We buy so much meat at grocery stores, so it's crucial to figure out how to lower animal product consumption in retail. I'm not convinced we've found a solution.
This is an excellent post. The main idea is that increased plant sales does not equal lower sells of meat. It is such an important point that many people miss. Well done (as always).
Very interesting piece! Re. pricing, this meta analysis found that the price elasticity of demand for meats was 0.68–0.75 (i.e. 1% increase in price led to a 0.68-0.75% decrease in demand). Paints a pretty strong case for pricing as an effective nudge.
More so if comparable (and tastier) substitutes are available. Not sure if there's a study on the cross elasticity of demand between meat and plant alternatives - and likely a tough study to conduct - but would be keen for someone to try
That sounds frustrating! I definitely agree from what I could find online -- nearly all the progress seems to be in Europe right now. Hopefully we can keep chipping away in the US in the coming years
Hi Jonathan! Most of that research would fall into the larger investigation into messaging effectiveness. I didn’t really analyze that aspect for this piece. I would recommend Animal Think Tank’s research reports on that matter!
Yep yep, I walked into a Whole Foods today and saw an advertisement for turkey at $1.49 a pound. We are so, so far from price parity.
This is an excellent post. The main idea is that increased plant sales does not equal lower sells of meat. It is such an important point that many people miss. Well done (as always).
Very interesting piece! Re. pricing, this meta analysis found that the price elasticity of demand for meats was 0.68–0.75 (i.e. 1% increase in price led to a 0.68-0.75% decrease in demand). Paints a pretty strong case for pricing as an effective nudge.
More so if comparable (and tastier) substitutes are available. Not sure if there's a study on the cross elasticity of demand between meat and plant alternatives - and likely a tough study to conduct - but would be keen for someone to try
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2008.151415?role=tab
Thanks for this, B. I have to say that the situation in the US seems much worse than 5 years ago, in terms of plant-based meat sales, placement, etc.
That sounds frustrating! I definitely agree from what I could find online -- nearly all the progress seems to be in Europe right now. Hopefully we can keep chipping away in the US in the coming years
What is known about the effects of adversarial interventions (information about animal cruelty, meat-borne diseases, food poisoning, methane, etc.)?
Hi Jonathan! Most of that research would fall into the larger investigation into messaging effectiveness. I didn’t really analyze that aspect for this piece. I would recommend Animal Think Tank’s research reports on that matter!