Warning labels can reduce meat consumption

Tobacco-style health or environmental warnings on food can help drive consumer choices and climate-friendly habits, finds research from Durham University, even if the results suggest people are more likely swayed by the threat of a pandemic than the threat of climate change. 

Why food warnings matter

Generally speaking, interventions that lead people to buy less of a product doesn’t seem like a good thing for advertisers, but the imperative of climate catastrophe is likely to force governments to act sooner or later. Brands should understand the possible measures coming down the sustainability track while assessing how the product mix can help adapt to them. 

Ultimately, meat consumption needs to decline if major economies like the UK are to meet their climate targets. For instance, Britain must reduce its meat and dairy intake by 20% by 2030 if it is to meet its net zero target. Various studies now show that the climate crisis cannot be addressed without a drastic reduction in meat intake. 

What’s going on

The Guardian carries the story of the research, published in the journal Appetite, which suggests that graphic warning labels can reduce consumers’ selection of meat-based products by between 7% and 10%. 

A total of 1001 meat eaters were split into four groups and shown a series of animal and plant-based meals with either health warnings, climate warnings, pandemic warnings, or no warnings. 

• Pandemic warnings (intensive modern farming is linked to pandemic outbreak risks) were the most effective deterrents, with meat choices down 10%. 
• Health warnings reduced meat consumption by 8.8%
• Climate warnings reduced meat choices by 7.4%, though the researchers noted that participants found these warnings more credible.

In context

The best-known use of warning labels comes from the tobacco industry, though the effect of these warnings on people’s decision to stop smoking is complex; while some studies show an impact on smokers, the effects might be more important among non-smokers. 

In the context of meat consumption, where most people (72% in the UK, according to YouGov) partake, one of the big challenges will be addressing audiences that often continue to see animal protein as a luxury. 

Sourced from the Guardian, Appetite, National Library of Medicine