Acceptance of meat reduction policies in Switzerland

Sebastian Richter; Adrian Muller; Mathias Stolze; Isabelle Schneider; Christian Schader

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106129

Acceptance of meat reduction policies in Switzerland

iScience. 2023 Feb 3;26(3):106129. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106129. eCollection 2023 Mar 17.

Authors

Sebastian Richter¹, Adrian Muller^{1

2}, Mathias Stolze¹, Isabelle Schneider¹, Christian Schader¹

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Department of Socioeconomics, Ackerstrasse 113/Postfach 219, CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland.
² Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), Department of Environmental Systems Science, Sonneggstrasse, 338092 Zürich, Switzerland.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the acceptance of different policy measures affecting meat consumption in Switzerland. We conducted qualitative interviews with leading stakeholders and elaborated 37 policy measures for reducing meat consumption. In a standardized survey, we analyzed the acceptance of these measures and important preconditions for their implementation. Measures with potentially the biggest direct leverage, such as a VAT increase on meat products, were highly rejected. We found high levels of acceptance for measures that do not directly affect meat consumption but have the potential for significant changes of meat consumption in the longer run - such as research investment and sustainable diet education. Furthermore, some measures with considerable short-term effects were widely accepted (e.g., stricter animal welfare standards, ban of meat advertisements). These measures could be a promising starting point for policy makers aiming at a transformation of the food system toward lower levels of meat consumption.

Keywords: Consumer research in food market; Food marketing; Global change; Natural resources; Research methodology social sciences; Sustainability aspects of food production.