The past few years have seen a stark rise in the popularity of veganism. Not only the diet itself, but the products that come of it, trying the odd meat or dairy substitute here and there.
Recent studies have looked into this phenomenon, actually searching for what would make it even more common. Turns out the word ‘vegan’ itself feels a little aggressive, and companies may want to look elsewhere for their titles if they want more people to buy in.
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A new study revealed that the term ‘vegan’ has really fallen off lately.
When it comes to food, anyway.
The British study was conducted by Meatless Farm and Brakes, who surveyed 2000 people about their beliefs regarding both meat and vegan food.
Within their results was the discovery that 39% of people don’t like the ‘vegan’ label.
They would much prefer it if vegan menu options were instead called ‘plant-based’, and would be more likely to order it.
Among the most popular ‘plant-based’ versions of traditionally meat-filled meals are burgers, roast dinner, and lasagna.
The study had plenty more to say about people’s relationship to veganism.
One surprising finding was that half of the respondents didn’t actually understand what vegan meant, with 9% believing the diet to only consist of green foods.
Despite that, and the iffy feelings towards the vegan term, there is still a growing interest in so-called “eco-conscious food”.
Fast food restaurants are picking up on this too.
We’re seeing more and more of them introduce plant-based options to appeal to vegans and those wanting to try more meat substitutes.
Founder of Meatless Farm, Morten Toft Bech, said that meat substitutes are only becoming more common. “Whether you’re vegan or not, plant-based meat has advanced significantly over the last five years and appeals to a broad audience.”
He believes in the emphasis on terminology to get more people on board with the odd meatless meal.
“[…] these findings show that more people may join the veganism movement if wording is changed on menus.
“The job at hand now is to entice as many people as possible to try a plant-based option and labeling vegan options as plant-based could be the ticket that really encourages people to go meatless more.”
h/t: LADBible
