This research is focused on a group of vegan and vegan-curious individuals who are creating, building and maintaining a vegan community of practice in Houston, Texas. Through ethnographic methods, including participant observation, in-depth semi-structured interviews, surveys, quantitative analysis, and use of geographic information systems (GIS), this thesis considers motivations, group hierarchies, core and peripheral membership, practices, beliefs and construction of identity within the vegan community of practice. Further, concepts from the anthropology of religion are utilized in discourse analysis around conversion to ethical veganism, preaching, and religious-ethical beliefs around enlightenment and the principle of ahimsa. Utilizing subcultural studies and social movement theory, this thesis also shows how the vegan community of practice fits into vegan subcultures and the greater vegan lifestyle movement. Finally, as an applied project, deliverables to the client Vegan Society of PEACE includes both personal and structural barriers to veganism which are understood with respect to a race-conscious approach to veganism, and with special consideration given to the capitalist commodification of animals. Suggestions are given and strategies for growth of the community are highlighted at the end of this paper.

Houve um crescimento substancial constatado nos últimos anos no número de pessoas adotando dietas veganas em várias áreas do mundo, incluindo nas Américas, na Europa e em diferentes regiões da Ásia. Em 2012, já existiam cerca de 16 milhões, 5 milhões e 1,68 milhão de pessoas veganas nos Estados Unidos, Brasil e Inglaterra, respectivamente. Questões de saúde, de meio ambiente e de direitos dos animais são algumas das preocupações do consumidor vegano. Essas causalidades também são características do consumo consciente. O consumo de produtos está conduzido por fatores econômicos, sociais, culturais, pessoais e ambientais que atuam sobre o fator a decisão de compra e de o comportamento do consumidor. Nesse sentido, questiona-se qual é o perfil e suas principais motivações que influenciam o comportamento do consumidor vegano no Brasil Para obter essa resposta, foram escritos dois artigos, a fim de atender os seguintes objetivos: Artigo I) contextualizar o estado da arte do consumo vegano; e Artigo II) caracterizar o perfil dos consumidores veganos; e identificar e analisar as motivações que orientam e influenciam o comportamento de consumidores veganos, com base na Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP). Para o consumidor vegano, a TCP auxilia na abordagem das motivações que fazem parte para a compreensão do comportamento do consumidor planejado. Os resultados encontrados no primeiro artigo apresentam que as pesquisas sobre o consumo vegano cresce a partir de 2009, sendo um dos países que mais pesquisam sobre o assunto são os Estados Unidos, com 22 artigos. Além disso, ressalta-se que ao longo dos anos foram descobertas novas pesquisas que ratificam a importância de os indivíduos aderirem uma dieta vegana, por questões de saúde, de meio ambiente, corroborando para o consumo consciente Já no segundo artigo, os resultados mostram que a maioria dos consumidores veganos são do sexo feminino, jovens, solteiros, com ensino superior completo e pós-graduação e com menos e mais de um ano de veganismo. As principais variáveis que influenciam e orientam o comportamento do consumidor vegano estão relacionadas a sua saúde, às intenções comportamentais, aos alimentos ecoinovadores, ao direito dos animais e ao meio ambiente. Portanto, o comportamento do consumidor vegano, quando aplicado à TCP, revela que as atitudes, normas subjetivas e controle percebido geram um comportamento do consumidor planejado ao veganismo. Conclui-se que o consumo vegano tornou-se um nicho de mercado, contribuindo para a produção de alimentos ecoinovadores. Sob o ponto de vista do agronegócio, salienta-se que novas cadeias de produção de alimentos, diferenciação de produtos, estímulo à produção de orgânicos, estratégias de mercado e ampliação da oferta para atender a demanda são algumas ações positivas que podem impactar e promover a expansão desse nicho de mercado. / There has been substantial growth in recent years in the number of people adopting vegan diets in various areas of the world, including in the Americas, Europe and different regions of Asia. In 2012, there were already around 16 million, 5 million and 1.68 million vegans in the United States, Brazil and England, respectively. Health, environment and animal rights issues are some of the concerns of the vegan consumer. These causalities are also characteristic of conscious consumption. The consumption of products is driven by economic, social, cultural, personal and environmental factors that act on the buying decision factor and consumer behavior. In this sense, it is questioned what is the profile and its main motivations that influence the behavior of the vegan consumer in Brazil To obtain this answer, two articles were written in order to meet the following objectives: Article I) contextualize the state of the art of vegan consumption; and Article II) characterize the profile of vegan consumers; and to identify and analyze the motivations that guide and influence the behavior of vegan consumers, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TCP). For the vegan consumer, TCP assists in approaching the motivations that are part of understanding the intended consumer behavior. The results found in the first article show that research on vegan consumption grows from 2009, with one of the most researched countries being the United States, with 22 articles. In addition, it is emphasized that over the years new research has been discovered that ratify the importance of individuals adhering to a vegan diet, for health reasons, of the environment, corroborating for conscious consumption. The second article, the results show that the majority of vegan consumers are female, young, single, with full college and postgraduate education and with less than and more than one year of veganism. The main variables that influence and guide the behavior of the vegan consumer are related to their health, behavioral intentions, ecoinovator foods, animal rights and the environment Therefore, vegan consumer behavior, when applied to TCP, reveals that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control generate consumer behavior designed for veganism. Concluded that vegan consumption has become a niche market, contributing to the production of ecoinovadores foods. The point of view of agribusiness, it should be pointed out that new food production chains, product differentiation, organic production incentives, market strategies and supply expansion to meet demand are some positive actions that can impact and promote expansion of this niche market.

