Two Sides of the Same Coin: Environmental and Health Concern Pathways Toward Meat Consumption (original) (raw)
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Gauging attitudes and behaviours: Meat consumption and potential reduction
Appetite , 2018
The present study focused on adding to the understanding of meat consumption and potential drivers for its reduction in New Zealand. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the recently developed Meat-Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ), this study investigated New Zealand consumers' attitudes, motivations and behaviours in regards to meat consumption. Results derive from a questionnaire sent across New Zealand in March 2017, in which 841 responses were obtained from representative consumer panels. Consumer awareness of the severity of meat's environmental impacts was found to be quite low in comparison to other sustainable food behaviours. Motivations for reduction seem to shift across consumer groups, with different considerations rising and falling in importance depending on current meat consumption habits. Among the TPB components, only attitudes were found to accurately and consistently predict willingness and intentions to reduce personal meat intake, while both attitudes and subjective norms predicted agreement with proposed structural measures that would promote meat reduction and/or plant-based food consumption. In addition, the MAQ was found to provide explanatory power above and beyond that of the TPB components alone and this research supports its use as a tool to further understand meat consumption and potential motivations for reduction. The authors believe these results could be useful for governments or organizations wishing to implement meat reduction strategies, as well as providing a stepping stone for further research inquiry into motivations behind meat consumption and its potential reduction.
Conflicts in meat consumption: exploring their effects on social norms and consumer behavior
2021
There has been increasing attention to the effects of food production and consumption on the environment and human health, especially regarding meat consumption. Traditionally, meat is one of the most important food items in the human diet: it is part of many societies' dominant dietary habits. On the other hand, recent dietary guidelines recommend consumers reduce meat consumption and substitute them for plant-based or insect-based food as alternatives to environmentally sustainable food. However, questions are raising in health and environmental areas. For example, studies have suggested that eating meat has both positive and negative impacts on health, and the environmental footprint of diets is country-specific. This discussion takes meat to a controversial position in the human diet. It occurs both in the scientific field and in the mass media, exposing consumers to information conflict and ambiguity, which can affect their food consumption behavior. Since eating meat is considered a social norm in most areas of the world, it is expected that consumers face conflicts regarding these norms and meat consumption. Social norms are negotiated rules and patterns that regulate social behaviors. They are communicated and understood by members of a specific group in a way that they can guide or restrict behaviors and conducts. The influence of social norms in food choice and the consumed amount of food is recognized by the literature, as well as its impact on several elements of the sustainable food consumption process. Our study discusses the possible effects of social norms conflicts regarding meat consumption on consumer behavior, resulting from the ambiguities to which consumers are exposed. To achieve this, we did a narrative review of the literature, addressing topics related to sustainable diet and food consumption behavior, meat consumption, social norms, and normative conflicts. As a result, we propose a theoretical framework that focuses on social norm conflicts and meat consumption behavior, integrating academic insights and research findings from different disciplines. Our framework considers three different types of normative conflicts: (a) conflicting norms within the same group; (b) conflicting norms of different 20 th European Round Table on Sustainable Consumption and Production Graz, September 8-10, 2021 groups that the person identifies with; and (c) conflicting norms of different groups that the person identifies with one group, but not with the other. With that, this study aims to contribute to promoting environmentally sustainable food consumption in the food domain. Our contribution encompasses insights to (i) the advancement of the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct; (ii) the knowledge related to consumer behavior in the food domain; and (iii) the industry, government, and society, by providing information to support decisions, agendas, and public policies. Finally, we also present research questions that could be explored in future studies.
Sustainability, 2021
Meat consumption behaviours contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Interventions to enable meat consumption reductions need to consider the psychological barriers preventing behavioural changes. Our aims were twofold; (1) to explore the psychological barriers to reducing meat consumption and how they can be overcome through a Rapid Evidence Review; and (2) to explore the usefulness of integrating the Kollmuss and Agyeman (K&A) model of pro-environmental behaviour and psychological distance, which provides the analytical framework. This review utilised three databases, focussing on empirical studies since 2010, which returned 277 results with seven eligible studies. We found that habit is the most significant psychological barrier to change, however, values and attitudes could act as moderating variables. We found gaps in the behavioural mechanism, indicating the presence of direct and indirect psychological barriers. We identified several actionable policy reco...
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM, 2020
Growing concerns over the environment and climate has led to increased interest in environmentally friendly eating out, especially with respect to the need to reduce waste in the restaurant and catering sector as well as the adoption of new food norms, such as vegetarianism and veganism. The purpose of this study is to build and test an extended value (perceived value on sustainability)-attitude (attitude, personal norm, and social norm on waste reduction)-behavior (VAB) model to predict sustainable eating out behavior at restaurants. In addition, the moderating effect of being vegetarian or not is tested in relation to the VAB theory. The results reveal that the perceived value on sustainability has a highly significant effect on attitude, personal norms, and social norms on waste reduction. In addition, adoption of environmentally friendly eating is positively influenced, in descending order, by personal norms, social norms, and attitudes towards waste reduction. Furthermore, the eating styles of non-vegetarians and vegetarians moderate the six hypotheses on the VAB model.
