Do plant-based food products communicate sustainability? A case study of brand meanings in Thailand and their relationship to sustainable diets
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Meat consumption is a significant contributor to global warming and reducing meat consumption is a key step towards achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), and especially to promoting healthier diets, more responsible consumption, and mitigating climate change (SDGs 3, 12 and 13). Although many people broadly understand the impact of diet on sustainability, encouraging changes to eating habits is difficult with many barriers to uptake among most people. There is evidence that nudging people using visual and verbal cues is an effective way to encourage sustainable eating. With the objective of understanding how sustainability is (and is not) being communicated, this paper reviews the visual and verbal messaging of different brands of plant-based foods in Thailand. The findings suggest that sustainability can be leveraged more systematically and consistently, in conjunction with other key category messages, to encourage sustainable eating. Although other research determines that there are multiple motivations for consuming plant-based foods, these findings suggest some approaches to communicating sustainability that might increase the attractiveness of the category to more people.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Absolute Plant. (2022). Absolute Plant brand channel. YouTube, retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/@absoluteplant2280 (14 December 2022).
Arning, C. (2021). What makes modern Britain laugh? How semiotics helped the BBC bridge the Humor Gap. International Journal of Market Research, 63(3), 1-25.
Bangkok Post. (2022a). Plant-based meat innovations in demand (1 October 2022). Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2404703/plant-based-meat-innovations-in-demand
Bangkok Post. (2022b). Plant-based food exports set to soar (25 October 2022). Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2421903/plant-based-food-exports-set-to-soar
Barragan-Jason, G., de Mazancourt, C., Parmesan, C., Singer, M.C. & Loreau, M. (2022). Human-nature connectedness as a pathway to sustainability A global meta-analysis. Conservation Letters, 15(1), e12852.
Beyond Meat. (2022). Beyond Meat brand channel. YouTube, retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondMeat (14 December 2022).
Bianchi, F., Dorsel, C., Garnett, E., Aveyard, P. & Jebb, S.A. (2018). Interventions targeting conscious determinants of human behaviour to reduce the demand for meat: a systematic review with qualitative comparative analysis. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15(102), retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1.1186/s12966-018-0729-6.
Blackford, B. (2021). Nudging interventions on sustainable food consumption: a systematic review. The Journal of Population and Sustainability, 5(2), 17-62.
Born, D. (2019). Bearing Witness? Polar Bears as Icons for Climate Change Communication in National Geographic, Environmental Communication, 13:5, 649-663, doi: 10.1080/17524032.2018.1435557.
Bradford, A., Hancox, A., & Bryant, C. J. (2022, January 18). The way to a meat-eater’s heart is through their stomach: Exposure to more appealing vegan food increases preference for meat-free options, retrieved from https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/746jm.
Cambridge Dictionary. (2022). Definition of ‘semiotics’, in Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/semiotics.
Catellani, A. (2011). Environmentalists NGOs and the construction of the culprit: semiotic analysis. Journal of Communication Management, 15(4), 280-297.
Catellani, A. (2015). Visual aspects of CSR reports: A semiotic and chronological case analysis. In: Ana Duarte Melo, Ian Somerville, Gisela Gonçalves (Eds.), Organisational and Strategic Communication Research: European Perspectives II, CECS - Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade Universidade do Minho : Braga 2015, p. 129-149.
Chai, B.C., van der Voort, J.R., Grofelnik, K., Eliasdottir, H.G., Klöss, I. & Perez-Cueto, F.J.A. (2019). Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets. Sustainability, 11, 4110, retrieved from doi:10.3390/su11154110.
Chernev, A., Böckenholt, U. & Goodman, J. (2015). Choice overload: A conceptual review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(2), 333-358.
Christiano, A. & Neimand, A. (2017). Stop raising awareness already. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2017.