Em relação ao vestuário utilizável pelo público vegano (indivíduos que se abstêm, por motivos éticos e/ou ideológicos, na medida do possível, do consumo de produtos e serviços provenientes do reino animal), há diversas alternativas sintéticas aos materiais de origem animal que os substituem em suas funções práticas, estéticas e/ou simbólicas. De arremedos burlescos a imitações fidedignas da realidade, simulacros de peles, penas, pelos, ossos e secreções de animais, à primeira vista, de perto, de longe e/ou aos olhos de leigos, em diferentes graus de realismo, figuram aspectos estéticos e sensoriais que os tornam difíceis de serem distinguidos de genuínos materiais de origem animal. Neste contexto, o presente estudo concerne uma investigação qualitativa exploratória de caráter sobretudo fenomenológico, acerca da reflexão sobre a problemática de possíveis implicações conceituais e práticas mais notáveis, sob o enfoque ético, estético, sociológico, semiótico e prático, da ideia de simulacro, emulação e cópia de materiais de origem animal e/ou que façam referência, alusão ou evoquem aspectos exteriores de corpos de animais em vestuário de veganos. Para tanto, a partir de levantamentos de comentários de usuários veganos em redes sociais da internet, aplicação de questionários e entrevistas em profundidade com usuários, ativistas do movimento vegano e especialistas teóricos, espera-se, com esta contribuição, iluminar os campos do design de moda, do veganismo e, consequentemente, dos direitos dos animais. Alguns dos resultados desta investigação sugerem, por exemplo, que, enquanto, para alguns usuários, o recurso a alternativas consideradas como veganas seria aceitável pelo fato de substituírem atributos funcionais, estéticos e até afetivos de roupas e acessórios diretamente associados, por eles, a sofrimento, para outros usuários, seria objeto de reprovação. Segundo parte dos respondentes, devido ao razoável grau de fidedignidade de vários destes simulacros, o mero uso deste tipo de material artificial resultaria pouco aceitável por ser insuficientemente discernível de materiais derivados de corpos de animais. Nestes casos, esta verossimilhança poderia, segundo eles, indiretamente promover a ideia de que o uso de materiais de origem animal seria admissível, contribuindo, assim, para estimular o consumo de vestuário não condizente com a ideologia que adotam / In the cathegory of clothing which can be worn by the vegan public that is, by those who abstain as much as possible from consuming products and services of animal origin for ethical and ideological reasons there are various synthetic alternatives to materials of animal origin which fulfill the practical, aesthetic and/or symbolic functions. From burlesque copies to reliable imitations, like those of leather, feathers, fur, bones and animal secretionswith different degrees of realism, they haveat first, up close, or from a distance and/or to the eyes of laypeople, aesthetic and sensorial aspects that make it difficult to distinguish from genuine materials of animal origin. This study is a qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological investigation about the problematic of some of the most notable possible conceptual and practical implications, from the practical, aesthetic, philosophical, sociological and ethical viewpoints, of the idea of imitation, emulation and copying of materials of animal origin or materials which make a reference or allusion to, or which evoke exterior aspects of, animals bodies in vegans\' clothing.To this end, based on searches for vegan users comments in online social media, questionnaires and in-depth interviews with users, vegan movement activists and theoretical specialists (like ethics philosophers and designers specializing in ethical fashion), the aim of this study, based on conclusions obtained through analysis of these different points of view, is to illuminate the fields of fashion design, veganism and consequently, animal rights. Results of this investigation suggest, for instance, that for some users, making use of alternatives considered vegan would be an acceptable practice because they would replace functional, aesthetic and even affective attributes of clothing and accessories that such users otherwise associate with pain, while for other users this option would be objectionable. According to some respondents, due to the reasonably high level of visual similarity of various types of such simulacra, merely employing these animal byproducts would be considered less acceptable, given their insufficiently discernible distinction from animal-body materials. In such instances, they felt this verisimilitude could indirectly foster the idea that the use of such animal-origin material would be acceptable, therefore contributing to promoting the consumption of clothing of a type which is against the principles they adopt

