A review of policy levers to reduce meat production and consumption

IF 4.6 2区 医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES Appetite Pub Date : 2024-09-19 DOI:10.1016/j.appet.2024.107684
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Abstract

It is increasingly apparent that we require a substantial reduction in animal production and consumption for the sake of the environment and public health. In this paper, we conducted a systematic review to explore the policy levers available for governments to reduce animal farming and the consumption of meat. The policy levers generated by the review are categorised by four main types of interventions: Financial measures, Command- and-control, Informational, and Behavioural. First, we explore four financial measures: taxes on meat is the most-studied intervention, and the least publicly accepted in polling, sometimes being implemented indirectly via measures such as carbon taxes or rescinding VAT exemptions; subsidies for animal product alternatives are considered as a more publicly acceptable alternative approach, and would reduce long-term demand for meat by making alternatives more competitive; agricultural carbon trading schemes are discussed, and may represent a politically feasible way to hold livestock producers accountable for negative externalities; and buyouts of animal farms can be an impactful way to compensate producers to leave the industry, but must be done with care to avoid unintended social and market consequences. Second, we explore two command-and-control measures: regulating animal production with standards such as animal welfare requirements and health and safety rights for agricultural workers is amongst the most well-supported policies, and is an impactful way to ensure minimum standards of production are met; however, restrictions on animal consumption, such as meat–free days in public catering, are less publicly accepted. Third, we discuss three informational measures: food product labels, such as animal welfare or environmental impact labels, fulfil consumers’ expectations to have this information, and although there is limited evidence that they impact consumer behaviour directly, such labels may nonetheless incentivise producers to competitively improve; likewise, national dietary guidelines appear to have little direct impact on food choices, but can impact other institutions such as schools and medical institutions; policies on information campaigns can help or hurt meat reduction efforts, with some jurisdictions prohibiting meat advertisements, while others spend millions on campaigns to promote meat consumption. Fourth, we explore a range of behavioural measures which could be implemented in public catering settings and/or incentivised in food service, including presentation and positioning of meat- and plant-based dishes, and altering the food options on offer – we find that adding more high-quality plant-based options to menus and presenting these options as the default wherever the format allows are highly impactful and tractable behavioural policies that could reduce meat consumption. Informational and behavioural measures can complement traditional fiscal and command-and-control measures to reduce animal production and consumption. We discuss the implications for researchers and policymakers.
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减少肉类生产和消费的政策杠杆回顾。
越来越明显的是,为了环境和公众健康,我们需要大幅减少动物生产和消费。在本文中,我们进行了一次系统性回顾,以探讨政府在减少动物养殖和肉类消费方面可利用的政策杠杆。综述得出的政策杠杆主要分为四类干预措施:财政措施、指挥和控制、信息和行为。首先,我们探讨了四种财政措施:对肉类征税是研究最多的干预措施,也是民意调查中公众接受度最低的干预措施,有时通过碳税或取消增值税豁免等措施间接实施;对动物产品替代品的补贴被认为是公众接受度较高的替代方法,可通过提高替代品的竞争力来减少对肉类的长期需求;讨论了农业碳交易计划,这可能是让畜牧业生产者对负面外部效应负责的一种政治上可行的方法;收购动物养殖场可能是补偿生产者离开该行业的一种有影响力的方法,但必须谨慎行事,以避免意外的社会和市场后果。其次,我们探讨了两种命令与控制措施:以动物福利要求和农业工人健康与安全权利等标准来规范动物生产,是最受支持的政策之一,也是确保达到最低生产标准的有效方式;然而,对动物消费的限制,如公共餐饮中的无肉日,则较少为公众所接受。第三,我们讨论了三项信息措施:食品标签,如动物福利或环境影响标签,满足了消费者对获得这些信息的期望,虽然直接影响消费者行为的证据有限,但这些标签可能会激励生产者提高竞争力;同样,国家膳食指南似乎对食品选择没有什么直接影响,但会影响其他机构,如学校和医疗机构;信息宣传政策对减少肉类的努力有帮助也有损害,一些司法管辖区禁止肉类广告,而另一些则花费数百万美元开展宣传活动,促进肉类消费。第四,我们探讨了一系列可在公共餐饮环境中实施和/或在餐饮服务中激励的行为措施,包括肉类和植物性菜肴的展示和定位,以及改变所提供的食品选择--我们发现,在菜单中增加更多高质量的植物性选择,并在形式允许的情况下将这些选择作为默认选项,是可以减少肉类消费的极具影响力和可操作性的行为政策。信息和行为措施可以补充传统的财政和命令控制措施,以减少动物生产和消费。我们讨论了对研究人员和政策制定者的影响。
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来源期刊
Appetite
Appetite 医学-行为科学
CiteScore
9.10
自引率
11.10%
发文量
566
审稿时长
13.4 weeks
期刊介绍: Appetite is an international research journal specializing in cultural, social, psychological, sensory and physiological influences on the selection and intake of foods and drinks. It covers normal and disordered eating and drinking and welcomes studies of both human and non-human animal behaviour toward food. Appetite publishes research reports, reviews and commentaries. Thematic special issues appear regularly. From time to time the journal carries abstracts from professional meetings. Submissions to Appetite are expected to be based primarily on observations directly related to the selection and intake of foods and drinks; papers that are primarily focused on topics such as nutrition or obesity will not be considered unless they specifically make a novel scientific contribution to the understanding of appetite in line with the journal's aims and scope.
期刊最新文献
Editorial Board A novel appetite loss in older adults with and without cognitive impairment (ALOC) screening scale. Beyond the family's cooking frequency: The Influence of Cooking Techniques on Vegetable and Fruit Consumption among the U.S. population. Sizzling steaks and manly molds: Exploring the meanings of meat and masculinities in young men's lives. The role of child nutrition counselling, gender dynamics, and intra-household feeding decision-making on child dietary diversity in semi-arid northern Ghana
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