Meat consumption in the US is increasing, despite scandals related to the environment and animal welfare. A new study claims that it is still possible to change behavior.

Industrial meat production is at the center of many debates: animal suffering, environmental impact, working conditions in slaughterhouses. So many valid and good reasons that should make us rethink our eating habits. Nevertheless, meat consumption continues to rise, especially in the US, and awareness campaigns seem to be ineffective. However, a recent Canadian study refutes this conclusion, suggesting that it is possible to change people's attitudes after all.

Researchers at the University of Toronto conducted an experiment with 1,149 students divided into two groups, according to online media outlet Vox. The first group watched a 16-minute excerpt from the shocking documentary Dominion (warning that the images may be disturbing to younger viewers... but also for older viewers) about the treatment of animals on industrial farms. The control group watched a video about forest mushrooms. Before and after viewing, and then again a week later, participants had to choose a protein to add to their meal from bacon, chicken, steak, tofu, or nothing. 

The results show that before the video, 90.1% of students chose meat; a week later, that number was 77.9%, representing a 12.2% decline. Demand for pork fell even more sharply. What sets this study apart is the quality and impact of the documentary film: high-resolution images, precise editing, restrained narration, and no explicit call to reduce meat consumption. Participants were free to draw their own conclusions on the subject.

Despite decades of efforts to persuade the public to become vegetarian, vegan, or at least reduce their meat consumption, consumption continues to rise in the US. In light of this, major animal welfare organizations have changed their strategy since 2015, focusing on political and industrial campaigns to ban the most cruel practices and promote plant-based alternatives.
This approach has led to concrete achievements, but some worry that it will lose momentum if society does not change just as profoundly. 

Today, messages calling for less meat consumption are rarer, while advertisements and social media massively promote this type of food. Consumers are little exposed to the realities of industrial livestock farming, while companies maintain the illusion of universal animal welfare. However, the study suggests that brief but powerful exposure to the reality of animal agriculture may be enough to change some behaviors.

The process is difficult, but it is important to hope for lasting change.

The results of the Toronto study are encouraging, but they also show that the impact depends on the quality of the message and repetition. In a world oversaturated with information, capturing the public's attention is a challenge, but not a futile one. Sometimes, just 16 minutes is enough to sow doubt and make us think seriously.
In France, the balance is more controversial than in the US: meat consumption has been slowly declining for 20 years, and despite a recovery in 2021 and 2022, the trend is once again downward. Factors such as inflation and declining purchasing power are the main explanations for this trend, rather than environmental or ethical awareness. |BGNES