Who buys upcycled foods? The role of lifestyles, sustainability, and waste-reduction values

Food waste is a major sustainability challenge, yet consumer acceptance of upcycled foods, made from surplus or by-products, varies widely. This study investigates consumer heterogeneity using a lifestyle-based segmentation approach grounded in an extended Food-Related Lifestyle framework. Data were collected from an online survey of 379 U.S. grocery shoppers from Amazon Mechanical Turk was analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis and cluster analysis. Four key dimensions were identified: shopping-related barriers, health and nutrition perceptions, innovativeness and hedonic value, and sustainability and social responsibility orientation. Based on these dimensions, four consumer clusters emerged; skeptical and unfamiliar, skeptical but novelty-aware, health and eco advocates, and pragmatic neutrals. The extended FRL framework retains its core structure while incorporating sustainability, waste-reduction values, and trust- and familiarity-related factors specific to upcycled foods. The findings highlight how lifestyle orientations shape acceptance and offer insights for targeted communication, labeling, and education strategies.