Not appropriate dinner table conversation? Talking to children about meat production

Area of Science:

• Agricultural studies
• Consumer behavior
• Child development

Background:

• Understanding Australian attitudes towards farm animal welfare is limited.
• Little is known about household discussions on meat production and children's learning about meat origins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Australian primary carers' attitudes towards farm animal welfare and meat consumption.
• To investigate how conversations about meat origins are initiated and discussed with children.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was distributed to 225 primary carers across Australia.
• Participants were recruited via social media platforms.

Main Results:

• Conversations about meat origins were primarily initiated during home meal preparation.
• Parents generally preferred to discuss meat production with children before the age of five.
• Urban parents reported more conflict regarding meat consumption and greater empathy towards children choosing to cease eating meat compared to rural parents.
• Rural parents were more inclined to believe children should eat what is provided and considered discussions about meat less significant.
• Both urban and rural parents agreed on the importance of children knowing the source of their food.

Conclusions:

• Parental attitudes towards meat production and consumption significantly shape discussions about meat origins with children.
• The findings highlight a nuanced understanding of parental perspectives on meat consumption and farm animal welfare in Australia.