Risks of meat: the relative impact of cognitive, affective and moral concerns
Appetite, 2005
The purpose of the present research was, first, to examine the impact of particular perspectives (Study 1: cognitive and affective; Study 2: moral) on the perception and acceptance of risks associated with meat consumption, and intention to reduce meat consumption in the future. The first study showed that an affective focus generally had a stronger impact on risk perception and acceptance, and intention to reduce meat consumption, than a more cognitive focus. Moreover, moral considerations had a clear impact in all conditions. Results of a second study confirmed that a moral focus has powerful effects on all the dependent variables. The second purpose of the research was to examine the perseverance of the impact of cognitive, affective and moral perspectives. In both studies, a follow-up after three weeks showed increased perception of moral risks and a strong intention to reduce future meat consumption. Moreover, attitude towards meat consumption became less positive in the conditions with an affective and moral focus. There were also significant relations between intention to reduce meat consumption, actual reduction, and intention to adhere to this level in the future. Overall, risk acceptance was mediated by perceived health and moral risks, whereas intention about meat consumption was mediated by risk acceptance. q
Appetite, 2015
A shift towards reduced meat consumption and a more plant-based diet is endorsed to promote sustainability, improve public health, and minimize animal suffering. However, large segments of consumers do not seem willing to make such transition. While it may take a profound societal change to achieve significant progresses on this regard, there have been limited attempts to understand the psychosocial processes that may hinder or facilitate this shift. This study provides an in-depth exploration of how consumer representations of meat, the impact of meat, and rationales for changing or not habits relate with willingness to adopt a more plant-based diet. Multiple Correspondence Analysis was employed to examine participant responses (N = 410) to a set of open-ended questions, free word association tasks and closed questions. Three clusters with two hallmarks each were identified: (1) a pattern of disgust towards meat coupled with moral internalization; (2) a pattern of low affective con...
Appetite, 2016
Global environmental challenges require changes in both the production and the consumption of goods. In this paper we analyse how consumers perceive the high environmental burden of meat. We analysed consumer environmental consciousness, including problem awareness and a support to action dimensions, latter including perceived self-efficacy as well as solutions to problems. The solutions were positioned on a continuum from increasing the efficiency of production to discussing sufficiency levels in consumption practices (techno-optimism, local meat, organic meat and meat reduction, respectively). We used a statistically representative survey sample (n = 1890) from the population of Finland and cluster analysis to explore differences among consumers. The analysis revealed that most Finns seem to be rather unsure of the study topic. At the same time they tend to have a comparably high level of self-efficacy (55 per cent of respondents) and endorsement of particularly local meat solution type (55%), followed by organic meat (35%), meat reduction (25%) and techno-optimism (15%), though the neutral stand was the most common one across the data. We also identified six consumer groups that reveal not only a high number of Highly unsure consumers (40%), but also some Rather conscious (20%) and a relatively small number of Highly conscious (8%). In addition, there were also easily observable groups of Careless conscious (14%), Rather unsure (9%) and Resistant (8%). The results highlight the need for a multitude of political actions to guide meat consumption, as there are groups that may benefit from practical tools for making dietary changes as well as groups in need for more comprehensive selection of measures, including environmental information.
Food innovation towards a sustainable world: A study on intention to purchase lab-grown meat
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2025
Lab-grown meat has been proposed as a food innovation to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12 of moving towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns. However, although technological innovations in lab-grown meat are advancing, a better understanding is needed regarding the perspectives of potential consumers of this product. Specifically, whether the perceived higher environmental sustainability of this meat compared with conventional meat influences purchase intentions remains unclear. The effects of perceived risks must also be assessed. To address these knowledge gaps, we propose a model that draws on the theory of reasoned action and integrate it with potential consumers' perceptions of environmental sustainability and risks of lab-grown meat. We apply variance-based structural equation modelling using data from a sample of Italian consumers to evaluate the model's explanatory and predictive accuracy. The findings highlight the effects of environmental sustainability and perceived risks on purchase intentions and provide insights for policymakers and businesses.
Public Health Nutrition
Objectives:The aim of the study is (1) to assess the extent to which omnivores are willing to stop or reduce their consumption of red and processed meat in response to evidence-based information regarding the possible reduction of cancer mortality and incidence achieved by dietary modification; (2) to identify socio-demographic categories associated with higher willingness to change meat consumption and (3) to understand the motives facilitating and hindering such a change.Design:During an initial computer-assisted web interview, respondents were presented with scenarios containing the estimates of the absolute risk reduction in overall cancer incidence and mortality tailored to their declared level of red and processed meat consumption. Respondents were asked whether they would stop or reduce their average meat consumption based on the information provided. Their dietary choices were assessed at 6-month follow-up. Additionally, we conducted semi-structured interviews to better unde...
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2018
Background: Reducing meat consumption can help prevent non-communicable diseases and protect the environment. Interventions targeting conscious determinants of human behaviour are generally acceptable approaches to promote dietary change, but little is known about their effectiveness to reduce the demand for meat. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions targeting conscious determinants of human behaviour to reduce the demand for meat. Methods: We searched six electronic databases on the 31st of August 2017 with a predefined algorithm, screened publicly accessible resources, contacted authors, and conducted forward and backward reference searches. Eligible studies employed experimental designs to evaluate interventions targeting conscious determinants of human behaviour to reduce the consumption, purchase, or selection of meat in comparison to a control condition, a baseline period, or relative to other eligible interventions. We synthesised results narratively and conducted an exploratory crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify combinations of intervention characteristics associated with significant reductions in the demand for meat. Results: We included 24 papers reporting on 59 interventions and 25,477 observations. Self-monitoring interventions and individual lifestyle counselling led to, or were associated with reduced meat consumption. Providing information about the health or environmental consequences of eating meat was associated with reduced intentions to consume and select meat in virtual environments, but there was no evidence to suggest this approach influenced actual behaviour. Education about the animal welfare consequences of eating meat was associated with reduced intentions to consume meat, while interventions implicitly highlighting animal suffering were not. Education on multiple consequences of eating meat led to mixed results. Tailored education was not found to reduce actual or intended meat consumption, though few studies assessed this approach.