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-06-15T13:44:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Luísa Schenato Staldoni_.pdf: 4792953 bytes, checksum: 84d4c5a4a327e7b23a28c7909b93ef19 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-15T13:44:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luísa Schenato Staldoni_.pdf: 4792953 bytes, checksum: 84d4c5a4a327e7b23a28c7909b93ef19 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-22 / CNPQ – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Esta pesquisa é um estudo de duas culturas alternativas: heavy metal e veganismo. Nossa proposta é analisar os processos de interação (entre indivíduos) e a circulação comunicacional derivada nessas culturas na perspectiva intra e intermidiática (FERREIRA, 2007; 2013 e ROSA; 2012), sob a ótica dos conceitos de sociedade em rede (CASTELLS, 2002) e dispositivo midiático (BRAGA, 2015 e FERREIRA, 2006; 2015), a fim de entender como se constitui o processo de midiatização nesses espaços. Para a observação empírica selecionamos o site Whiplash, que veicula matérias sobre heavy metal e seus subgêneros, e o Portal Vista-se, que produz conteúdo sobre veganismo. Em ambos identificamos agrupamentos e lógicas que conceituamos como confraria de amadores (FLICHY, 2010). A partir disso, a pergunta de base deste trabalho é: Nos casos específicos (Whiplash e Vista-se), que lógicas são acionadas na circulação intramidiática e intermidiática para a constituição de culturas alternativas? Com base nessa problematização, constituímos nosso caso de pesquisa, elaborando análises individuais para cada um desses objetos, observando usos e apropriações midiáticas realizadas pelos atores sociais inscritos nesses espaços, construindo, deste modo, um episódio analítico. Por fim, cruzamos estes dados em um texto de reflexão transversal, que nos permitiu entender, para além dos casos específicos, como está acontecendo o processo de midiatização dessas culturas alternativas e como este cenário complexifica não só as relações, mas a própria cultura. / This research is a study of two alternative cultures: heavy metal and veganism. Our porposal is to analyze the interaction (among individuals) and communicational circulation processes derived in these cultures in the intramediatic and intermediatic perspective (FERREIRA, 2007: 2013) and (ROSA, 2012), under the scrutiny of network society (CASTELLS, 2002) and mediatic devices (BRAGA, 2015 e FERREIRA, 2006; 2015) concepts, in order to understand how the mediatization processes occur in these spaces. To the empiric observation, we selected the site Whiplash that issues reports on heavy metal and its subgenres, and the site ―Vista-se‖, which produces content about veganism. On both we identified groupings and logics which we named ―Confraria de Amadores‖ (Amateur Confraternity) (FLICHY, 2010). From that, the main question for this research is: In these specific cases (Whiplash and Vista-se), what reasoning is activates at the intramediatic and intermediatic circulations for the construction of alternatives cultures? Based on this problematization, we constituted our research case, elaborating individual analysis for each of these objects, observing the use and mediatic appropriation carried out by the social actors subscribed in this objects, building, thus, an analytical episode. Finally, the data were crossed in a transversal analytical text allowing, thus, the understanding beyond the specific cases how the mediatization processes of these alternative cultures are occurring and how this scenario, complexifies, not just the relations, but the culture itself.

