Meat substitutes: Environment does not motivate consumption
Animal welfare and health aspects, on the other hand, promote the use of
meat alternatives
Date:
April 26, 2022
Source:
University of Bonn
Summary:
People who have a critical attitude toward factory farming or who
pay attention to their health in everyday life are more likely
to turn to meat substitutes. Concern for the environment, on the
other hand, appears to play no role in this decision.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Meat substitutes are on the rise: While they used to have a niche
existence in health food stores or organic stores, wheat salami,
tofu schnitzel or soy mince can now be found in every well-stocked
supermarket. "We wanted to know why consumers choose these alternatives," explains Jeanette Klink-Lehmann, who is doing her doctorate at the
Institute of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn in
the department of Prof. Dr. Monika Hartmann.
========================================================================== Klink-Lehmann and Hartmann, together with their colleague Nick Marcus,
surveyed 441 men and women from all over Germany for the analysis. The participants were asked, for example, to state how much they care about
their health, whether they think humanity is heading for an ecological
crisis and whether animal husbandry in agriculture should be ethically questioned. They also indicated their attitude toward meat substitutes
and their intention to consume them regularly in the future.
Animal welfare and health aspects motivate consumption "We have now
examined the statistical relationships between these responses based on an extension of a recognized behavioral model," says Marcus. The researchers
came across a surprising result: greater concern for the environment
was not associated with a better rating of meat substitutes, nor with a
greater intention to buy them. "We had expected that ecological aspects
would also play a role in the intention to consume meat alternatives,"
Marcus explains. "However, that has not been confirmed." The researchers
can only speculate about the reasons for the discrepancy between the participants' environmental concerns and their behavioral intention. For example, the survey data already dates from 2017 -- a time when the
"Fridays for Future" movement did not yet exist. "Since then, the
issue of the environment has been much more prominent on the agenda," Klink-Lehmann emphasizes. "As a result, more people are probably aware of
the potentially negative environmental effects of meat consumption today
than they were five years ago." Animal welfare concerns played a major
role in the respondents' consumption decisions: those who view factory
farming critically, (unsurprisingly) have a more positive attitude toward plant-based sausages and veggie burgers on average. This attitude, in
turn, has a beneficial effect on the intention to use these alternatives
in the future. A pronounced health consciousness is also associated
with a greater willingness to consume meat substitutes. Furthermore,
the attitudes of friends and close relatives toward meat substitutes
has a significant influence on this decision.
Targeted marketing of the advantages Marcus, Klink-Lehmann and Hartmann recommend, on the one hand, better communication of the ecological
advantages of meat alternatives. In addition, the industry should pay
attention to a healthy and balanced composition in the manufacture of
its products. Moreover, where animal-based foods such as eggs are used in
meat substitutes, they should come from farms that pay attention to good
animal husbandry. "Animal welfare and health are obviously very important
to consumers," says Klink-Lehmann. "So manufacturers would do well to
take these aspects into account and then market their foods accordingly."
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bonn. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. N. Marcus, J. Klink-Lehmann, M. Hartmann. Exploring factors
determining
German consumers' intention to eat meat alternatives. Food Quality
and Preference, 2022; 104610 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104610 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220426153721.htm
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