Plant-based food is healthier and better for the climate, and yet many people still reach for meat. A new study analyses the hidden barriers: limited knowledge of plant-based meals, a culture centred on meat – and fear of unfamiliar food.
In recent years, there has been a strong focus on getting more people to eat a more plant-based diet. Replacing more steaks with chickpeas and aubergines would not only be good for the climate – for many, it would also be healthier.
Nevertheless, experience shows that even when tofu and vegetables are readily available in the kitchen, many people still end up putting meat on their plates.
Now, a new study reveals the barriers: lack of knowledge about plant-based meals – and not just ingredients – often makes replacing meat difficult. The fear of trying new foods also plays a role.
“We want to understand what people think in cultures in which meals are almost always centred around meat. We also want a way to quantify this so that we can measure whether initiatives change people’s eating habits,” explains Ramya Rao, PhD student from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The study has been published in Appetite, which specialises in research on food and eating behaviour.
We know vegetables – but not the meal
The researchers designed a questionnaire to obtain insight into why meat is an essential part of a meal for many people.
The researchers developed a structured questionnaire that systematically tested four psychological factors: (1) knowledge of plant-based meals, (2) meat-centred thinking, (3) food neophobia (fear of new foods) and (4) cognitive style – analytical versus intuitive thinking that may be linked to food choices..
The first topic focused on whether people were familiar with plant-based meals: not just the ingredients in a dish but the entire meal. Many people are familiar with tofu or vegetables – but if you do not know how to combine them into a delicious meal, the steak will still end up on your plate. This is similar to having screws and planks lying around without knowing how to assemble a chair.
The second topic focused on a meat-centred food mindset. For example, people may have the idea that a meal must include meat, or they may really enjoy the taste of meat or the feeling of eating meat.
Another factor is food neophobia – fear of the unknown on your plate. It does not mean that you are fussy – just more likely to stick to familiar food. That alone can be a barrier to trying plant-based meals.
Finally, the researchers also asked about cognitive style: whether people are more intuitive or more analytical. A previous study from France has shown that analytical people are more likely to identify as a vegetarian or vegan. The more intuitive you are, the more likely you are to be a meat eater.
Almost 600 people responded
Almost 600 people participated – 325 in Melbourne and 267 in Copenhagen – with both Australia and Denmark ranking among the world’s highest countries in per-capita meat consumption.
The researchers compared the responses to the questions within the four topics with how often the participants chose plant-based meals or not.
The study shows that people with a meat-centric mindset about meals are less likely to eat plant-based meals.
Ramya Rao emphasises that although these results may seem intuitive, the study enables the significance of each barrier in determining people’s food choices to be quantified for the first time.
But more importantly, these participants also showed a lesser meat-centric mindset.
“This highlights the importance of being familiar with plant-based food not only at the ingredient level but also at the meal level,” says Ramya Rao.
People in Denmark fear unfamiliar foods – less so in Australia
In Denmark, the researchers also found that food neophobia was correlated with greater meat-centred meal perception and less inclination to eat plant-based foods.
The higher the degree of food neophobia the participants had, the less inclined they were to eat plant-based meals.
In Denmark, the fear of new foods is closely linked to a meat-centric mindset. In Australia, the same link was absent – perhaps because Australians are already used to eating a wide range of dishes from other cultures, including India, Thailand and China.
Although food neophobia did affect plant-based eating, it was not linked to a more meat-centred mindset around meals.
According to Ramya Rao, one explanation may be that since people in Australia are more accustomed than people in Denmark to eating many different types of food, such as Indian, Thai and Chinese more regularly, this may affect food-related neophobia and why it influences the tendency to eat plant-based foods without this happening through a meat-centred perception of meals.
Perhaps surprisingly, whether people thought more with their stomachs or their heads – intuitively or analytically – made no difference. Both groups ate approximately the same amount of meat and vegetables. This lack of correlation is an important scientific point.
When plant-based food becomes familiar, we choose it more often
Ramya Rao explains that the study provides insight into areas for intervention to push people towards more plant-based choices.
A key objective could be to try to change people’s knowledge of what comprises a plant-based meal and not just what plant-based foods are. The aim is to make plant-based meals more familiar as a concept and thereby also minimise the meat-centric perception of meals.
“The focus is on identifying what prevents more plant-based choices. People need to know not just the ingredients but how to prepare whole meals. That makes it easier to choose plant-based food – and can help to reduce meat consumption,” says Ramya Rao.
“And cultural context matters: barriers vary, even between regions with similar norms and meat consumption.”
