Animal welfare and health aspects, on the other hand, promote the use of meat alternatives
"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."
