1. Meat Reduction
Opportunities & Challenges
Isabelle Teresa Kelly
Research Associate in Nutritional Behaviour Change
December 2015

2. This morning:
Why should we be interested in
meat consumption?
What influences meat
consumption?
How and when can we change
dietary behaviour?
Where does the current body of
work lead to?
• 97 journal papers
• 9 market reports
• 21 health and ecological reports
• Charitable and governmental
schemes and data

3. To begin:
• Integrate public health & environmental evidence, trends
and drivers
• Understand consumer preferences, values and ethics
• Make change easy, specific and desirable
Should – Would – Could

4. What’s the problem?
Industrial meat production is a leading cause of ecological burden and non-communicable
disease (Gossard & York, 2003; Montonen et al., 2013)
38 million people die each year from diet-related NCDs – primarily CVDs, cancer, diabetes
(WHO, 2015)
Poor diet contributes more than tobacco to disability-adjusted life years
(PHE, 2013)
Dietary transformation since industrial revolution, urbanisation and changes in occupational
structure (WHO, 2003)
Obesity is at crisis-point globally: 600 million & 1.9 billion overweight, with rapid
acceleration in LMICs
(Bailey & Harper, 2015)

5. ‘Eating like
there’s no
tomorrow’Macdiarmid, Douglas & Campbell (2016)
Less than ⅕ respondents typically recognise that
meat consumption may impact climate change.
(Clonan et al., 2015)
COP21: Agriculture and meat consumption are not
yet ‘on the agenda’.
Sustainability of the food system cannot be
separated from the obesity epidemic.
(Swinburn et al., 2015)

6. Red and
processed meat
THE HEALTH EVIDENCE
BMI
Diabetes
Inflammation
Heart disease
Cancer
IARC (2015) Processed meat is a class 1
carinogen. Red meat is class 2A.
WCRF (2015) 21% increased risk of colorectal
cancer per +50g processed meat eaten per
day.
But… high protein diets have shown
efficacy in longevity, health and weight
maintenance.

7. Only ⅓ willing to eat less meat (Eating Better, 2014)
Despite negative attitudes towards its effect
on health, the environment and animal
welfare (Holm & Mohl, 2000)
32% F
56% M
UK adults eating more
than RI red meat.
(Bates et al., 2014)
32% F
Recommended:
500g p/w
70g p/d
As little processed
meat as possible

8. Trends
Public opinion is shifting radically in
many countries. (Ruby et al., 2016)
Animal cruelty, food safety and the
environment are leading concerns
(Humane League, 2015)
Mintel (2016) report: ‘eco diets’ and
‘meat alternatives’ as key food trends.
Beyond Meat sales increased 250%
2013-2014.
IGD 2015: Shoppers are ‘more
optimistic’ and quality is an increasing
concern.
Discounters are bringing in more
premium meat at lower prices.
Processed meat – what is the new Euromonitor data telling us?
By Pinar Hosafci, food analyst at Euromonitor International, 18-Aug-2014
…Health is on the agenda!

9. To begin:
• Integrate public health & environmental evidence, trends
and drivers
• Understand consumer preferences, values and ethics
• Make change easy, specific and desirable
Should – Would – Could

10. Meat: a social
creature
Traditionally a symbol of wealth and rank
(Atkins, 2013)
The meat paradox: simultaneously the most
cross-culturally revered and taboo cuisine
(Fessler & Navarette, 2003)
Identity and food narratives are partly
determined by the level of meat we consume
(Fox & Ward, 2008)