There are several ways in which people can relate to eating or not eating animals. This essay is focussing two main strategies: Making distances and drawing borders. Today, there are several reasons for not eating meat, including environmental reasons, individual and public health reasons, ethical reasons and more. Yet, people eat more meat than ever. According to the UN, this is a major problem. In 2006 the report Livestock’s long shadow pointed out that meat consumption was a bigger problem from an environmental point of view, than global transports, including air-traffic. At the same time, western societies are becoming both more animal friendly (when it comes to companion animals) and more animal abusive (when it comes to production animals). There seems to be a lot of empathy for animals, yet people choose to hurt them, kill them and eat them. This essay, with a feministic approach, tries to reveal what mechanisms are behind this ambigous behaviour. The findings suggest that the border line between humans and animals is blurred due to several reasons. / Att äta eller inte äta djur är en fråga som det går att förhålla sig till på olika sätt. Den här uppsatsen fokuserar på två huvudstrategier: Avståndstagande och gränsdragningar. I dag finns många anledningar till att inte äta kött, till exempel miljöskäl, hälsoskäl (såväl individuella som folkhälsomässiga), etiska skäl med flera. Ändå äter jordens befolkning mer kött än någonsin. Enligt FN är det ett stort problem. Rapporten "Livestock's long shadow" som kom ut 2006, pekar ut köttkonsumtionen som ett större miljöproblem än världens samlade transporter, inklusive flygtransporter. Samtidigt, håller västerländska samhällen på att bli allt mer djurvänliga (när det handlar om sällskapsdjur) och allt mer djurfientliga (när det handlar om så kallade produktionsdjur). Det finns uppenbarligen mycket empati för djuren, ändå väljer människor att göra dem illa,  döda dem och äta dem. Den här uppsatsen försöker ur ett feministiskt perspektiv undersöka de mekanismer som ligger bakom detta ambivalenta beteende. Resultatet tyder på att gränsen mellan människa och djur är en kulturell konstruktion som håller på att suddas ut, av flera skäl.

Animal slaughter has recently become highly visible in popular food media. This thesis interrogates the myths, assumptions and ideologies underlying this so-called New Carnivore movement, through critical analysis of a range of popular gastronomic texts. Socially-constructed ideas about ‘reality’, ‘sentimentality’, ‘sacrifice’, and ‘redemption’ are intimately implicated in the process of animal slaughter, as are the notions of ‘good taste’ and social distinction. The domination of animals, demonstrated through the slaughter, butchery, and consumption of nonhuman bodies, is held to be an integral component in the performance of gender, as well as a means of reconnecting, via a kind of secular epiphany, with ‘Nature’ at its most authentic. As a hostile backlash against the social progress made by the animal advocacy and vegetarian movements, New Carnivorism denigrates vegetarianism and veganism as outdated, unfashionable, unnatural, puritanical and rude. Although these texts’ potential to inspire farmed animal welfare reform should not be ignored, New Carnivorism ultimately serves to naturalize, justify and promote the continued consumption of meat, and the continued exploitation of nonhuman animals, in Western societies.

Submitted by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2018-02-02T12:58:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 730897 bytes, checksum: 40baf045605f50df2a70ce3181331aab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-02T12:58:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 730897 bytes, checksum: 40baf045605f50df2a70ce3181331aab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-09 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The present work proposes to bring an interpretation of speeches and symbolic aspects involved in the practice of veganism among young feminists. As scholars and other authors of the theme activists, they bring in their discourses and practices political dimensions that relate animal and environmental exploitation, and the consumption of meat and animal clothing, with a patriarchal capitalist system of exploitation that is the same governing domination between people through gender relations. The research comprises a set of methodologies for obtaining data as field research and semi - structured interviews between activists and groups that propose discussion between feminism and animal liberation, which may be located more precisely a feminist anarchist youth culture of young women many places in Brazil; are participants of activist groups, vegan feminist projects, festivals, bands and zines or even autonomous activists. / O presente trabalho propõe trazer uma interpretação dos discursos e aspectos simbólicos envolvidos na prática do veganismo entre jovens feministas. Assim como autores estudiosos do tema e outros ativistas, elas trazem em seus discursos e práticas, dimensões políticas que relacionam a exploração animal e ambiental, além do consumo da carne e vestuário de origem animal, com um modelo capitalista e patriarcal de exploração que é o mesmo que rege a dominação entre pessoas através das relações de gênero. A pesquisa conta com um conjunto de metodologias de obtenção de dados como pesquisa de campo e entrevistas semiestruturadas entre ativistas e grupos que propõem a discussão entre feminismo e libertação animal, que podem ser localizados mais precisamente em uma cultura juvenil feminista de mulheres jovens anarquistas de diversos lugares do Brasil; sejam participantes de grupos ativistas, empreendimentos feministas veganos, festivais, bandas e zines ou até mesmo ativistas autônomas.

