More and more people of all generations and across Europe are interested in healthy and sustainable food products and in eating more plant-based diets. Veganuary, an annual challenge to go fully plant-based for the month of January, is more popular than ever with over 700 000 people worldwide joining the 2023 challenge. Due to its popularity, many food businesses and restaurants introduce new plant-based products every January and increase their advertising for these products. While Europeans do not need to go fully plant-based, several official bodies and national dietary guidelines recommend moving to a diet richer in fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and with ‘less and better’ meat and dairy products.
The illusion of choice
Yet, the food sector is not making it easy for consumers to eat healthily and sustainably. The less healthy and less sustainable option is the widely available and often more affordable option. It is also the one actively pushed towards consumers. While the burden of making health- and sustainability conscious choices often lies on consumers, our recent report reveals the many factors influencing consumer choice. They range from marketing and advertising, promotional offers, food availability and price, spatial layout in supermarkets and many more.
In fact, as presented by the ‘Put Change on the Menu’ coalition, we speak of an ‘illusion of choice’, as it turns out someone else has already decided what you will eat for lunch. Thus, while some food and drink industry actors and policymakers claim that consumers have a “free choice” of what foods they want to eat, current food environments are in fact restricting their options.
Science is clear: eating more sustainably could make a big difference
Scientific evidence is clear that to address climate change, biodiversity loss and rising greenhouse gas emissions, we need to drastically change the way we produce and consume food. Current European diets are not in line with healthy eating advice: meat levels exceed recommendations by 2-4 times and overweight and obesity rates reach epidemic proportions in Europe. Yet, eating more plant-based can be as easy as swapping meat for beans in a chili con/sin carne recipe – and it benefits health, the planet, and consumers’ wallet.
Make healthy and sustainable food more visible!
Scientific evidence shows making healthy food products more available and visible drives healthier eating habits. A report by SAPEA suggests that effects could be similar for sustainable products. Because one thing is sure: if the UK government has restricted the placements of foods with high fat, sugar and salt content in prominent locations such as the end of isles and checkouts, that’s because visibility does influence consumers’ shopping behaviour. So it’s time to reverse the trend and give healthy and sustainable food the limelight it deserves to make their way onto consumers’ plates.
We speak of an ‘illusion of choice’, as it turns out someone else has already decided what you will eat for lunch.
Research in supermarkets suggest that placing plant-based meat alternatives next to their meat counterparts increases their sales significantly. While currently most plant-based meat and dairy products are hidden from most shoppers in designated ‘veggie’ corners, placing them next to their counterparts could attract new consumers who are interested in trying these products. Evidence also shows that offering more healthy and sustainable foods in school canteens increases children’s fruit and vegetable intake and reduces the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and unhealthy snacks. Other studies have shown that having a vegetarian dish of the day on offer vs. a meat one increases vegetarian food choices.
The good news is there is appetite for delicious plant-based food and people are willing to try if the option is offered. For example, German national train company Deutsche Bahn has excellent plant-based options on board of their trains. Since 2022, more than 50% of the dishes offered are vegetarian or vegan. In 2022, Deutsche Bahn even reported selling over 30% more plant-based dishes than meat-based ones, with the vegan “Currywurst” being their top seller. These examples show that actively re-shaping food environments is needed to support healthier and sustainable food patterns.
What needs to happen?
There are plenty of measures actors from the middle of the food chain and governments should take that address food availability, affordability, characteristics, and desirability. Retailers must stop offering deals that push consumers towards food and drink products we need to consume less of. They should instead target price promotions to support healthier and more sustainable diets.
Additionally, food prices need to send the right signal and support the shift to healthier and more sustainable diets. It means richer in fruit, vegetables, and pulses and with ‘less and better’ animal sourced products. By adjusting their margin policy, retailers should close (if not reverse) the price gap between organic and conventional products. The same should happen between plant vs. animal-source foods, as recently announced by Lidl in Germany.
Governments should also act, for example via fiscal measures and subsidies, to make healthy and sustainable food more affordable. Public canteens should serve healthy and sustainable meals, including more plant-based and with ‘less and better’ animal-source foods.
The upcoming legislative Framework for Sustainable Food Systems (FSFS) can be the much-needed catalyst to transform food environments, provided it’s done right. It can broaden food choices for all consumers and make healthy and sustainable products more available, affordable and desirable. The clock is ticking for the European Commission to deliver on its promise of a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system before the end of its mandate.
More information about “Put Change on the Menu” here.