This study presented meat consumption as an environmentally relevant behavior (ERB) and examined how the delay to an environmental loss might affect peoples’ decisions to eat meat. Participants completed a delay discounting survey where they selected what percentage of meat they would eliminate from their diet based on varying delays to rising sea levels flooding of their neighborhood. After watching a brief educational video, participants completed the survey a second time to examine whether the video had any influence on discounting rates in the post-survey. Participants also completed the 27-Item Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ; Kirby & Marakovic, 1996) in order to compare individuals’ monetary discounting rates to their environmental discounting rates. Data were analyzed using calculations of area under the curve (AUC) and Mazur’s (1987) hyperbolic discounting equation. Results showed that the average percentage of meat that people chose to eliminate from their diets decreased as a function of the delay to the environmental loss, the educational video was effective in reducing environmental discounting rates, and discounting rates for monetary outcomes were positively and significantly correlated with discounting rates for environmental outcomes. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed.

Food security exist when every human being is able to obtain adequate food and be free from hunger. This thesis sets out to explore the moral responsibility of individuals to enhance food security in the world by their consumer choices. More specifically, this research will investigate the negative impact of the meat industry on food security in the world and whether this impact entails a moral responsibility upon individuals to reduce their meat consumption in order to enhance food security. With the capabilities approach and utilitarianism as the theoretical tools, based on the evidence and the method of argumentation, this thesis finds that consumers hold a responsibility to reduce meat consumption as it is highly detrimental to global food security, not only on a moral basis but as a matter of social justice in the world. The emphasis of reduced meat consumption should ideally be of industrially produced sources, as they have the largest impact on both food security and environmental degradation.

The consumption of meat and meat products has been cited as the most critical area to be addressed if we are to meet a sustainable future diet, regarding the impact on climate change and health. The numerous sustainability concerns that have been raised have stimulated calls to reduce the quantity of meat people in general eat, and have created an on-going global debate among policymakers, academics and practitioners. This research makes use of the Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction (IMBP) in order to isolate the key determinants of what drives the intentions of middle to upper-income South Africans to engage in a meat-reduced diet (MRD). A two-phase methodology was utilised, by firstly conducting an elicitation study to identify the salient beliefs present in the population, and secondly by conducting a population survey to quantify the cognitive foundation of this behaviour. The empirical results showed that the areas of cognition which most strongly predict whether one intends to engage in an MRD were instrumental attitude, experiential attitude and injunctive norms. This study makes three primary contributions. Firstly, a theoretical contribution, through providing insight into how behavioural themes and beliefs materialise into changes in meat-consumption. Secondly, marketing practitioners can benefit from the insight offered by IMBP, which is valuable as it helps to identify what behavioural shift is required to promote MRDs. Lastly, this study contributes to the methodology utilised when applying the IMBP by applying the model to dietary behaviour, which has received comparatively less attention in the past.