Dagens konsumtionssamhälle är ständigt under utveckling. Idag kan vi se att företag anpassar sig till denna utveckling. Framförallt har den veganska livsstilen av olika anledningar som djurskydd,miljöhänsyn och hälsa blivit central, varigenom Oatly med sina havrebaserade produkter skapat relevans för en hållbar och medveten konsument. Hållbarhet bygger på trender och ses som det nya coola. Att konsumera Oatlys produkter kategoriserar därmed konsumenter in i ett coolt sammanhang. Då Oatlys marknadsföringssätt är något som omtalats avsevärt i medier och lett till samhällsdebatter lockades vår nyfikenhet till att undersöka hur Oatly ser på sin roll som aktör på den samtida svenska livsmedelsmarknaden. Utefter detta formulerades två övergripande frågeställningar som sedermera vidare formulerats i en underfråga: Utifrån ovanstående syfte ämnar vi besvara följande frågeställningar: - Hur tänker Oatly kring sin roll på den samtida svenska livsmedelsmarknaden? - Hur uttrycker de sitt budskap för att konkurrera på den marknaden? För att ge svar på frågeställningarna genomfördes en samtalsintervju vid Forsman & Bodenfors reklambyrå i Göteborg, där vi fick chansen att träffa Art Director Lars Elfman och Copywriter Martin Ringqvist, som tillsammans jobbar tätt ihop med företaget Oatly och därmed kunde svara på allt från Oatlys identitet och mål till hur deras marknadsföringsstrategi ser ut. Vi granskade även Oatlys visualitet som fanns att hitta både på deras egna hemsida samt som case på Forsman & Bodenfors hemsida. Resultatet från intervjun och de visuella observationerna kopplas sedan till tidigare forskning och teorier som berör samhälleliga trender, marknadsföringsstrategier och teorier om coolhet och den coola konsumenten. Slutsatsen vi kan dra av denna undersökning är att Oatly vill göra sin havredryck till det nya mainstream, det som ska drickas istället för mjölk. Oatly vill även bidra till en social förändring och gå från att vara ett livsmedel till att bli en livsstil, detta är något de förverkligar genom sin normifrågasättande marknadsföring med retoriska, humoristiska inslag.

Houve um crescimento substancial constatado nos últimos anos no número de pessoas adotando dietas veganas em várias áreas do mundo, incluindo nas Américas, na Europa e em diferentes regiões da Ásia. Em 2012, já existiam cerca de 16 milhões, 5 milhões e 1,68 milhão de pessoas veganas nos Estados Unidos, Brasil e Inglaterra, respectivamente. Questões de saúde, de meio ambiente e de direitos dos animais são algumas das preocupações do consumidor vegano. Essas causalidades também são características do consumo consciente. O consumo de produtos está conduzido por fatores econômicos, sociais, culturais, pessoais e ambientais que atuam sobre o fator a decisão de compra e de o comportamento do consumidor. Nesse sentido, questiona-se qual é o perfil e suas principais motivações que influenciam o comportamento do consumidor vegano no Brasil Para obter essa resposta, foram escritos dois artigos, a fim de atender os seguintes objetivos: Artigo I) contextualizar o estado da arte do consumo vegano; e Artigo II) caracterizar o perfil dos consumidores veganos; e identificar e analisar as motivações que orientam e influenciam o comportamento de consumidores veganos, com base na Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP). Para o consumidor vegano, a TCP auxilia na abordagem das motivações que fazem parte para a compreensão do comportamento do consumidor planejado. Os resultados encontrados no primeiro artigo apresentam que as pesquisas sobre o consumo vegano cresce a partir de 2009, sendo um dos países que mais pesquisam sobre o assunto são os Estados Unidos, com 22 artigos. Além disso, ressalta-se que ao longo dos anos foram descobertas novas pesquisas que ratificam a importância de os indivíduos aderirem uma dieta vegana, por questões de saúde, de meio ambiente, corroborando para o consumo consciente Já no segundo artigo, os resultados mostram que a maioria dos consumidores veganos são do sexo feminino, jovens, solteiros, com ensino superior completo e pós-graduação e com menos e mais de um ano de veganismo. As principais variáveis que influenciam e orientam o comportamento do consumidor vegano estão relacionadas a sua saúde, às intenções comportamentais, aos alimentos ecoinovadores, ao direito dos animais e ao meio ambiente. Portanto, o comportamento do consumidor vegano, quando aplicado à TCP, revela que as atitudes, normas subjetivas e controle percebido geram um comportamento do consumidor planejado ao veganismo. Conclui-se que o consumo vegano tornou-se um nicho de mercado, contribuindo para a produção de alimentos ecoinovadores. Sob o ponto de vista do agronegócio, salienta-se que novas cadeias de produção de alimentos, diferenciação de produtos, estímulo à produção de orgânicos, estratégias de mercado e ampliação da oferta para atender a demanda são algumas ações positivas que podem impactar e promover a expansão desse nicho de mercado. / There has been substantial growth in recent years in the number of people adopting