What Stops People From Eating Vegetables?

 

The Surprising Discovery Of The Researchers

“NEWS POST PK” Washington: Experts have discovered a surprising fact during a research study as to what prevents people from adding vegetables to their daily diet.

According to details, a study conducted by a team from the University of Southern California found that consumers who shop for food and beverages are less likely to buy food items labeled vegan (meat and dairy-free), while in contrast, they buy more food labeled as 'healthy and sustainable'.

The research study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology and presented at the Society for Risk Analysis 2023 conference in Washington, D.C., looked at how people reacted to specific food labels.

More than 7,000 people were selected for the research. The researchers asked these participants to pick up two food baskets, one without meat and dairy and one with meat and dairy. Each basket was labeled with something like vegan, plant-based, healthy, sustainable, or healthy and sustainable.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that the meat and dairy-free gin baskets labeled ' vegan' or 'plant-based' were less likely to be chosen by participants, with only 20 percent of participants choosing those baskets. But a surprising 44 percent of participants chose baskets with the same food (i.e., no meat or dairy) that were labeled 'healthy' and ‘sustainable' or both.

The researchers also found that this effect of the label was more pronounced among people who liked to eat red meat, meaning they were more likely to prefer labels such as 'healthy and sustainable'. However, the researchers concluded that labeling has a significant impact on any food choice and that meat eaters may be drawn to better-labeled vegetables over a plant-based diet.