Background Meat is one of the most nourishing and highly consumed foods, but the controversy around theconsumption of meat products, and the negative effects around the consumption of meatproducts led to increased scholarly attention on the user willingness to alter their meatconsumption. In Sweden, a guideline by the Livsmedelsverket (The Swedish National Food Agency) in 2015 encouraged people to consume less red and processed meat. This was because 72 per cent of men and 42 per cent of women in Sweden have individual consumption levels that exceed the 500 grams per week of red and processed meats as recommended by the World Cancer Research Fund. Objective This planned mixed-methods study inquires about the attitudes of young adult omnivorestowards the reduction of meat intake, their expected liking of changing dietary habits, andmotivation towards the reduction of meat consumption in Sweden. Changing dietary habits inthe current context refers to the participant’s willingness to favour meat alternatives. Methods The current study is a convergent mixed method design using both a quantitative survey andqualitative interviews to collect primary data. Results and conclusion The participants from both the qualitative and quantitative study are broadly worried about thehealth problems associated with high meat consumption and motivation for reducing meatconsumption was based on health as well as ethical issues. Being opposed to reducing meatconsumption is a common position for young adult omnivores. / Bakgrund Kött är ett av de mest näringsrika och mest konsumerade livsmedlena. Med anledning av attman funnit negativa effekter av en hög konsumtion av kött har man vetenskapligt alltmer börjatintressera sig för konsumentens vilja att ändra sin köttkonsumtion.I Sverige uppmanade Livsmedelsverket Sveriges befolkning att konsumera mindre rött kött ochbearbetade köttprodukter. Bakgrunden till detta var att 72 % av männen och 42 % av kvinnornai Sverige har individuella konsumtionsnivåer som överstiger 500 gram av rött kött ochbearbetade köttprodukter per vecka, vilket är en maxrekommendation från Världscancerforskningsfonden. Mål Denna bland metodstudie undersöker attityden för att minska köttkonsumtionen hos unga vuxna allätare i Sverige, deras förväntade åsikter kring förändrade kostvanor samt deras motivation att minska sin köttkonsumtion Metoder I den aktuella studien ingår en metoddesign som innefattar både en kvantitativ undersökning och kvalitativa intervjuer för att samla in primära data. Resultat och slutsats Deltagarna från både den kvalitativa och den kvantitativa undersökningen är i stort sett överensstämmande och visar att försökspersonerna är oroliga för de hälsoproblem som är förknippade med hög köttkonsumtion och deras motivation för att minska köttkonsumtionen baserades på frågor kring hälsa och etik. Det var vanligt förekommande bland försökspersonerna att vara bunden till köttkonsumtion.

Den genomsnittliga konsumtionen per person har tredubblats de senaste 50 åren (IGES, 2010). Forskarna menar att det kan bero på att marknadsföringen visar ett konstant meddelande som förmedlar ”desto mer du konsumerar, desto mer attraktiv och lyckligare kommer du bli.”Enligt Jordbruksverket (2016) finns det flera skäl till varför det är viktigt att följa köttkonsumtionens utveckling. De valen vi gör och besluten vi tar angående vår köttkonsumtion påverkar klimatet och miljön, vår hälsa, djurens välfärd, landsbygdens utveckling och den globala livsmedelsförsörjningen. Köttkonsumtionen ökar totalt både globalt och i Sverige. Konsumtionen påverkar flera delar av samhället och behöver bli mer hållbar, särskilt ur ett miljö- och klimatperspektiv (Jordbruksverket, 2013). Statistiken indikerar att svenskarna konsumerar mer och mer kött, dock så följer varken det ekologiska utbudet eller den ekologiska konsumtionen av kött samma trend. Denna statistik påvisar att den nivån köttkonsumtionen befinner sig på idag inte är hållbar. Då konsumtionen av kött och dess påverkan på miljön och klimatet är av hög relevans vill vi i vår studie undersöka konsumenters konsumtionsbeteende när det gäller kött genom att tillämpa Teorin om Planerat Beteende (TPB).Syftet med denna studie är att söka förklaringar till vad som påverkar unga vuxnas konsumtionsbeteende gällande deras konsumtion av kött, och hur deras beteende kan påverkas till att konsumera mer hållbart kött eller till en minskning av köttkonsumtionen.Denna studie kan vara av intresse för både politiker, myndigheter och andra organisationer inom ämnet, så väl som andra akademiker och svensken i allmänhet. Förhoppningen är att resultatet som genereras av denna studie skall kunna ligga till grund för framtagning och kommunikation av lösningar för den rådande överkonsumtion av kött som sker i Sverige. Studien grundar sig i en kvalitativ undersökning. Tre fokusgruppsintervjuer med fyra respondenter i varje grupp har genomförts, med män och kvinnor i åldrarna 23 till 31 år.Av studien framgår det att TPB funkar för att studera köttkonsumtionen och även att fastställa de påverkande faktorerna i deltagarnas köttkonsumtion. Studien kommer fram till att de största faktorerna som påverkar unga vuxna köttkonsumtion kan härledas till partner och befintlig information vid inköpstillfället. / The average consumption per person has tripled the last 50 years (IGES 2010). The researchers argue that it depends on marketing and the constant message of that “the more you consume the more attractive and happier you will be”.According to Jordbruksverket (2016) there are multiple reasons as to why it is important to follow the development of meat consumption. The choices and decisions that we take when it comes to our meat consumption affect the climate and environment, our health, animal welfare, rural development and the global food security. Meat consumption increases both globally and in Sweden. The consumption affects several parts of the society and it needs to be more sustainable, especially from an environmental and climate perspective (Jordbruksverket 2013). The statistics indicates that the Swedish people' meat consumption increases, but the trend does not follow the same pattern for the ecological consumption of meat. The statistics displays that the current level of meat consumption does not uphold a sustainable level. As consumption of meat and its effect on the environment are of high relevance, this study focuses on the consumer’s consumption behaviour when it comes to meat consumption by applying Theory of planned behaviour (TPB).The purpose with this study is to seek explanations on what factors affects young adult’s consumption behaviour regarding their consumption of meat, and how their behaviour can be directed towards consuming more sustainable meat products or to a curtailment of meat consumption. This study can be of relevance for politicians, agencies or other organizations, academics and the Swedish people in general. The aim is that the results from this study can serve as a foundation for identifying solutions for the current mass-consumption of meat existing in Sweden. This research has conducted a qualitative research design and three focus groups interviews with four respondents in each group has been conducted, with men and women between 23 – 31 years old.The study shows that it is possible to apply TPB on meat consumption and also for determine the influencing factors in the participants' consumption of meat products. The study concludes that the main factors affecting young adults in meat consumption can be attributed to partners and existing information at the time of purchase.

