# Consumer Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Ultra-Processed Foods
## 6 Conclusions  
Ultra-processed foods have transformed the modern food industry, influencing consumer choices and dietary habits. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on consumer attitudes towards highly processed foods by integrating key behavioural and demographic factors into a variety of data science models. The findings highlight that health consciousness alone does not significantly impact consumer attitudes (H\({}_{1}\)), challenging conventional theories that assume health awareness directly influences food choices. Instead, UPF knowledge, social norms, and environmental concerns (H\({}_{2}\), H\({}_{3}\), and H\({}_{4}\)) emerge as strong determinants, reinforcing the role of external influences and informational awareness on consumer perceptions. Furthermore, the validated SEM model demonstrates the link between attitudes, willingness to purchase, and actual buying behaviour (H\({}_{5}\), H\({}_{6}\)), aligning with established behavioural intention models. Additionally, the study underscores the role of demographic characteristics (H\({}_{7}\)), particularly education on food-related decision-making. These insights enrich the theoretical understanding of how cognitive, social, and contextual factors interact in shaping consumer behaviour towards UPFs. From a practical perspective, the study offers recommendations for policymakers, health experts, and food industry stakeholders to promote healthier and more sustainable \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**ML Method** & **MSE** & **RMSE** & **MAE** & **R\({}^{2}\)** \\ \hline Decision tree & 0.058 & 0.240 & 0.108 & 0.926 \\ SVM & 0.143 & 0.378 & 0.239 & 0.816 \\ Random forest & 0.027 & 0.164 & 0.091 & 0.965 \\ AdaBoost & 0.028 & 0.167 & 0.064 & 0.964 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 10: Results of using supervised ML algorithms to predict user attitude towards UPFs. food choices. The identification of two distinct consumer clusters suggests the need for tailored interventions--educational campaigns should focus on increasing UPF awareness among less-informed consumers while reinforcing positive behavioural patterns among those already concerned about health and environmental impact. Since social norms significantly influence attitudes, leveraging peer-driven marketing strategies and public health campaigns that emphasise community engagement can enhance their effectiveness. Moreover, the findings highlight the role of demographic characteristics, emphasising the need for targeted communication strategies that address different consumer segments based on education actions. Food manufacturers can also utilise these insights to reformulate products, ensuring transparency in labelling and incorporating sustainable production practices that align with consumer preferences. Lastly, educational institutions can play a pivotal role by integrating food literacy programmes that equip consumers with the knowledge needed to make informed dietary choices. This study involved several limitations. First, the sample size and its characteristics may not have fully captured the diversity of demographic perspectives. Second, consumer perceptions are complex, influenced by a range of psychological, social, and cultural factors that were not fully addressed in our analysis. Third, the focus was solely on individual consumer attitudes, omitting valuable insights from marketing experts and business representatives, which may result in an incomplete picture of the broader UPF area. Future research should aim to overcome these limitations by broadening the participant pool to include additional demographics, such as older generations, and by investigating both direct and indirect relationships between variables using advanced SEM techniques. Comparative studies across different countries, with particular attention to the moderating effects of socio-economic factors like income and region, would also be beneficial.