Restructuring physical micro-environments to reduce the demand for meat: a systematic review and qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Behavioral Science
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Reducing meat consumption is crucial for environmental protection and public health.
• Physical micro-environment interventions can modify habitual behaviors.
• This review synthesizes evidence on micro-environment changes to reduce meat demand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on the effectiveness of physical micro-environment interventions in reducing meat demand.
• To identify specific intervention characteristics associated with reduced meat demand.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of quantitative studies evaluating micro-environment interventions.
• Searched six electronic databases and other resources; included studies on meat demand reduction.
• Conducted narrative synthesis and qualitative comparative analysis of 18 studies.

Main Results:

• Reducing meat portion sizes, providing meat alternatives, and altering sensory properties showed effectiveness.
• Repositioning meat products and manipulating descriptions had mixed results.
• Evidence on pricing and multi-faceted interventions was limited or inconsistent.

Conclusions:

• Certain micro-environment interventions can effectively lower meat demand.
• Portion size reduction, meat alternatives, and sensory property alterations are promising strategies.
• Further research is needed for pricing and complex interventions.