The protein transition and sustainable diets: a case study on the diets of young adults in Utrecht

Abstract

System transitions are needed to create a more sustainable world that provides for future generations. When it comes to dietary choices, a protein transition from animal-based proteins to plant-based proteins in the diets of young adults can facilitate more sustainable diets for the betterment of human health and the environment. To find current patterns and study a smaller subsystem that is under researched to add on to this system change away from the meat and dairy regime towards more plant-based diets: The dietary habits of 25 young adults in Utrecht are studied through interviews, with a focus on the role of social and non-social information, as well as their own values and motivations in determining current diets, in order to find strategies to increase a dietary protein transition and provide insight into more plant-based diets. Diet labels are not well defined for flexitarians and vegetarians, and vegan diets can be challenging in modern society. Power and achievement values and motives are found to be central to these students' wanting to make a change in the current practices. Environmental degradation mitigation and animal welfare play a bigger role in vegetarian and vegan diets than in flexitarian diets, but they are not unimportant to flexitarians. Health plays a role in every diet, and protein is broadly known to be important for an active lifestyle. It was found that food environments can still reduce the availability of animal product-based foods and promote plant-based foods better through nudging and price differentiation. Young adults have busy schedules and not a lot of money to spend on food items. Social networks of plant-based eating young adults adapt to more sustainable diets when eating together, which makes them influential in a transition towards plant-based protein diets. Life transitions, in which social situations often change, are windows of change for adapting to more plant-based diets. The opportunity for plant-based diets is increasing through an increase in vegetarian or vegan restaurants and the improvement of meat substitutes. The latter can be further improved by changing intent and making less processed substitutes that are affordable and easily available. Designing more plant-based applications in restaurants, supermarkets or at events. Thereby, a decreasing demand for meat by consumers can shape food environments and social situations towards more sustainable diets that are culturally accepted, healthy, and alleviate climate change.