Status: 18.12.2023, 14:47 PM
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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Plant-based diets are in vogue, but the "vegan" label seems to deter consumers. © imageBROKER/Oleksandr Latkun/Imago
Vegan? Don't feel like it! This is apparently the attitude of many people who still want to eat healthy and sustainably. And with the right label, go vegan after all.
LOS ANGELES – Meat eaters may be more likely to opt for plant-based diets if they aren't labeled "vegan." This is suggested by a study by Baruch College in New York and the University of California.
"Vegan" label is apparently a deterrent: More than twice as many people use other labels
In one experiment, 7341 participants chose between a gift basket with meat and dairy products and a purely plant-based one. The plant-based basket had various names such as "vegan", "plant-based", "healthy", "sustainable" or "healthy and sustainable". When it came to the "vegan" label, only 20 percent opted for the meat-free basket. However, if it was described as "plant-based", the rate rose to 27 percent.
| Name for the purely plant-based basket | Selection rate |
|---|---|
| Vegan | 20 percent |
| Vegetable | 27 percent |
| Healthy | 42 percent |
| Sustainable | 43 percent |
| Healthy and sustainable | 44 percent |
The terms "healthy" and "sustainable" achieved strong results with 42 and 43 percent respectively. The basket labelled as "healthy and sustainable" was even chosen by 44 percent of the participants.
Vegan study shows that meat eaters also want to live a healthy and sustainable life
The study suggests that meat eaters would be more willing to give up meat occasionally if the products are not labeled as "vegan." Instead, the health and environmental benefits are enticing. Reducing meat and dairy consumption is beneficial for both health and the environment, especially because of the high CO₂ emissions from meat production. In addition, consumers can save a lot of money with a vegan diet.
A vegan diet is not automatically healthy, as even unhealthy foods such as chips, fries and gummy bears can be purely plant-based. Nevertheless, studies show that a healthy plant-based diet offers health benefits compared to a healthy omnivorous diet. For example, the prevention of cardiovascular disease and a reduced risk of diabetes. In an interview, a nutrition expert explains when vegan nutrition is healthier and when it is not.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model to optimize at their own discretion. All information has been carefully verified. Learn more about our AI principles here.