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Sustainable diets

Long-lasting impact of information on meat consumption

Nature Food volume 4, pages 205–206 (2023)Cite this article

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Low-cost informational interventions promoting the environmental and health benefits of reducing meat consumption can stimulate long-lasting dietary change and build support for systemic meat reduction policies.

Substantial reductions in meat consumption are crucial to attain climate targets and limit the numerous environmental impacts associated with livestock farming1. Policy interventions aimed at guiding individuals towards more plant-based diets and away from meat consumption have the potential to mitigate climate change, while improving public health and animal welfare2,3. Yet, public and political appetite for more intrusive — and perhaps more impactful — interventions, such as bans or meat taxes, remains low4. Moreover, although consumers are increasingly knowledgeable about their dietary choices, many still underestimate the environmental impact of their food consumption and the health benefits of adopting plant-based diets5. In response, policymakers often emphasize the importance of information provision in the hope that educating consumers alone will encourage more sustainable diets. Although several studies have now documented positive effects from informational interventions, these are often small and short lived, raising questions about their ability to bring about transformative dietary change.

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  1. El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Paul M. Lohmann

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  1. Paul M. Lohmann
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Correspondence to Paul M. Lohmann.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Lohmann, P.M. Long-lasting impact of information on meat consumption. Nat Food 4, 205–206 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00721-0

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