Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-h teaching intervention, which focuses on promoting the ability of primary school students to make conscious food choices in the direction of sustainable development, based on clearly recognized moral values involved in their consumer decisions. A total of 54 fifth- and sixth-grade students participated in the intervention. The effectiveness of the educational program was evaluated with the administration of a questionnaire measuring students’ moral judgments and moral motives about food sustainability at three distinct time intervals (before, one week after, and one year after the intervention), as well as with focus group interviews. Results suggested improvements in participants’ moral judgments around food sustainability, and a tendency towards more frequent adoption of sustainability-oriented food consumption motives, with most of these gains appearing to persist one year after the intervention. Participants’ self-perceived learning effects also provide preliminary support for the potential effectiveness of the intervention in improving their moral thinking towards sustainable food consumption. Implications regarding the teaching of food ethics issues revolving around sustainability are discussed.