Psychological Barriers to Sustainable Dietary Patterns: Findings from Meat Intake Behaviour

Abstract

Sustainable diets are patterns that change consumer behaviour towards more balanced and plant-based habits. This study investigates the effect of individuals’ predisposition to adopt sustainable diets while reducing meat intake by measuring their psychological proximity to meat. Using an online consumer-based platform, a cross-sectional survey collected responses from 497 individuals. Questionnaire items included 43 questions prospected from the literature, coded as practical and essential barriers and measured on a modified 7-point Likert scale. The results showed some paradoxes, as a high predisposition to adopt a sustainable diet coexists with a high predisposition to consume animal-based proteins. The main perceived barrier to adopting a plant-based diet was the enjoyment of eating meat, followed by the lack of information about plant-based diets. Barriers related to meat alternatives remained the highest above all the others. It confirms that, for local consumers, meat remains a usual option and is easier to prepare. When investigating the moderating effect of barriers on the predisposition to behaviours towards meat intake reduction, no effect was confirmed. However, we found a U-shaped moderating effect for plant-based meal increase, confirming the psychological proximity of the meat consumption effects under the lens of the Construal Level Theory and Transtheoretical Model. These findings call for further research on the effectiveness of measuring psychological barriers related to sustainable diet adoption.

Forty-five years of research on vegetarianism and veganism: A systematic and comprehensive literature review of quantitative studies

“…Ll,lll,lV]; Trethewey & Jackson [ 199 ]; Urbanovich & Bevan [ 200 ]; Vainio [ 201 ]; Vainio et al [ 202 , 203 ]; Waters [ 204 ]; Zur & Klöckner [ 205 ] Vgt-M 37 Apostolidis & McLeay [ 21 ]; Beardsworth & Bryman [ 206 , 207 ]; Besson et al [ 208 ]; De Houwer & De Bruycker [ 209 ]; Earle & Hodson [ 23 ]; Fessler et al [ 210 ]; Giacoman et al [ 211 ]; Giraldo et al [ 212 ]; Graça et al [ 213 ]; Hoek et al [ 214 ]; Hussar & Harris [ 215 ]; Lindeman & Sirelius [ 122 . II]; Lourenco et al [ 24 ]; Mullee et al [ 216 ]; Neuman et al [ 217 ]; Patel & Buckland [ 218 ]; Rosenfeld [ 129 .II]; Rosenfeld & Tomiyama [ 219 ]; Rosenfeld et al [ 220 ]; Rothgerber [ 221 ]; Rozin & Fallon [ 222 ]; Rozin et al [ 223 ]; Ruby et al [ 224 ]; Santos & Booth [ 225 ]; Schösler et al [ 226 , 227 ]; Shickle et al [ 228 ]; Siegrist & Hartmann [ 4 ]; Timko et al [ 197 ]; Vandermoere et al [ 229 ]; Weinstein & de Man [ 230 ] Vgt-Vgn- M -C 29 Apostolidis & McLeay [ 231 ]; Bryant & Sanctorum [ …”

“…In this regard, VEG has rapidly expanded from philosophical and medical disciplines to other areas related to psychology, consumer behavior, and behavioral science [ 22 ]. One of the reasons for the increase in this research is related to the fact that, although VEG is seen as a promising avenue that brings a more ethical, sustainable, and healthier society, such a lifestyle transition is also seen as a challenge [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Barriers to Adopting a Plant-Based Diet in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

“…In this review, nutritional intake and requirements were the barriers most cited as preventing an individual from adopting a PBD; this was not reflected in the broader literature of research studies. As many other studies stated, the most important barriers were food neophobia, food preparation, lack of information, enjoyment of meat, and a belief that humans are made to eat large amounts of meat [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Furthermore, other systematic reviews did not report nutritional intake and requirements as a key barrier/factor preventing the adoption of a PBD.…”

Green Biomass-Based Protein for Sustainable Feed and Food Supply: An Overview of Current and Future Prospective

“…This is due to an increasing world population [ 140 , 141 ] and to meet a demand for lower energy and labor inputs to food production. Success in this matter means sustaining our feeding needs and consists of an intricate web involving psychological [ 142 ], political [ 136 ], environmental [ 143 , 144 ], cultural, economic, and personal issues [ 136 , 139 , 141 , 142 , 145 ].…”

“…The negative relationship between predisposition changes in behavior for the adoption of a sustainable diet and the lack of information on plant-based diets [ 142 ] pinches objectives for future research. Focus themes such as refining the positive health effects, affordable products, improving behavior, and the disclosure of amino acid and digestibility standards of the plant-based proteins are other research inputs.…”