- Plant-based, not vegan, preferred
- Labels affect food choices
- Shift in marketing boosts adoption
Based on recent research, plant-based consumables without vegan labeling are significantly more delicious.
‘Vegan’ or ‘plant-based’ food gift baskets were selected by only 20 percent of recipients, whereas the corresponding ‘healthy and sustainable’ baskets were embraced by 44 percent of recipients.
As evidenced by research indicating that consuming more fruits and vegetables and limiting meat and dairy consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, an increasing number of individuals are adopting a vegan diet.
According to the latest study, individuals are still wary of “vegan” food and prefer other labels.
Recent research suggests that a healthy diet could be adopted by more people if advertised properly.
A national dietary choice experiment was conducted by a team from the University of Southern California to compare the responses of individuals to the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ in comparison to ‘healthy,’ ‘sustainable,’ and ‘healthy and sustainable.’
7,341 participants in the study, presented at the 2023 Annual Conference of the Society for Risk Analysis, were tasked with selecting between a food gift basket containing meat and dairy and one that did not.
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Participants were randomly assigned one of five labels to indicate their meat and dairylessness preference.
It was discovered that the likelihood of selecting a food gift basket that excluded meat and dairy was reduced when the label emphasized the basket’s content (e.g., ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’) rather than its benefits (e.g., ‘healthy,’ ‘sustainable,’ or both).
Only 20 percent of respondents selected the plant-based food basket instead of the vegan basket, which omitted meat and dairy. In contrast, 27 percent of respondents opted for the plant-based basket.
On the contrary, when the food container was labeled healthy, 42% of the participants selected it. When it was labeled sustainable, 43% liked it, and when it was labeled healthy and sustainable, 44% chose it.
Seven percent of the participants identified as vegan. In contrast, 86 percent identified as red meat eaters, 15 percent as vegetarians, and 59 percent as health-conscious eaters.
Dr. Patrycja Sleboda, an assistant professor of psychology at the City University of New York, conducted the study. She stated, “This labeling effect was consistent across sociodemographic groups and was especially pronounced among individuals who identified as red-meat eaters.”
Label changes are, therefore, a scalable, low-cost intervention that promotes environmentally sustainable and nutritious food options.
Approximately five percent of Americans identify as vegetarian, while three percent identify as vegan.