Cox, M.J. (2008). Sustainable Communication: A Study of Green Advertising and Audience Reception within the Growing Arena of Corporate Social Responsibility. Case Study: British Petroleum. Earth & E-nvironment, 3, 32-51.
de Boer, J., Schösler, H. & Boersema, J.J. (2013). Climate change and meat eating: An inconvenient couple?. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 33, 1-8.
de Boer, J., Schösler, H. & Aiking, H. (2014). “Meatless days” or “Less but better”? Exploring strategies to adapt Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges. Appetite, 76, 120-128.
De-loyde, K., Pilling, M.A., Thornton, A., Spencer, G. & Maynard, O.M. (2022). Promoting sustainable diets using eco-labelling and social nudges: A randomised online experiment. Behavioural Public Policy, 1–17
Ensaff H. (2021). A nudge in the right direction: The role of food choice architecture in changing populations’ diets. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2021 (2), 195–206. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/s0029665120007983.
First Pride. (2022). First Pride brand channel. YouTube, retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/@firstpridebrand6241 (14 December 2022).
Gains, N. (2014). Brand esSense: Using Sense, Symbol and Story to Design Brand Identity. London: Kogan Page.
González-García, S.; Esteve-llorens, X.; Moreira, M.T. & Feijoo, G. (2018). Carbon footprint and nutritional quality of different human dietary choices. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, 644, 77–94.
Granato, G., Fischer, A.R.H. & van Trijp, H.C.M. (2022). A meaningful reminder on sustainability: When explicit and implicit packaging cues meet. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 79, 101724. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101724.
Hansen, A. & Machin, D. (2008). Visually branding the environment: climate change as a marketing opportunity. Discourse Studies, 10(6), 777-794.
Hansen, A. & Machin, D. (2013). Researching Visual Environmental Communication. Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 7:2, 151-168 Retrieved at DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2013.785441
IPCC (2022) Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, R. Slade, A. Al Khourdajie, R. van Diemen, D. McCollum,...J. Malley, (Eds.)]. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from doi: 10.1017/9781009157926.
Jones, W.J. (2014). Political semiotics of national campaign posters and pictorial representation: Thailand’s 2011 general elections. Semiotica, 199, 269-296.
Lawes, R. (2002). Demystifying semiotics: Some key questions answered. International Journal of Market Research, 44, 251-264.
Lawes, R. (2018). Science and semiotics: What’s the relationship? International Journal of Market Research, 60(6), 1-16.
Let’s Plant Meat. (2022). Let’s Plant Meat brand channel. YouTube, retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/@LetsPlantMeat (14 December 2022).
Mackay, C.M.L. & Schmitt, M.T. (2019). Do people who feel more connected to nature do more to protect it? A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65, 101323.
Marketbuzzz. (2022). August 2022 Study of Thai Eating Habits. Personal Communication.
Meat Zero. (2022). Meat Zero brand channel. YouTube, retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/@meatzero (14 December 2022).
Mintel. (2022). Mintel Consulting Sustainability Barometer. Mintel Group Ltd., retrieved from https://www.mintel.com/consumer-sustainability-barometer (15 December 2022),
OMG Meat. (2022). OMG Meat The Flexible Me. YouTube, retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNHL7rbS3q4 (14 December 2022).
Ottersen, I.S., Benningstad, N.D.G. & Kunst, J.R. (2022). Daily reminders about the animal-welfare, environmental and health consequences of meat and their main and moderated effects on meat consumption. Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, 5, June 2022, 100068.
Peverini, P. (2014). Environmental issue in unconventional social advertising: A semiotic perspective. Semiotica, 199, 219-246.
Potter, C., Bastounis, A., Hartmann-Boyce, J., Stewart, C., Frie, K., Tudor, K., …Jebb, S.A. (2021). The effects of environmental sustainability labels on selection, purchase, and consumption of food and drink products: A systematic review. Environment and Behavior, 53(8), 891-925.
