Researchers said changing packaging on meat and dairy-free products, which often proudly tout their vegan status, could result in more people selecting them.
People are more likely to pick a meat-free option if it’s not labelled vegan, a study suggests.
Foods described as “healthy”, “sustainable” or “plant-based” are all more appealing, according to the University of Southern California.
Its research saw more than 7,000 people asked to choose between a vegan food basket and one with meat and dairy.
The former was randomly labelled “vegan”, “plant-based”, “healthy”, “sustainable” or “healthy and sustainable”.
The experiment found people were more likely to select it when the focus was on its benefits (such as “sustainable”) rather than its content, though “plant-based” was still more popular than “vegan”.
My first impression when something is being called vegan is that it was made with compromise, it has some deficiencies that its non-vegan version would would taste better with.
Exactly. How can people who don’t eat hamburgers know what a good hamburger tastes like? How can they think a tofurkey is anywhere close to a real one?
Thankfully, like gluten free foods, vegan ones are getting better. Though I still don’t trust vegan cheese.
My wife recently developed an allergy to dairy. There are some decent pizza blends and cheddar jack, but there are also a few that look and taste like melted plastic.
I end up making 2 pizzas (since the other 3 people in the house still eat dairy) and her pizza is more gooey than stringy, but I’ll eat the leftovers of either no problem.
One thing that made me enjoy pizzas alot more after having stopped eating cheese is to just have it without the cheese (or substitutes). Honestly sometimes I think I prefer it that way as I feel cheese can sometimes smother some of the more vibrant flavors. Highly recommend giving it a go!
Yeah my crust game has improved and I copied/improved a crust seasoning based on one from King Arthur’s Flour.
Brushed olive oil, seasoning and some brewers/nutritional yeast make really great breadsticks. And I can do it in about 30 minutes start to finish (plus a little more oven preheat time).
I assume the foods are developed and tested by non-vegans
The newer ones are, but I’ve had plenty of meat replacements that definitely weren’t.
Yeah, before the current trend of sustainable / halthy / eco friendly foods (yay) there was absolutely zero broad market demand for vegan foods - so you only got vegan food from small vegan-run companies, who while very well meaning lacked the resources to make food that wasn’t an abomination like the disgusting slimy mess that is tofurkey.
With the rise of the internet and global cultural exchange and etc, there’s widespread ability for vegans to work collaboratively on improving the quality of the food / find dishes that are both delecious and incidentally also vegan (ex: chana masala). I’ve even had some gluten free baked goods that dont take like chickpeas and sand!
(Rant:) Not that gluten intolerances are real outside of coeliacs, but its a big step forward in niche cookery. Stop claiming to be gluten intolerant, you’re not, and by diluting the severity of gluten intolerance you’ve made it impossible for coeliacs to safely eat at restaurants or trust ‘gluten free’ processed foods / ingredients.
My mom’s coeliac and has been since the 80s. It’s gone from “salad no croutons” with extra croutons to “gluten free salad served in a bread bowl.” It’s really frustrating.
Basically all vegans in the English speaking parts of the world have eaten meat before.
As Stephen Lynch would say, “Tofurkey? Toe fuck yourself”.
That stuff is not delicious. It is barely edible.
Mine is the opposite. I assume there’s subpar ingredients in all non-vegan products. But I hate all this processed crap that pretends to be meat for this exact reason -and now, great. I have to look even more closely at labels. I don’t want plant burgers with cage-free eggs I want plant burgers made from real mushrooms and beans, not chemicals and a fetish for corpse flavor…
I do eat plenty of meat but also enjoy a lot of vegan and vegetarian dishes. The best ones are those that don’t pretend to be meat and do their own thing, because they play to the strength of their ingredients instead of failing to be something else.
I’ve prepared some vegetarian meals and agree 100%.
May the gods smile upon you. Vegan diets aren’t right for everyone but I love this take, that’s exactly what I’m saying -that impossible and beyond meat specifically are inferior flavor and nutrition-wise to more traditional, less processed vegan alternatives. I just especially hate seeing the former praised as healthier than meat when it’s literally bad for you in a lot of the same ways…
If by any chance that is true its because it costs twice as much.