How vegans and vegetarians negotiate eating-related social norm conflicts in their social networks

Salmivaara, Laura; Niva, Mari; Silfver-Kuhalampi, Mia; Vainio, Annukka

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2022.106081

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…On the one hand, among our young adult respondents eating meat is a normal thing to do and this reflects the normality of meat eating in the Netherlands. On the other hand, we see evidence consistent with the findings of Salmivaara et al (2022), who recognise a change in social norms around eating meat and plant-based food: they speak of a nascent 'demeatification of the diet', and a shifting norm 'turning the meanings of majority and deviant behaviours upside down' (Salmivaara et al, 2022: 6). Even if Wageningen may be a special context in this respect, it is certainly no exception: as shown in the introduction to this article, flexitarianism and the accommodation of vegetarianism are gaining broader momentum in the Netherlands.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Eating apart together: how vegetarian and meat eating students manage commensality in a flexitarian age

Veen

Dagevos

Michielsen

et al. 2023

Consumption and Society

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We are living in a flexitarian age, in which reduced meat eating and vegetarianism are normalising, while simultaneously meat eating is still the norm in Dutch society. A resulting individualisation of diets begs the question whether and how omnivores and veg*ns living together maintain commensality. Based on interviews with 119 young people living in shared households – made up of both veg*ns and omnivores – we investigate how these young adults shape and manage their shared meals. Our results show that veg*ns and meat eaters maintain commensality by, first, using a number of practical strategies that result in meals that are suitable to those different diets, and, second, creating a new norm that defines the diet as an individual choice so as to manage potential conflicts around clashing norms. This results in an active upkeep of tolerance in which veg*nism, meat eating and associated ethical-moral considerations are not discussed. The acceptance of (specifically) vegetarianism, the limited social tensions between meat lovers, meat reducers and meat avoiders, and our finding that people find ways to eat – apart – together, hints at optimism for the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Eating apart together: how vegetarian and meat eating students manage commensality in a flexitarian age

Veen

Dagevos

Michielsen

et al. 2023

Consumption and Society

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“…This is in line with studies showing that in Western cultures, ethical considerations in veganism relating to animals (avoiding harm and suffering, emphasizing justice and equality; Ruby, Heine, Kamble, Cheng, & Waddar, 2013) are part of similar considerations focusing on humans. In addition, a strong negative association between binding moral foundations and veganism is in line with studies showing that meat eating is seen as traditional and normative in Finland and in other Western countries (Häkli & Hakoköngäs, 2022;Salmivaara et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…A qualitative study on Finnish meat‐product advertisements (Häkli & Hakoköngäs, 2022) showed that meat eating was represented as natural, enjoyable and as a part of traditional Finnish lifestyle. In addition, an interview study on vegans and vegetarians representing different nationalities (Salmivaara, Niva, Silfver, & Vainio, 2022) showed that the interviewees' elderly relatives often saw meat eating as normal and traditional, which caused tensions in social situations. Therefore, plant‐based dietary choices are possibly negatively related to endorsing binding foundations, whereas favouring ‘natural’ and traditional foods is probably positively related to these foundations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moral foundations and future pro‐environmental lifestyles choices in the Finnish population

Silfver-Kuhalampi

Niva

Salmivaara

et al. 2023

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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The aim of the study was to examine citizens' perceptions of their preferred pro‐environmental lifestyle choices in the future. We examined how these choices relate to different socio‐demographic factors and moral foundations in a Finnish population survey sample (N = 1,020). Consistent with previous research, endorsing care and fairness foundations related positively to using plant‐based food and local and natural food, as well as using sustainable energy, materials, housing and transportation solutions. However, also endorsing binding moral foundations, loyalty, authority and sanctity, related positively to using local and natural food and to using an electric car or biofuels. Most pro‐environmental practices were related to being a woman, younger age and having higher education, but preferred choices differed according to living environment (urban or rural). We conclude that different pro‐environmental choices are appealing to different socio‐demographic groups with different moral views. Promoting different ways of contributing to ecologically sustainable future could be a way to reach different societal groups. In addition, re‐framing more sustainable practices, such as plant‐based diets, could contribute to such practices becoming a feasible option for more diverse groups. Individuals' preferred future lifestyles are those that align with their moral views, and therefore policymakers should embrace this (moral) diversity in the design of future policies.

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“…Accepting the second-best option (i.e., milk) does not require special requests or explanations. Similar findings regarding the social challenges of switching to vegetarian and particularly vegan diets have been reported (e.g., Twine, 2014;Niva et al, 2019;Salmivaara et al, 2022). The following extract shows how the practice of reducing milk appears to be permissive, situational, and context dependent:…”

Section: Detaching From Beef and Milk-following A Low-milk Flexitaria...supporting

confidence: 78%

“…Thus, reducing milk is largely viewed as a part of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, where plant-based milk substitutes are used to avoid milk (e.g., McCarthy et al, 2017;Schiano et al, 2020;Cardello et al, 2022). Even so, consumers who are reducing but not abandoning milk consumption have received less scholarly attention compared to those who avoid it entirely (e.g., Salmivaara et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards de-dairyfication of the diet?—Consumers downshifting milk, yet justifying their dairy pleasures

et al. 2023

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Currently, the consumption of liquid milk in Western European countries and the US is declining. At the same time, the consumption of other dairy products, including cheese and sour-milk products, is increasing. Dairy production, along with meat production, is one of the main food sources of greenhouse gases, which cause climate change. Thus, the transition toward more sustainable diets requires a reduction in the consumption of both meat and dairy products. Consumers who do not use milk (e.g., vegans) have received more scholarly attention compared to those who are reducing milk consumption. Our study focuses on Finnish consumers who have reduced the use of cow's milk but have not abandoned dairy entirely. Through qualitative data, we analyze how consumers on the one hand narrate their detachment from using milk and on the other hand justify their ongoing use of dairy products. The results show that consumers began their dietary change by first reducing meat eating, followed by milk. For the consumers, cheese eating was a source of enjoyment that was difficult to resist and to replace with plant-based alternatives, even though they were aware of the animal suffering caused by milk production. Consumers recognized the interdependence between meat and milk production and consumption, yet, at the level of everyday practices, giving up milk proved to be more challenging than giving up meat. We argue that the declining use of fluid milk contributes to the de-dairyfication of eating habits, but obstacles remain in reducing the consumption of other dairy products.

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How vegans and vegetarians negotiate eating-related social norm conflicts in their social networks

Cited by 11 publications

References 39 publications

Eating apart together: how vegetarian and meat eating students manage commensality in a flexitarian age

Eating apart together: how vegetarian and meat eating students manage commensality in a flexitarian age

Moral foundations and future pro‐environmental lifestyles choices in the Finnish population

Towards de-dairyfication of the diet?—Consumers downshifting milk, yet justifying their dairy pleasures

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