How can communication about plant-based foods support sustainable food system transformation? Nine recommendations for government, industry and citizens

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Davis, Tess and Stewart, Cristina and Papies, Esther K. (2025) How can communication about plant-based foods support sustainable food system transformation? Nine recommendations for government, industry and citizens. Current Environmental Health Reports, 12 (1). 24. ISSN 2196-5412 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-025-00489-4)

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Abstract

Purpose of Review: Immediate and widespread action is necessary to minimise the harmful consequences of the current food system. Mainstream omnivore diets contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Therefore, switching to a more sustainable, plant-based diet is necessary for reducing the adverse effects of the current food system. Communication can play a key role in transitions towards sustainable eating behaviour. This paper will explore how communication about plant-based foods can be used most effectively across three sources: (1) government, (2) food industry and (3) citizens. Recent Findings: Currently, the food industry drives the majority of communication about plant-based foods. Governments seldom communicate about plant-based foods in consumer-facing guidelines, with non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations instead filling the gap. Citizens are then exposed to, and seem to internalise, commercial communication about plant-based foods. This communication favours traditional, meat-centric norms and positions plant-based foods as an unenjoyable, inaccessible and expensive alternative to meat and dairy products. Summary: We present 9 recommendations to improve communication about plant-based foods to support more widespread adoption of sustainable diets. These recommendations are tailored to different sources of communication but centre around three main ideals, namely to make communication about plant-based foods (1) consistent, (2) reward-focused and (3) practical. These recommendations can help to tackle misconceptions about plant-based foods and encourage the widespread adoption of sustainable diets that is necessary for human and planetary health.

ORCID iDs

Davis, Tess ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7001-7439, Stewart, Cristina and Papies, Esther K.;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)