Ana Isabel de Almeida Costa

Ana Isabel de Almeida Costa is a Senior Researcher and head of the Food Behaviour Lab at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, Universidade Católica Portuguesa. She holds a PhD from Wageningen University (2012) and is an alumna of Erasmus Rotterdam University, Groningen University, Ghent University, and Instituto Superior de Agronomia. She teaches Marketing and Consumer Behaviour while supervising PhD and MSc students in food science and consumer psychology.

Her research investigates domestic food practices (planning, purchasing, preparation, consumption) and their impact on dietary choices. Key focus areas include:

• Drivers of meal consumption patterns in Portugal
• Psychometric modeling of cooking norms
• Sensory perception of novel foods (e.g., insect-based products)
• Behavioral interventions for sustainable diets

She leads projects like InsectERA (2023-2025) and SUSINCHAIN (2019-2023) to advance edible insect applications.

Recent publications (2025) demonstrate consistent themes: sensory analysis of alternative proteins, dietary pattern assessments, and strategies for reducing meat consumption. These studies employ rigorous consumer testing methodologies and align with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She supervises graduate research on topics including:

• Mobile apps for healthy eating
• Social media's role in food activism
• Psychological drivers of home cooking