Meaningfully reducing consumption of meat and animal products is an unsolved problem: A meta-analysis

Which interventions produce the largest and most enduring reductions in consumption of meat and animal products (MAP)? We address this question with a theoretical review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that measured MAP consumption at least one day after intervention. We meta-analyze 35 papers comprising 41 studies, 112 interventions, and approximately 87,000 subjects. We find that these papers employ four major strategies to change behavior: choice architecture, persuasion, psychology (manipulating the interpersonal, cognitive, or affective factors associated with eating MAP), and a combination of persuasion and psychology. The pooled effect of all 112 interventions on MAP consumption is quite small (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.07 (95 % CI: [0.02, 0.12]), indicating an unsolved problem. Interventions aiming to reduce only consumption of red and processed meat were more effective (SMD = 0.25; 95 % CI: [0.11, 0.38]), but it remains unclear whether such interventions also decrease consumption of other forms of MAP. We conclude that while existing approaches do not provide a proven remedy to MAP consumption, designs and measurement strategies have generally been improving over time, and many promising interventions await rigorous evaluation.