vegan diets in various areas of the world, including in the Americas, Europe and different regions of Asia. In 2012, there were already around 16 million, 5 million and 1.68 million vegans in the United States, Brazil and England, respectively. Health, environment and animal rights issues are some of the concerns of the vegan consumer. These causalities are also characteristic of conscious consumption. The consumption of products is driven by economic, social, cultural, personal and environmental factors that act on the buying decision factor and consumer behavior. In this sense, it is questioned what is the profile and its main motivations that influence the behavior of the vegan consumer in Brazil To obtain this answer, two articles were written in order to meet the following objectives: Article I) contextualize the state of the art of vegan consumption; and Article II) characterize the profile of vegan consumers; and to identify and analyze the motivations that guide and influence the behavior of vegan consumers, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TCP). For the vegan consumer, TCP assists in approaching the motivations that are part of understanding the intended consumer behavior. The results found in the first article show that research on vegan consumption grows from 2009, with one of the most researched countries being the United States, with 22 articles. In addition, it is emphasized that over the years new research has been discovered that ratify the importance of individuals adhering to a vegan diet, for health reasons, of the environment, corroborating for conscious consumption. The second article, the results show that the majority of vegan consumers are female, young, single, with full college and postgraduate education and with less than and more than one year of veganism. The main variables that influence and guide the behavior of the vegan consumer are related to their health, behavioral intentions, ecoinovator foods, animal rights and the environment Therefore, vegan consumer behavior, when applied to TCP, reveals that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control generate consumer behavior designed for veganism. Concluded that vegan consumption has become a niche market, contributing to the production of ecoinovadores foods. The point of view of agribusiness, it should be pointed out that new food production chains, product differentiation, organic production incentives, market strategies and supply expansion to meet demand are some positive actions that can impact and promote expansion of this niche market.

abstract: Advancing sustainable food systems requires holistic understanding and solutions-oriented approaches that transcend disciplines, so expertise in a variety of subjects is necessary. Proposed solutions are usually technically or socially oriented, but disagreement over the best approach to the future of food dominates the dialogue. Technological optimists argue that scientific advances are necessary to feed the world, but environmental purists believe that reductions in consumption and waste are sufficient and less risky. Life cycle assessment (LCA) helps resolve debates through quantitative analysis of environmental impacts from products which serve the same function. LCA used to compare dietary choices reveals that simple plant-based diets are better for the environment than diets that include animal products. However, analysis of soy protein isolate (SPI) demonstrates that certain plant-based proteins may be less preferable for the environment than some unprocessed meats in several categories due to additional impacts that come from industrial processing. LCAs' focus on production risks ignoring consumers, but the food system exists to serve consumers, who can be major drivers of change. Therefore, the path to a sustainable food system requires addressing consumption issues as well. Existing methods for advancing sustainable food systems that equate more information with better behavior or performance are insufficient to create change. Addressing food system issues requires sufficient tacit knowledge to understand how arguments are framed, what the supporting content is, the findings of primary sources, and complex and controversial dialogue surrounding innovations and interventions for food system sustainability. This level of expertise is called interactional competence and it is necessary to drive and maintain holistic progress towards sustainability. Development strategies for interactional competence are informed by studying the motivations and strategies utilized by vegans. A new methodology helps advance understanding of expertise development by assessing levels of expertise and reveals insights into how vegans maintain commitment to a principle that influences their daily lives. The study of veganism and expertise reveals that while providing information to debunk fallacies is important, the development of tacit knowledge is fundamental to advance to a stage of competence. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2015