京都大学 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(農学) / 乙第13567号 / 論農博第2913号 / 新制||農||1101(附属図書館) / (主査)教授 小川, 順, 教授 阪井, 康能, 教授 栗原, 達夫 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Background: Even the lowest-impact animal-based food production has a much larger negative impact on the environment compared to plant-based alternatives. The lifestyle change of reducing meat consumption would decrease the negative impact of the food sector. One key obstacle to adopting this more sustainable diet are the inhibitors of the consumption of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs). The most commonly identified inhibitors are sensory attributes, price, health concerns, unfamiliarity with PBMAs and unwillingness to change. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain the impact of inhibitors of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) consumption among meat-eaters in Sweden. Methodology: A quantitative and deductive research strategy was employed as the means of gathering data. The cross-sectional research design was used with the usage of self-completion questionnaires and administered on Facebook and Reddit. The sampling method employed convenience and purposive sampling and resulted in 334 responses (307 valid). The collected valid data was then cleaned, coded and subsequently examined through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis.  Findings: The conducted regression analysis revealed that sensory attributes (H1), health concerns (H3), unfamiliarity (H4) and unwillingness to change (H5) had a significant negative impact on the consumption of PBMAs among meat-eaters in Sweden, thus these hypotheses were accepted. Price (H2) was found non-significant, resulting in the rejection of H2. Conclusion: The most impactful factor inhibiting the consumption of PBMAs among meat-eaters in Sweden was found to be sensory attributes (β = -0.265), followed by unwillingness to change (β = -0.238), health concerns (β = -0.161) and finally the least impactful unfamiliarity (β = -0.113). High prices were not an inhibitor of PBMA consumption among meat-eaters in Sweden. Conclusion: The most impactful factor inhibiting the consumption of PBMAs among meat-eaters in Sweden was found to be sensory attributes (β = -0.265), followed by unwillingness to change (β = -0.238), health concerns (β = -0.161) and finally the least impactful unfamiliarity (β = -0.113). High prices were not an inhibitor of PBMA consumption among meat-eaters in Sweden.

Restricting animal-based products from diet may exert beneficial effects on weight status; however, less is known about such a diet and emotional health. Moreover, personality traits, for example high neuroticism, may contribute to restrictive eating habits and potentially confound diet-health associations. We aim to systematically assess if restrictive dietary intake of animal-based products relates to lower weight and higher depressive symptoms, and if differences in personality traits play a significant role. Cross-sectional data from the baseline LIFE-Adult study were collected from 2011–2014 in Leipzig, Germany (n = 8943). Main outcomes of interest were dietary frequency of animal-derived products in the last year measured using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), body-mass-index (BMI) (kg/m2), and the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Personality traits were assessed in a subsample of n = 7906 using the Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Higher restriction of animal-based product intake was associated with a lower BMI, but not with depression scores. Personality, i.e., lower extraversion, was related to higher frequency of animal product intake. Moreover, personality traits were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, i.e., higher neuroticism, lower extraversion, lower agreeableness, lower conscientiousness, and with higher BMI. These findings encourage future longitudinal studies to test the efficacy of restricting animal-based products as a preventive and therapeutic strategy for overweight and obesity.

Plant-based meat (PBM) fulfills the criteria set by the European Union regulations for the product to be sold in the EU and is currently a highly consumed conventional meat substitute in the region. Whereas, cell-based meat (CBM), as of July 2023, does not fulfill the criteria set by the EU regulations for the product to be legally sold in the EU. This is due to CBM companies not submitting the required Novel Food application to EFSA to recieve market approval. Therefore, CBM is currently not legally sold in the EU and not consumed in the region. This thesis analyzes the impact of EU regulations and consumer behavior, and how these factors affect the growth of the PBM and CBM markets. The restriction of the thesis, the PBM and CBM markets, has been chosen due to them being the primary forms of alternative proteins that are a more sustainable choice to conventional meat. The intention of the thesis is to bring attention to the interplay between law and business, and the implications of their interconnectedness. The thesis is written with the aspiration to answer the question; to what extent have EU regulations and consumer behavior affected the expansion of the plant and cell-based meat markets? To this end, we began with determining if the legal criteria of the regulatory framework applicable to PBM and CBM constitute equal regulatory conditions for the markets to expand in the EU. The regulatory framework referred to in the thesis is restricted to the primary legislations applicable to alternative proteins, which are the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Regulation (EU) No 1829/2003, Novel Food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, EU Food Law Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Food Information to Consumers Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, and EU labeling requirements. We then conducted a collection of previous research on both the PBM and CBM markets restricted to sustainability, retail market, consumer behavior, financial investment, development, and production processes and costs. Thereafter, we compared the previous research and the aforementioned EU regulations to conclude the impacts of the regulations and the differences in the legal application between PBM and CBM. We also conclude how consumer behavior impacts the growth of a market in addition to the regulatory requirements, and showcase their combined effects on the market. The results suggested that compliance with EU regulations determines if the products are authorized to be legally sold in the EU while consumer behavior influences market acceptance and the extent of growth. The key regulatory difference affecting the ability of CBM to comply and experience similar growth to PBM is the Novel Food Regulation, due to it categorizing cell-based products as novel foods. As of May 2023, no companies in the EU have submitted a Novel Food application to EFSA for CBM.