Don't call me vegan: People more likely to go meatless if food labelled 'sustainable' instead
Don't call me vegan: People more likely to go meatless if food labelled 'sustainable' instead
Researchers said changing packaging on meat and dairy-free products, which often proudly tout their vegan status, could result in more people selecting them.
Researchers said changing packaging on meat and dairy-free products, which often proudly tout their vegan status, could result in more people selecting them.
People are more likely to pick a meat-free option if it's not labelled vegan, a study suggests.
Foods described as "healthy", "sustainable" or "plant-based" are all more appealing, according to the University of Southern California.
Its research saw more than 7,000 people asked to choose between a vegan food basket and one with meat and dairy.
The former was randomly labelled "vegan", "plant-based", "healthy", "sustainable" or "healthy and sustainable".
The experiment found people were more likely to select it when the focus was on its benefits (such as "sustainable") rather than its content, though "plant-based" was still more popular than "vegan".
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I don't eat meat and haven't for a long time, the last few years I've been vegetarian.
There was a period of time I ate vegan. I still practice some things to this day, trying to eat less processed foods, sourcing things from as humane of a source as possible and that means not just animals, but also people. That's a part of being vegan, if it exploits anything, you avoid it.
It's hard, especially living in a country that has only partially embraced it. You try and live outside that norm, outside of a big city, and sourcing what you want and at a reasonable price is a pain in the ass.
Now to my point, I never felt so much animosity as when I mentioned being vegan. People would ask me what is wrong with me, I would often get lectured on how my perceptions on the meat industry is wrong, and told how I was harming my body by not getting enough protein.
I'm not here to preach my stances.
However, that animosity wasn't just from people with typical diets. What stopped me at first was the reputation vegans had. I didn't want to be associated with that at the time, while I believe things need to change I'm also against shoving my views on someone. Eventually, I met some vegans and they were the opposite of what I heard, I asked about what they do and how they eat, and I tried it.
When I eat with someone new, and I say I'm vegetarian the response is almost always positive, except those who like to try and belittle my manhood because I don't eat meat.
However, what really affected my view towards veganism and why I eventually started saying I eat plant based was because of that scrutiny. People felt so nosy and judgemental. Then I decided maybe I should seek like minded people.
I checked out vegan subreddits, looked for other vegans to meet irl and pretty often when i would mention I'm vegan but I'm against lecturing, I would get the most vile responses. I still remember a time on Reddit that I said exactly that and was harassed by a lot of accounts telling me I was worse for the vegan movement than meat eaters because I wasn't actively pushing my beliefs. So I started to feel isolated, when I would be around some people they would say "oh you're still vegan?" And when I eventually went back to being vegetarian I still sometimes hear "I knew it wouldn't last" or sometimes flamed for the exact kind of view I'm posting now by individuals who may still think I'm a problem.
This is a long winded way of saying, I could have guessed the results of that study and I'm not surprised. I think one of the biggest enemies of the movement is themselves in my experience, and it makes me sad because I really do wish it would catch on more. I wish I didn't sometimes feel like I have to hide my diet, and I wish people wouldn't put so much value on a damn food packaging label.
I think a lot of the problems we have around eating or not eating meat are with identity. You can't just enjoy a vegan meal, or eat less meat. You have to make it your identity: You are a vegan and you swear off all meat products. And you must evangelize or you're not a good vegan.
Conversely, just 12% of the population - mainly males between 50 and 65 - eat half the beef in the country. Why? Because they identify as manly manly men and manly men eat meat. Any suggestion that they eat less, even seeing other men eating less meat, attacks a core part of their identity.
These sorts of identities make it harder for people to change their behavior, and are making it harder to reduce meat consumption to the levels we need.
Why? Because they identify as manly manly men and manly men eat meat. Any suggestion that they eat less, even seeing other men eating less meat, attacks a core part of their identity.
Was that in the study or did you just make that part up?
It's not in the study I linked to, but here's another study that shows this I'm not making it up.
Even ordinary threats to masculinity trigger anxiety. Since the incorporation of meat signals masculinity, it is used to psychologically defend the ego against omnipresent threats to coveted masculine status.
You've established both points independently, but not the correlation between them.
Regarding dietary choices as a personality trait, I feel for you.
Personally, as long as it's not being forced on me, I really don't care what anybody chooses to eat or not eat...but I've definitely seen vegetarian and vegan folks get some harassment for their choices, and I've also certainly seen the reverse, with vegetarian and vegan eaters shaming others who don't do as they do (in many cases, exactly as they do). Hell I've been on the receiving end of it myself.
While two wrongs don't make a right, and I'm sure vegetarians/vegans are on the receiving end of that sort of flak far more often...on the other hand, I think that the percentage of people who give others a hard time about what they're eating is far higher among the vegetarian/vegan community than outside it. That is to say, it appears that the "preachy, holier-than-thou vegetarian/vegan" is a very well-earned/deserved stereotype...as those things go. Even extending, as you've unfortunately had to deal with, to turning their derision on members of their own community. They've also done themselves no favors by making it less a matter of "what you eat" and more a matter of "who you are".
The identity politics of vegetarianism and veganism certainly create a lot more potential for toxicity...and it's unfortunate: I'm sure there are plenty of people who might consider reducing or even eliminating meat from their diets, but the thought of being associated with these groups is enough to keep them content with the status quo.