Seeing animals, choosing plants: Evidence from cafeteria field study on food choices.

Murray, Siobhan, Meleady, Rose and Hodson, Gordon (2026) Seeing animals, choosing plants: Evidence from cafeteria field study on food choices. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 111. ISSN 0272-4944

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Abstract

Reducing meat consumption is a priority for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the climate crisis. Past research reveals that reminders of meat’s animal origins can reduce self-reported willingness to consume meat. Less clear is whether such reminders affect natural, real-world behavior. In the present field study, images of living animals were placed alongside the corresponding meat-based dishes on a cafeteria menu at a British university (e.g., a cow next to beef bolognese, a pig next to pork gyros, and a chicken next to sweet and sour chicken). Unobtrusive sales data were collected across two periods: a baseline period and an intervention period with a matched menu (without photos). Analysis of 3,674 meal sales revealed a significant increase in vegetarian choices, with the odds of selecting a vegetarian meal 22% higher during the intervention (vs. baseline) period. Effects were consistent across meat types. The present findings provide behavioral evidence that visual cues linking meat to its animal origins can influence real-world food choices, helping bridge the gap between laboratory research and applied behavioral evidence.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	meat consumption,behavioural intervention,field study,animals,disassociation,sdg 13 - climate action,3* ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Social Cognition Research Group
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2026 14:30
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2026 01:20
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102306
DOI:

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