Sustainable Consumption in Everyday Life: A Qualitative Study of UK Consumer Experiences of Meat Reduction

Josephine Mylan

doi:10.3390/su10072307

Abstract

A reduction in meat consumption is increasingly considered fundamental to a sustainable food system. This paper contributes to understanding how meat consumers enact ‘meat reduction’ in the context of their everyday lives, exploring the motivations, strategies and experiences of eating less meat. Data were generated through twenty in-depth interviews with UK meat eaters, half of whom aimed to reduce their meat intake. Accounts from three meat-reducing respondents are used to present insights from the in-depth exploration of meat reduction in relation to broader practices of eating and food provision in daily life, interpreted through the lens of a practice-oriented understanding of consumption. Findings suggest that the enactment of meat reduction is determined by factors beyond individuals’ ethical stance towards environmental issues or animal welfare. Rather, meat reduction relates to understandings of nutrition and vitality of the body, concerns about the conditions of meat provision, and the personal relationships and routine activities through which meals are sourced, prepared and eaten. The study highlights the variety in understandings underpinning the motivations and strategies of consumer meat reduction. The analysis contributes to the literature on sustainable consumption and production, with a case study of the lived experience of sustainable dietary change.

Highlights

Changes in the consumption patterns of western societies are fundamental to meeting sustainable development goals and climate change targets [1]
This is reflected in the responses of commercial food processors, supermarkets and restaurants where the marketing of meat-free options is on the rise
Consumers’ awareness of the links between meat eating and environmental problems remains low in the UK and beyond [26]

Summary

Introduction

Changes in the consumption patterns of western societies are fundamental to meeting sustainable development goals and climate change targets [1]. The aim of this paper is to further explore the important, but as yet under-studied empirical phenomenon of ‘meat reduction’, a concrete instantiation of consumer action on sustainable consumption, and how it is enacted within the context of everyday life. This is approached through a qualitative exploration of meat-reducers’ lived experience of meat eating and meat reduction, using data generated through in-depth interview, interpreted through the lens of a practice-oriented perspective on (sustainable) consumption.

Meat Reduction within the Practice of Eating

Data Collection

Motivations for Meat Reduction

Strategies for Meat Reduction

Living Meat Reduction

Findings

Discussion and Conclusions