EUFIC calls for rethink of plant-based messaging after European consumer research

Research from the EU-funded FoodChoices4LIFE project has challenged reliance on messages urging people to eat less meat or choose plant-based foods, finding that practical interventions and familiar ingredients can offer more promising routes to dietary change.

• FoodChoices4LIFE examines consumer and chef interventions.
• Research highlights appetite for vegetables, legumes and seasonal dishes.
• Findings inform practical cooking resources and chef training.

The findings, announced on September 28, underpin Cook4Climate, a campaign coordinated through the European Food Information Council (EUFIC). They combine a review of 73 consumer-facing and 83 chef-facing interventions with surveys and focus groups involving consumers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden, alongside research with chefs.

“People hear it as a lecture, not an invitation,” said Betty Chang, Research Area Lead at EUFIC.

Among reviewed consumer interventions, 58% generated a positive behavioral change. Simple messages and recommendations had a 53% success rate, compared with 86% for education, although the education finding covered just seven tested actions.

For chefs, recipe changes performed better than simple messaging. The announcement reported success rates of 91% for recipe changes, 76% for nudges such as menu reordering, and 69% for simple messages.

Consumer responses also suggested greater willingness to reduce meat consumption by adding vegetables, at 37.7%, or legumes, at 32.2%, than by choosing commercial plant-based meat alternatives, at 26.5%. Seasonal and local dishes attracted stronger responses than several explicitly plant-focused approaches.

Those figures need to be read as different types of evidence. The intervention review examined reported behavioral outcomes, while the surveys and focus groups explored attitudes and preferences. They do not establish a single sales increase that manufacturers could expect from removing plant-based wording from packaging.

For alternative protein developers, the findings raise questions about how the product is introduced as well as how it performs. A shopper’s willingness to eat more beans or vegetables does not necessarily translate into demand for a formulated meat alternative. Equally, reluctance toward meat substitutes should not automatically be read as rejection of all plant foods.

FoodChoices4LIFE is a three-year project running from October 2025 to September 2028. Coordinated by EUFIC, it brings together the University of Tuscia, Worldchefs and digital technology company pOsti.

Its planned work includes training more than 500 chefs, 60 journalists and 40 local policymakers, alongside public campaigns and digital tools. The project aims to help households reduce dietary emissions and food spending through changes they can apply in everyday meals.

Cook4Climate translates that work into activities intended to make sustainable eating easier to try. Its resources include a digital cookbook with 27 traditional recipes, one contributed by a chef from each EU member state, and an app for tracking food consumption and waste.

The cookbook uses familiar dishes to introduce seasonal ingredients, plant-forward cooking, food preservation and ingredients that might otherwise be discarded. The campaign’s October program was designed to connect citizens with chefs through more than 50 cooking events, supported by a social media cooking challenge.

The foodservice training extends to how kitchens operate and communicate with guests. Worldchefs’ Mindful Kitchen webinar series covers food systems, waste reduction and menu design, with sessions available in French, Italian and German.

Topics include using whole ingredients, tracking food waste, upcycling and helping kitchen teams adopt sustainable practices. A separate session examines menu psychology and communication with diners, connecting changes in the kitchen with the choices offered at the table.

The approach has parallels with work by the World Resources Institute. Its 2024 Food Service Playbook draws on nearly 350 academic trials and identifies 90 techniques for encouraging plant-rich meal choices, including 18 supported by both research and industry experience.

Those techniques cover pricing, placement, promotion, presentation, the food itself and foodservice employees. The framework treats menu wording as one part of a dining environment in which cost, availability and the appeal of the meal also influence decisions.

FoodChoices4LIFE’s chef resources include practical training and event materials, while its consumer tools provide recipes, food-waste guidance and feedback on meal choices. Cook4Climate is scheduled to run further campaign activity in October 2027.

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