Increasing the Proportion of Plant-Based Foods Available to Shift Social Consumption Norms and Food Choice among Non-Vegetarians

Sanne Raghoebar,Emely De Vet,Ellen Van Kleef

doi:10.3390/su12135371

Abstract

Increasing the relative availability of plant-based (versus animal source) foods seems promising in shifting consumption, but it remains unknown how and under what circumstances this happens. We performed two availability manipulations including different foods. The impact on food choice, social norm perceptions about what others do (descriptive) or approve of (injunctive), and salience was assessed. Non-vegetarian participants were visually (Study 1, n = 184) or physically (Study 2, n = 276) exposed to (a) four plant-based and two animal source foods or (b) vice versa. Participants chose one food item, either hypothetically (Study 1) or actually (Study 2), and reported the perceived social norms and salience of plant-based and animal source foods. The results showed no direct effects on food choice, injunctive norms, or salience. An increased proportion of plant-based (versus animal source) foods was interpreted in Study 1 as plant-based foods being less often chosen by others, whereas in Study 2, these foods were interpreted as being more often chosen (marginally significant), while animal source foods were interpreted as being less often chosen. The results suggest that a higher availability of plant-based foods influences descriptive norms, but future research should examine aspects potentially contributing to the contradictory normative interpretations (e.g., norm salience).

Highlights

In an era when unhealthy and unsustainable food consumption patterns pose a global risk to people and planet, transitioning to healthier and more sustainable diets is one of the biggest global challenges
We propose that a relatively high availability of plant-based food products will (a) increase the likelihood of plant-based foods being chosen, (b) increase the perceived salience of plant-based foods, (c) increase perceived descriptive norms signaling that others typically choose plant-based foods, and (d) increase perceived injunctive norms signaling that plant-based foods ought to be chosen according to others
We examined whether perceptions of salience, descriptive norms, and injunctive norms mediate the relationship between the availability condition and food choice

Summary

Introduction

In an era when unhealthy and unsustainable food consumption patterns pose a global risk to people and planet, transitioning to healthier and more sustainable diets is one of the biggest global challenges. Recommendations for these so-called ‘win-win’ diets emphasize mainly an increase in the consumption of plant-based foods and a decrease in the consumption of animal source foods [1], with ruminant meats (e.g., beef), for example, having an environmental impact that is 20–100 times greater than that of plant-based foods [2]. The present paper aims to tackle these gaps in the literature by investigating the circumstances under which, and how, the selection of plant-based versus animal source foods is influenced by food availability

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