Abstract
A reduction in the demand for meat and particularly red meat has the potential to significantly enhance the sustainability and health of many people’s diets. In the current work, I examine situational predictors of meat consumption in nationally representative nutrition surveys from three Western European countries: Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. More specifically, I examine whether the situational factors – the meal type, the day of the week and the location of the food consumption occasion – are predictive of whether meat and red meat are consumed. The results indicate that all three factors are linked to meat and red meat consumption with the patterns varying substantially across the different case study countries and in some cases also the gender of the consumer. The results emphasise the value of mapping situational correlates to inform situated interventions aimed at influencing meat consumption, while also highlighting important differences across both cultures and people.
Generated Summary
This research article presents a cross-cultural examination of the situational correlates of meat and red meat consumption in Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. The study uses national nutrition survey data to investigate how factors like meal type, day of the week, and location influence meat consumption patterns. The methodology involves multilevel logistic regression analyses to account for the clustering of meal episodes within respondents, utilizing participants’ unique identifiers as a random intercept. The research explores how these situational predictors vary across the three countries and considers the influence of gender on these relationships. The study aims to inform the design of behavioral interventions aimed at reducing meat consumption by identifying key situational factors that influence consumer choices and highlighting cultural differences in these patterns. The study explores the “what”, “when”, “where”, and “who” of meat consumption to offer insights for tailored intervention strategies.
Key Findings & Statistics
- The study uses data from the Third French Individual and National Survey on Food Consumption 2014-15 (INCA3), The Swiss National Nutrition Survey (menuCH) 2014–2015, and the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS) 2012–2016.
- In 2017, the estimated ‘meat supply’ was over 67 kg per capita annually in Switzerland, 75.81 kg in the Netherlands, and 83.04 kg in France, compared to a global average of 43.22 kg.
- The Swiss have the lowest percentage of food consumption occasions involving meat at 23.4%, compared to 25.3% in France and 24.6% in the Netherlands.
- The French and the Dutch eat red meat on 6.1% of occasions, whereas the Swiss eat it on 5% of occasions.
- Meal type is associated with meat consumption across all three case study countries, with people being more likely to eat meat at lunch and dinner compared to breakfast.
- Meat consumption is less likely on a Thursday and Friday compared to a Monday in France, and more likely on a Sunday compared to Monday in Switzerland.
- Compared to eating at home, people are consistently less likely to eat meat at work and more likely to eat meat when eating out at a café or a restaurant, across all three countries.
- People are significantly more likely to eat meat when eating at friends’ and family members’ homes in both France and Switzerland but not in the Netherlands.
- Eating outside and in other places is significantly negatively associated with eating meat in Switzerland but positive in both France and the Netherlands.
Other Important Findings
- The study found that situational predictors of meat consumption vary across countries.
- In Switzerland, eating at work is more negatively predictive of eating meat compared to at home than it is in France.
- Men are more likely to eat meat at work than when at home in the Netherlands, whereas women are less likely.
- Lunch and dinner are the meals during the day when both meat and red meat are most likely to be consumed.
- The ‘Sunday effect’ on meat consumption, documented by Horgan et al. (2019) in the UK, is also observed in Switzerland.
- Restaurants and cafes are highlighted as important sites where people tend to eat meat in all three of the case study countries.
Limitations Noted in the Document
- The available data does not allow for investigation of features of context such as who the person is with at the moment of consumption or the food options available.
- The datasets do not include individual specific factors like self-control, meat attachment, or habit strength, which may moderate the relationship between situational factors and consumption.
- The work cannot speak to the relative importance of contextual factors explored here in other parts of the world or the case study countries in more recent times.
Conclusion
The study underscores the importance of meal type and location as significant predictors of meat consumption. These findings suggest that interventions should target restaurants and cafes, as meat consumption is more frequent in these settings. Additionally, the positive association of eating meat at social gatherings in France and Switzerland highlights the need for culturally tailored interventions that address social norms. The variation in consumption patterns across genders, particularly in the Netherlands, points to the importance of considering gender-specific strategies. The study suggests that focusing efforts on the contexts where meat consumption is most prevalent, such as lunch and dinner, could yield the most effective results in encouraging dietary changes. The study reinforces that there is a pressing need for research to examine the generalizability of interventions from one situation to another. Policymakers and researchers can use the findings to guide the development and delivery of targeted interventions aimed at reducing meat consumption. This may include menu design changes, social marketing approaches, and interventions tailored to specific cultural contexts and population groups, leading to a more sustainable food system.