Abstract
The choice to not eat meat is often regarded as self-depriving act, denying individuals the sensory joys of consuming meat. Meat-free diets such as vegetarianism or veganism are generally perceived as inferior in the hierarchy of Western diets (Berndsen & Pligt, 2004; Cole, 2008; Cole & Morgan, 2011). Meat consumption is thus associated with hedonism and meat avoidance with asceticism. To date, little research has empirically investigated how consumers who are voluntarily avoiding meat rationalize their choice in light of the prevalent perception that their diet is—albeit morally less conflicting—perceived as inferior, at least by the omnivorous majority (Cole, 2008; Rozin, Markwith, & Stoess, 1997). Our findings offer restaurateurs and food producers guidelines for improving offerings and communications for consumers who want to avoid meat to some extent. We collected data from over 200 patrons who had a gratuitous choice of three items from a cafeteria menu with beef, turkey, and soy as the main ingredient. Patrons who reported that they avoid meat in their diet evaluated the vegetarian dish as better tasting compared to the two meat-containing alternatives. Although vegetarian foods are generally regarded as less pleasurable compared to meat dishes, meat-avoiders psychologically counterbalance this notion by elevating their hedonic benefits derived from a food choice that is congruent with their values. Providers of food experiences can improve the food experience by crafting hedonic, meatless dishes in the kitchen, by modifying marketing communications and food presentation, and by training wait staff to emphasize hedonic aspects of vegetarian dishes.
Presenters
Attila PohlmannProfessor of Marketing, CADE, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Pichincha, Ecuador
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus–Making Sense from Taste: Quality, Context, Community
KEYWORDS
Vegetarianism, Asceticism, Hedonism, Moral benefits, Meatless food, Quantitative study, Survey