In this essay I’m exploring the novel The Road (2006) by the American author Cormac McCarthy. My main subject of interest is the thematic presence of consumption in general and meat consumption in particular in the text, and how this theme takes on an extreme form in the described and implied acts of cannibalism. Throughout the history of the Western World cannibalistic acts have been most commonly condemned and the cannibal has been, in a wide range of discourses, a cultural symbol of opposition to the idea of – and identification with – the ”civilized (Western) self”. Within the frames of popular culture cannibalism is generally portrayed along these lines as an expression of primitivism, animalistic behavior, depravity and monstrosity. As a reader of The Road, one may classify this story as a part of this tradition in its depiction of cannibalism. However, my goal is to illustrate how the subject can be viewed in a more diverse way, which potentially leads the reader to recognize the cannibal: Not in the form of the Other but as a part of the Self; not as a telling agent of evil times but as a critical mirror image of our own. I do this by shedding light on how cannibalism can be said to connect with other discourses throughout McCarthy’s text: Meat consumption as mentioned earlier is one of them and by following that trail my reasoning also comes to include industrialized meat and cultural consumerism. The conclusion of this essay is that the occurring cannibalism in The Road can be, and in my opinion should be, read as criticism of our contemporary society and its exploitive relationship to animals.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka hur en förändrad köttkonsumtion samt köttproduktion framställs i svensk media genom att analysera debattartiklar. Empiriskt material är insamlat från Mediearkivet Retriever i de största dags- kvällstidningarna i Sverige och Östergötland. Studien är gjord utifrån en kvalitativ textanalys där olika teman har identifierats och analyserats utifrån frågorna; Hur förhåller sig olika aktörer till en förändrad köttkonsumtion och köttproduktion? Hur ramas perspektiven in och hur kopplas de till varandra? Hur kan denna debatt förstås ur ett miljöperspektiv? Utifrån denna studie kunde en konsensus identifieras kring att köttkonsumtionen och köttproduktionen är en viktig fråga och att det behövs en förändring. Det råder dock oenigheter om hur detta problem ska adresseras. / The aim of this study is to investigate how the meat consumption and meat production is presented in Swedish media by analyzing debate articles. The empirical data is collected from Mediearkivet Retriever and limited to the biggest newspapers in Sweden and in Östergötland. The method used is qualitative text analysis and thematic analysis where the following questions were asked: How do different stakeholders view a change in meat consumption and meat production? How are the perspectives framed and how are they connected to each other? How can this debate be understood from an environmental perspective? From this study, a consensus is identified where meat consumption and meat production is an important question and that a change is necessary. There are, however, conflicts regarding how this issue should be addressed.

