ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Land, Livelihoods and Food Security
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1610615
This article is part of the Research TopicSustainable Food Consumption and Production in the 21st Century: Volume IIView all 15 articles
Food Choices and Preferences on Food Systems and Food Security in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDs)
Provisionally accepted
- The University of the West Indies St. Augustine, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
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The Caribbean dietary landscape has undergone significant transformation over the past six decades. The events of political independence, coupled with the departure of colonizing countries, have led to a cultural shift, characterized by the proliferation of fast-food restaurants. Hence, this study investigates how cultural, economic, and social factors influenced dietary habits in terms of food choices and preferences and how these factors contributed to food security outcomes in the region. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted, among consumers from Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago to assess their knowledge of food systems and food security, food choices and preferences, influencers and concerns about food systems. Overall knowledge of food system and food security was significantly associated with marital status (p≤0.012) and household size (p≤0.044). A significant, moderately positive correlation (ρ = 0.631, p<0.001) was found between food choices and preferences, as well as their influences. This study highlights the need for comprehensive and culturally sensitive approaches to food education and policy development in the Caribbean. By increasing consumer knowledge, addressing concerns about sustainability and food security, and promoting local food production, the region can take significant steps toward building a more resilient and sustainable food system.
Keywords: Consumer preferences, fast food, food choices, Food system, Food security
Received: 12 Apr 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Daley, Webb, Isaac and Wilson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Oral O Daley, oral.daley@sta.uwi.edu
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