PWC. (2021). PWC June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey. PWC, retrieved from https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/consumer-markets/consumer-insights-survey.html.
Rakuten. (2022). Plant-based food alternatives: Future or Present? Rakuten Insight, retrieved from https://insight.rakuten.com/report-plant-based-food-alternatives/ (15 December 2022).
Ritchie, H., Reay, D.S. & Higgins, P. (2018). Potential of meat substitutes for climate change mitigation and improved human health in high-income markets. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2:16, retrieved from doi: 10.3389/fsusf.2018.00016.
Robertson, M. (2019). Communicating Sustainability. London, UK: Routledge.
Rosi, A.; Mena, P.; Pellegrini, N.; Turroni, S.; Neviani, E.; Cagno, R.D.I. …Scazzina, F. (2017). Environmental impact of omnivorous, ovo-lacto-vegetarian, and vegan diet. Scientific Reports, 7, 6105.
Scarborough, P., Appleby, P., Mizdrak, A., Briggs, A.M., Travis, R.C., Bradbury, K. & Key, T. (2014). Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK. Climatic Change, 125, 179–192.
Sheehan, P. & Webb, T.L. (2016). The Intention-Behavior Gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10/9, 503-518.
Sparkman, G. & Walton, G.M. (2017a). Cut Back or Give It Up. Norms Promote Sustainable Behavior, Even if It Is Counternormative. Psychological Science, 28 (1), 1663-1674.
Sparkman, G. & Walton, G.M. (2017b). Dynamic Norms Promote Sustainable Behavior, Even if It Is Counternormative. Psychological Science, 28 (1), 1663-1674.
Springmann, M., Clark, M., Mason-d’Croz, D., Wiebe, K., Bodirsky, B.L., Lassaletta, L. …Willett, W. (2018). Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature, 562, 519-525.
Starke, A.D., Willemsen, M.C. & Trattner, C. (2021). Nudging Healthy Choices in Food Search Through Visual Attractiveness. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 4: 621743, doi: 10.3389/frai.2021.621743.
Stehfest, E., Bouwman, L., van Vuuren, D.P., den Elzen, M.G.J., Eickhout, B. & Kabat, P. (2009). Climate benefits of changing diet. Climatic Change, 95, 83-102.
Thaler, R. & Sunstein, C.S. (2021). Nudge: The Final Edition. London, UK: Penguin.
Turnwald, B.P., Boles, D.Z. & Crum, A.J. (2017). Association between Indulgent Descriptions and Vegetable Consumption: Twisted Carrots and Dynamic Beets. JAMA Internal Medicine, 177(8), 1216-1218.
Turnwald, B.P., Bertoldo, J.D., Perry, M.A., Policastro, P., Timmons, M., Bosso, C. …Crum, A.J. (2019). Increasing Vegetable Intake by Emphasizing Tasty and Enjoyable Attributes: A Randomized Controlled Multisite Intervention for Taste-Focused Labelling. Psychological Science, 30(11), 1603-1615.
Turnwald, B. P., & Crum, A. J. (2019). Smart food policy for healthy food labeling: Leading with taste, not healthiness, to shift consumption and enjoyment of healthy foods. Preventive Medicine, 119, 7–13.
Turnwald, B.P. & Crum, A.J. (2021). The Taste-Focused-Labeling Intervention: Emphasizing the Tasty and Enjoyable Attributes of Healthy Foods. In G.M. Walton & A.J. Crum (Eds.), Handbook of Wise Interventions: How Social Psychology Can Help People Change (pp. 301-317). New York: The Guilford Press.
Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S. …Murray, C.J.L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT-Lancet commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet, 393: 447–92.
Williamson, J. (1978). Decoding advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising. London, UK: Marion Boyars.
Yekini, K.C., Omoteso, K. & Adegbite, E. (2021). CSR Communication Research: A Theoretical-cum-Methodological Perspective from Semiotics. Business & Society, 60(4), 876-908.