Randomized study reveals effectiveness of meat reduction program in first for research.
People who tried a 30-day, meat reduction program called the Veggie Challenge only continued to eat less meat when the program had finished if they involved family and friends.
Researchers from Belgium’s Hasselt University report in the scientific journal npj Climate Action that those taking part in the challenge ate on average a quarter less meat than the control group in the study. But it was the involvement of their friends or family that ensured they maintained this reduction three months later.
The study followed 1,213 Dutch and Flemish test subjects for four months and asked them to complete a questionnaire about their eating habits four times.
The participants were randomly assigned to three groups. The first, the ‘individual group’, was asked to participate in the Veggie Challenge, a coaching program for eating more plant-based and fewer animal-based foods, supported through a special mobile app.
A second group, the ‘social group’, was not only asked to follow the program, but also encouraged to invite their friends or family to participate or involve them in the challenge. The app offered the opportunity to do this through a ‘Veggie Challenge team’.
A third group served as a control group and only completed the questionnaires which were also given to the other groups.
Such a ‘randomised study’ is considered the gold standard in science for determining the effectiveness of actions aimed at behavioral change.
After the 30 days, the average consumption of animal products (meat, fish, dairy and eggs) in both the individual and the social group was 16-17% lower than in the control group, a statistically significant difference. Meat consumption was even 22%-27% lower.
At that time, no significant differences were visible between the individual and social groups. A month later, however, and things were very different: the average consumption of the individual group bounced back, almost to the same level as that of the control group. But the reduction was maintained in the social group. Even at a third measurement, after three months, meat consumption in the social group remained stably reduced by 25% compared to the control group.
Results have wider implications
Lead researcher Rosaly Severijns said: “Research into measures for behavioral change often shows that it is difficult to permanently change behavior. This research shows that encouragement received by involving friends and family provides the social support needed to eat fewer animal products over the long term. Such a simple encouragement could also be used more widely to encourage other environmentally friendly or healthy habits.”
The research is a collaboration between Hasselt University and ProVeg Netherlands, the organization that developed the Veggie Challenge. However, ProVeg was not involved in the conduct of the research and the interpretation of the data.
It is the first time that a meat reduction program such as the Veggie Challenge has been tested according to the highest scientific standards in a peer-reviewed article.
Pablo Moleman, Strategic Director of ProVeg Netherlands, said: “The results of this research surprised us. They motivate us to focus our work more strongly on groups, rather than on individuals. We want to support large and small communities to take the Veggie Challenge: colleagues, friends or sports clubs. For this purpose, we work together with companies and institutions, for example. This research shows that eating more healthily and more sustainably is something we should do together, not alone.”
The Veggie Challenge is a coaching program in which users use a mobile app to set themselves a goal to reduce their consumption of meat and/or other animal products for 30 days.
Through the app they receive daily support in the form of information, tips and recipes, and they can keep track of how they eat and how much CO2, land, water and animal lives they save.
It is also possible to create a team with multiple participants, to share recipes with each other and keep track of joint environmental savings. To date, around 650,000 people worldwide have participated in the Veggie Challenge, which is available in multiple languages.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The research was published in npj Climate Action, a Nature Portfolio journal.
A total of 1,213 Dutch and Flemish subjects participated in the study with an interest in more sustainable eating, who had not participated before in the Veggie Challenge
The Veggie Challenge is freely available to everyone via www.veggiechallenge.nl. The app can be downloaded for free for Android and iOS via the app stores.
For more information please contact
Rosaly Severijns
Hasselt University
+31 6 30 95 07 96
Pablo Moleman
ProVeg Netherlands
+31 6 85 52 73 52