Min utgångshypotes var att en minskad köttkonsumtion ger en minskad boskapsuppfödning. En boskapsuppfödning som idag tar i anspråk ca 70 procent av all jordbruksmark och 40 procent av den globala spannmålsproduktionen. Tanken var att en minskad boskapsuppfödning skulle bidra till en ökad tillgång på spannmål för människor och därmed en minskad svält. Men sambandet mellan svält och jordens resurser var inte så enkelt som jag hade förespeglat mig. Maktkoncentrationen som återfinns i matens distributionsled visade sig ha satt spelreglerna om tillgång och efterfrågan mer eller mindre ur spel. En ökad tillgång på mat genom en minskad köttkonsumtion och bättre resurshantering verkar därför inte påverka fattigdom och svält nämnvärt. Den nuvarande världshandeln visade sig också vara en bidragande orsak till fattigdom och svält då mat från nord, producerad med hjälp av statliga subventioner, konkurrerar ut lokalproducenter i syd. Den avgörande faktorn tycks vara människors tillgång på pengar. Inga pengar, ingen mat oavsett om maten finns i överflöd eller inte. Mina efterforskningar tyder på att de viktigaste faktorerna för att minska världssvälten är en förändring av den globala handeln för att därigenom öka de utsattas tillgång på kapital och självförsörjningsgrad samt en diskussion om vilket politiskt och ekonomiskt system som krävs för det.

In december 2017 Sweden’s public service operation Sveriges television launched the series Köttets lustar. The series is about the Swedish comedian Henrik Schyffert when he explores the Swedish meat industry. During the series, two piglets named after the Swedish princesses Viktoria and Madeleine moves in to his flat in Stockholm, as a result of a bet he has with his son Limpan. Limpan, who loves animals and thinks that Schyffert eats too much meat wants Schyffert to get to know an animal from the meat industry, and decide whether he could kill an animal he has gotten to know or not. If he lets the pigs live in the end of the series, then he must eat vegetarian food for the rest of his life and if he decides to kill them, then he can continue to consume meat. During the series, and before Schyffert decides whether the pigs should live or die, he examines whether he should eat vegetarian food or meat, and what consequences vegetarian food has for his masculinity. The aim with this analysis was to examine the series Köttets lustar and how it depicts men’s relationship to meat consumption and the consequences it entails, seen from a animal rights perspective.  During this analysis I used the Norman Fairclough critical discourse analysis with its three dimensions: texts, discourse practice and the sociocultural practice. My analysis showed that meat consumption is an important part of the masculinity and in Schyfferts case he wasn’t ready to give up meat because of a fear that a life as a vegetarian could deprive him of his masculinity. The series also showed meats impact on the climate and the fact that animals in the meat industry also have feelings and are intelligent. The main conclusion of the analysis was that meat in relation to animal rights is very complex because meat’s importance for the masculinity. Because of the society where the man is norm and animals, like women, are defined as the other, the man’s need for meat has a bigger importance than whenever the animals is abused or not, which is something that shows in the series.

The idea of the human as a rational man is deeply engrained into the thinking and the construction of the human culture within industrialized societies. It enables the domination and commodification of nonhuman species and the natural world (the Other). This has led to the creation of a highly technologized, industrialized and environmentally destructive food system. Such system centers around the production and consumption of meat whereas meat symbolizes the dominant culture. It stands for hegemonic masculinity, rationalism and the subordination of the Other. In the 1970s, the ethical vegetarian movement arose, tackling the environmental destruction from a non-anthropocentric angle. Although the movement has not achieved the value shift it asks for, it identified the commodification of the Other as majorly problematic.Today, human induced climate change puts increasing pressure on humanity. Without inherent social change and restructuring, global warming may cause the extinction of the human and many other species.That is why, a new generation of activists has arisen. They use the environmental vegetarian argument to abolish commodification. It is an anthropocentric argumentation that aims to replace the exploitative, violent rationalist and industrialized society with the creation of a compassionate society that lives temperate lives. Environmental vegetarianism becomes powerful because it threatens the dominant culture daily. It challenges hegemonic masculinity because it embraces feminine virtues which build the basis for an ethics of care that centers around compassion. The argument’s power is reinforced by the natural scientific argument the confirms the reduction of meat consumption as important for the counteraction of climate change.