11. The 4 N’s
(Piazza et al., 2015)
Natural
Normal
Necessary
Nice
Justifications for
meat eating…
The four N’s

12. • High-SES groups consume up to 128g/d more
F&V, and up to 26g/d less processed meat.
• Food insecure households = children consume
more processed meat (+white bread+chips)
• SES dietary clusters: processed (all food types)
vs. traditional (incl. high meat) vs. plant-based.
• Pregnant women who are more deprived have
poorer quality diets higher in processed meat,
related to adverse birth outcomes.
(Maguire & Monsivais, 2015; Pilgrim et al., 2011; Smith
et al., 2011; Haggarty et al., 2009)
• Neither all food, nor all meats are
considered equal.
• Masculinity is linked to more justifications
of meat eating.
• Choosing to be vegetarian/vegan changes
social perceptions of the eater.
• Moral disengagement from meat is a barrier
to change.
(Rothgerber, 2013; Thomas, 2015; Graca et al., 2014)

13. Meat reducers
Elaboration over time to contextualise behaviour
– ‘cognitive consistency’ – including
environmental beliefs and values
Moralisation and the recruitment of disgust
“Eat food. Not too
much. Mostly
plants.”
Ethical vs. health trajectories
Elimination happens in a step-wise
manner, & slow adaptation may aid
strategy development
FISH – EGGS – MEAT SUBS - LENTILS

14. The Family ~ Life stage transitions
Parental verbal pressure less important
than actual behaviour - modelling is key.
(Zarychta et al., 2016)
Cohabitation increased processed meat
consumption. Parenthood increased F&V
consumption in women, not men.
(Hartmann et al., 2014)
Temporal landmarks are important for
behaviour change. The ‘New Years Eve
Effect’ – creating aspirational behaviour.
Barrier removal.
(Dai et al., 2014)

15. Cutting out meat was found to be best
predicted by higher ethical motivations,
lower positive attitudes towards the food
group, & strength of identification with
specific cognitions such as ‘I will eat
more foods from other food groups’.
(Ogden et al., 2007)
Do we understand
why?
Food literacy skills are associated
with the healthfulness of dietary
intake.
(Vaitkeviciute, Ball & Harris, 2015)
Transfer cognitions and
compensatory beliefs predict
intentions over and above
behaviour-specific cognitions.
(Fleig et al., 2015)

16. To begin:
• Integrate public health & environmental evidence, trends
and drivers
• Understand consumer preferences, values and ethics
• Make change easy, specific and desirable
Should – Would – Could

17. Choice exploration
Exploration
Uncertainty
We are more likely to
explore our options if we
are uncertain that we are
getting the most value for
our behaviour.
Exploitation
Satisfaction
Implicit or explicit
outcomes that are
personally resonant to the
individual. Important for
adherence.
Exploration
Opportunity
Simple environmental
‘nudges’ can promote
healthy behaviour change
on a subconscious level,
vs. cognitive approach.
Architecture Value equality Reward

18. Why processed meat?
Antibiotics
Used systematically in
factory farming conditions, to
combat disease.
Welfare
80% of animals in the EU
bred for food are factory
farmed.
GMOs
Up to 50% feed is sourced
from genetically modified
organisms.
Environment
Degradation of soil, land,
water and natural resources is
a global priority.

19. Malnutrition
Ultra-processed, nutrient
poor food features in many
unhealthy meal occasions, and
contributes to food
inequalities.

20. What’s missing?

21. SALUTOGENESIS ~ a health promotion approach
• WHO (2015) European health report calls for paradigm shift from death and disease
to health and wellbeing.
• Development of food literacy
• Intergenerational benefits
• Minimising anxiety
• Specific food occasions
GUT HEALTH – BETTER DIGESTION
SATIETY – VALUE FOR £
FOOD SAFETY – CHILD DEVELOPMENT

22. Few interventions
designed to achieve co-
benefits

23. What next?
Focus groups – explanatory purpose
• Assess knowledge, attitudes and preferences towards health re. processed meat
• Exploration of the gender narrative, relative to responsibilities as parents
• Acceptability and familiarity of high-fibre meat substitutes

24. Behavioural mapping
Framework analysis of FGs
(Ritchie & Lewis, 2013)
Problem-driven  Theory-driven