How flexible are flexitarians? Examining diversity in dietary patterns, motivations and future intentions

Abstract

Today's food systems are neither healthy nor sustainable, and excessive levels of meat consumption in high-income countries are part of the problem. A rising number of consumers are adopting ‘flexitarian’ diets (i.e., are choosing to reduce or limit their meat consumption). There is limited insight on the meat consumption patterns of this growing population subgroup. This study focuses on self-described flexitarian consumers and examines variation in their consumption frequency of meat, their consumption of specific types of meat (beef, chicken, pork, lamb) and fish, and their willingness to further reduce their consumption of meat. Variation in dietary motivations is also examined. Using online survey data from 717 Australian flexitarians, five distinct flexitarian segments are identified. Across the five segments, differences in meat consumption frequency reveal three distinct levels of meat restriction– ‘Heavy meat reducers’ (14% of sample), ‘Moderate meat reducers’ (36%) and ‘Light meat reducers’ (50%). For all five segments, health is the most common factor motivating the decision to adopt flexitarian diets. Consumers in the ‘Heavy meat reducers’ segment, are also highly motivated by animal welfare concerns and is this small segment is also the most likely to adopt vegetarian or vegan dietary patterns in the future. Overall results suggest that greater reductions in meat consumption could potentially be achieved through targeted interventions focusing on the unique barriers/enablers of further meat reduction for each segment.