Local and seasonal labels beat «plant-based» in EU study

Researchers working in the European FoodChoices4LIFE programme report that appeals such as "eat plant-based" can work worse than messages about taste, locality and seasonality, according to ekologia. ekologia.pl The study covered eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden. The programme aims to help consumers make more sustainable food choices while reducing food spending and production-related emissions. ekologia.pl

What the analysis covered

The authors reviewed 73 initiatives aimed at consumers and 83 aimed at professional chefs, all described in international scientific literature. They also ran surveys and focus groups in the eight countries. ekologia.pl

Of the consumer initiatives, 58% led to positive changes in eating behaviour. Simple messages and recommendations, such as encouraging people to eat less meat, were the weakest, at 53%. Education was effective in 86% of the cases analysed. ekologia.pl

Initiatives aimed at chefs were effective in 70% of cases overall. Recipe changes performed best, at 91%, followed by nudges, such as the placement of dishes on a menu, at 76%. ekologia.pl

Local and seasonal versus plant-based

Consumers more readily chose dishes presented as seasonal or local than dishes whose plant-based character was emphasised. The share choosing dishes presented as local was 59.8%, and as seasonal, 59%. Dishes promoted mainly for taste were chosen by 37.3%, and new menu dishes without extra emphasis on their plant-based nature by 28.3%. ekologia.pl

Respondents were also more willing to cut meat by adding vegetables (37.3%) and legumes (32.2%) to their daily diet than by buying ready-made meat substitutes (26.5%). For meat alternatives, taste and texture mattered most, while sustainability arguments came second. ekologia.pl

The results underpin the Cook4Climate project within FoodChoices4LIFE. It includes a free digital cookbook with 27 plant-based recipes, a social media challenge under the hashtag #Cook4Climate, and more than 50 events with chefs across Europe. ekologia.pl

Betty Chang of the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), which coordinates the programme, said that for years people were urged to switch to plant-based diets, but much of that messaging did not deliver the expected effect. In her words, people take it as a lecture, not an invitation. ekologia.pl

FoodChoices4LIFE study in eight European countries: local and seasonal labels beat «plant-based» in dish choice

What the analysis covered

Local and seasonal versus plant-based

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