Reducing meat consumption in the USA: a nationally representative survey of attitudes and behaviours

Abstract

ObjectiveExcess meat consumption, particularly of red and processed meats, is associated with nutritional and environmental health harms. While only a small portion of the population is vegetarian, surveys suggest many Americans may be reducing their meat consumption. To inform education campaigns, more information is needed about attitudes, perceptions, behaviours and foods eaten in meatless meals.DesignA web-based survey administered in April 2015 assessed meat reduction behaviours, attitudes, what respondents ate in meatless meals and sociodemographic characteristics.SettingNationally representative, web-based survey in the USA.SubjectsUS adults (n 1112) selected from GfK Knowledgeworks’ 50 000-member online panel. Survey weights were used to assure representativeness.ResultsTwo-thirds reported reducing meat consumption in at least one category over three years, with reductions of red and processed meat most frequent. The most common reasons for reduction were cost and health; environment and animal welfare lagged. Non-meat reducers commonly agreed with statements suggesting that meat was healthy and ‘belonged’ in the diet. Vegetables were most often consumed ‘always’ in meatless meals, but cheese/dairy was also common. Reported meat reduction was most common among those aged 45–59 years and among those with lower incomes.ConclusionsThe public and environmental health benefits of reducing meat consumption create a need for campaigns to raise awareness and contribute to motivation for change. These findings provide rich information to guide intervention development, both for the USA and other high-income countries that consume meat in high quantities.

Public perceptions of how to reduce carbon footprints of consumer food choices

“…Thus, participants with stronger environmental worldviews did not always seem to know more about how to identify food products with lower carbon footprints. Although these participants may shop for food with such rules in mind (Neff et al 2018), their rules may not be the most effective ones.…”

Green Light for Climate-friendly Food Transitions? Communicating Legal Innovation Increases Consumer Support for Meat Curtailment Policies

“…A critical feature of these changes is to aim toward reduced consumption of animal-based products and increased consumption of plant-based foods, particularly in more economically developed countries (Clark & Tilman, 2017;Schepers & Annemans, 2018;Shepon et al, 2018;Springmann et al, 2016;Stoll-Kleemann & Schmidt, 2017;Willett et al, 2019). It is expected that both production (e.g., higher crop yields) and consumption-based approaches (e.g., reducing meat consumption) will be required for such changes to occur (Hartmann & Siegrist;Neff et al, 2018;Poore & Nemecek, 2018;Röös et al, 2017). However, changing the food practices of consumers will likely be a challenging task for several reasons.…”

“…In light of these challenges, there have been calls for designing and implementing public policies to reduce meat consumption and promote more plantbased diets (i.e., Meat Curtailment Policies; MCPs), which may help trigger large-scale changes toward healthier and more sustainable eating patterns Clark & Tilman, 2017;de Boer & Aiking, 2017, 2018Graça, Godinho, et al, 2019;Godfray et al, 2018;Neff et al, 2018;Raphaely & Marinova, 2014;Van Loo, Hoefkens, Verbeke, 2017). Such policies may include, for instance, using institutional pledges and proposals, legislation, and taxes and subsidies to help shape and regulate the production and consumption of animal-sourced and plant-based foods (e.g., Vinnari & Vinnari, 2014;Whitley et al, 2018).…”

Microbiome and Functional Analysis of a Traditional Food Process: Isolation of a Novel Species (Vibrio hibernica) With Industrial Potential

“…Additionally glutathione is known to contribute to the kokumi flavor of a product (Tang et al, 2017). In a world where there is a trend for a decrease in excessive meat consumption, optimizing and increasing the nutritional and vitamin content of the meat is imperative, moreover curing meat has previously been shown to increase the nutritional value of the product (Okoń et al, 2017;Neff et al, 2018). Thus, the manipulation of a microbiome and the individual microbial components to use their full genetic potential would be beneficial to a number of industries.…”