Promoting Plant-Based Eating in China

From vegconomist.com

Education is pivotal in the adoption of plant-based diets. This is the primary insight from a survey of over 1,000 Chinese consumers commissioned by ProVeg Asia, which revealed that nearly all consumers are willing to consume more plant-based foods once they learn about the benefits.

The findings have been incorporated into ProVeg Asia’s latest report, Plant-based eating in China: attitudes and opportunities, which examines the extent to which Chinese people have embraced plant-based food.

The report specifically examines Chinese consumers’ willingness to increase their plant-based food consumption after being informed about health and environmental benefits, as evidenced by peer-reviewed studies in international scientific journals.

This invaluable guide also ranks the benefits provided by plant-based diets in terms of their perceived significance and identifies motivations and barriers to plant-based eating. It’s a vital resource for stakeholders in the plant-based food and beverage industry looking to boost their sales in China.

Study background

ProVeg commissioned an independent research firm, Kantar, to carry out the survey between April and May 2024.

The survey included 1,000 consumers from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, China, spanning four equally distributed age groups: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, and 45-60.

                                                                                Image courtesy of ProVeg

As a starting point, the ProVeg Asia team wanted to assess how familiar Chinese consumers were with the benefits of eating a plant-based diet.

We gave 1,000 Chinese consumers 15 statements highlighting the health, environment, animal protection, food security, and taste advantages of plant-based diets, and asked them to say whether they ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘disagree’ or ‘completely disagree’ with each statement.

The 15 statements included the following facts:

• A balanced plant-based diet can help to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.
• Plant-based diets can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%.
• The healthiest and most sustainable diets are predominantly comprised of plant-based foods.
• Plant-based diets lower the risk of developing antibiotic resistance.

Initially, only 49% of respondents agreed with these statements. However, after being shown the supporting science, 98% were willing or strongly willing to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets.

Generating mass diet change

The research highlights that education is crucial for encouraging a widespread shift to plant-based diets. Once participants learned about the benefits, they were more willing to change their eating habits.

“We found that most people are concerned about eating healthy food and that once they learn just how healthy and climate-friendly plant-based food is, they intend to eat a lot more of it,” said Shirley Lu, Managing Director and Asia & China Representative at ProVeg Asia.

This means there’s still significant work ahead. Despite the well-documented benefits of plant-based diets, the information either isn’t widely known or is obscured by misinformation. Effective education and clear communication are essential to promote these dietary changes.

Interested in the findings? Head to ProVeg’s New Food Hub to read a summary of the key results and ProVeg Asia’s business recommendations.

https://vegconomist.com/studies-and-numbers/plant-based-eating-in-china/