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”.
Yeah, before the current trend of sustainable / halthy / eco friendly foods (yay) there was absolutely zero broad market demand for vegan foods - so you only got vegan food from small vegan-run companies, who while very well meaning lacked the resources to make food that wasn’t an abomination like the disgusting slimy mess that is tofurkey.
With the rise of the internet and global cultural exchange and etc, there’s widespread ability for vegans to work collaboratively on improving the quality of the food / find dishes that are both delecious and incidentally also vegan (ex: chana masala). I’ve even had some gluten free baked goods that dont take like chickpeas and sand!
(Rant:) Not that gluten intolerances are real outside of coeliacs, but its a big step forward in niche cookery. Stop claiming to be gluten intolerant, you’re not, and by diluting the severity of gluten intolerance you’ve made it impossible for coeliacs to safely eat at restaurants or trust ‘gluten free’ processed foods / ingredients.
My mom’s coeliac and has been since the 80s. It’s gone from “salad no croutons” with extra croutons to “gluten free salad served in a bread bowl.” It’s really frustrating.