K., Birks, D. F., & Wills, P. (2017). Marketing research: An applied approach (5th ed.). Pearson.

Martínez-Medina, E. R., Pérez-Santiago, S., López-Díaz, L., et al. (2024). Consumption of ultra-processed foods and sustainable lifestyles: A multicenter study. Nutrients, 16(2), 365. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16020365

Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Moubarac, J. C., Levy, R. B., Louzada, M. L. C., & Jaime, P. C. (2019). The UN decade of nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing. Public Health Nutrition, 21(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980017000234

Pan American Health Organization. (2019). Ultra-processed food and drink products in Latin America. PAHO.

Popkin, B. M., & Reardon, T. (2018). Obesity and the food system transformation in Latin America. Obesity Reviews, 19(8), 1028–1064. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12694

Popkin, B. M., Corvalan, C., & Grummer-Strawn, L. M. (2020). Dynamics of the double burden of malnutrition. The Lancet, 395(10217), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32497-3

Publication Manual of the American Psychological AssociationAmerican Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Reardon, T., & Popkin, B. M. (2018). The processed food revolution. Global Food Security, 18, 1–6.

Ridoutt, B., Baird, D., Hendrie, G., Noakes, M., & Anastasiou, K. (2024). Fundamentals of a healthy and sustainable diet. Nutrition Journal, 23, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-024-01049-6

Sacks, G., Kwon, J., Vandevijvere, S., Swinburn, B., & Christoforou, A. (2019). Benchmarking as a public health strategy for creating healthy food environments. Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-043852

Schnabel, L., Kesse-Guyot, E., Allès, B., Touvier, M., Srour, B., Hercberg, S., Buscail, C., & Julia, C. (2019). Association between ultra-processed food consumption and risk of mortality among middle-aged adults in France. JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(4), 490–498. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.7289

Srour, B., Fezeu, L., Kesse-Guyot, E., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease. BMJ, 365, l1451. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1451

Swinburn, B. A., et al. (2019). The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change. The Lancet, 393(10173), 791–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32822-8

Vandevijvere, S., et al. (2019). Global trends in ultra-processed food sales. Obesity Reviews, 20(S2), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12860

Verain, M. C. D., Dagevos, H., & Antonides, G. (2021). Sustainable food consumption. Appetite, 91, 375–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.04.055

Vermeir, I., et al. (2020). Environmentally sustainable food consumption. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 39(1), 66–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743915619870449

White, M., et al. (2023). What role should the commercial food system play in promoting health? BMJ, 381, e071276. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-071276

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C., Zurayk, R., Rivera, J. A., De Vries, W., Sibanda, L. M., & Murray, C. J. L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet, 393(10170), 447–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4

Published

2026-06-04

How to Cite

Ponce de León Núñez, L., Aguilasocho Montoya, D., & De la Torre Torres, O. V. (2026). Determinants of highly processed food consumption in economically active adults: the role of marketing mix and sustainability in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. INCEPTUM, 21(40), 125–148. Retrieved from https://inceptum.umich.mx/index.php/inceptum/article/view/523

Similar Articles

1 2 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)