With the support of four vegetarian and vegan companies established on the Swedish market, Astrid och Aporna, Ekko Gourmet, Tzay and Quorn, the objective of this study is to understand why companies produce vegan and vegetarian products imitated with real meat products as well as how these companies market these products. The data was collected through interviews with suitable representatives from respective company. The empirical data collected from the interviews have further been analysed together with theories from past researches. The research approaches of this study has been a mixture of inductive and deductive when handling our data. The results from this thesis enlightens that there are contrasting strategies behind the products’ visual appearance, chosen target group and marketing among the different vegetarian and vegan companies on the Swedish market. We have discovered patterns between the companies’ target audiences and how these companies have designed their products depending of target audience Due to time limitations and companies’ unwillingness to participate in interviews, a broader perspective on the topic could not be given. Also, this study only looks at vegan and vegetarian companies operating in Sweden. A suggestion for future research is to investigate the consumer’s perspective and perceptions of vegan and vegetarian products by conducting a quantitative research to distinguish if the companies’ strategies are consistent with the perceptions of consumers on the Swedish market.

This qualitative study aims to identify challenges experienced amongst consumers in Stockholm when transitioning to a vegan diet. Five consumers between the ages of 24-27 have during a period of one month assumed the task of transitioning to a vegan diet. The results were analyzed through the lens of The Multidisciplinary Model of the main factors affecting consumer behaviour in the food domain and as well as the Cognitive dissonance theory to enable a deeper analysis. The study shows that information, supply and psychological influences are three main areas in which barriers are present. Lack of marketing in store and online, lack of clear labeling on products and lack of supply in both stores and restaurants were the most apparent challenges experienced amongst consumers which can be barriers when transitioning to a vegan diet. Furthermore, psychological influences that were perceived as barriers by the consumers was the presence of dissonance and the feeling of lack of support and inspiration.

This thesis is composed of two essays that study behavioral economics to motivate health-promoting behaviors. The first paper, "Does Nutrition Education Reduce Delay Discounting?," studies delay discounting, or delayed gratification, which is an important research topic because it plays a role in producing numerous health outcomes, such as obesity. It is important to understand how the delay discounting process relates to unhealthy diets. People who discount the value of future outcomes prefer immediate rewards (e.g., enjoyment/taste) even though a larger reward from delaying exists (e.g., good health status). In this paper, we aim to provide evidence over whether nutrition education reduces delay discounting. Our analysis, therefore, provides guidance for designing more effective interventions to help increase overall health. The second paper, "Are We Reaching Those Most In Need?: Motivation Profiles and Willingness-to-Participate," explores the potentially negative psychological spillover effects (i.e., "crowding out" effects), which can complicate incentives' effectiveness because it can make targeted behavior (i.e., the aim to improve one's health) less desirable. To understand this "crowding out" effect, our paper examines how different types of motivations (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic motivations) influence people's willingness-to-participate in a weight control program with and without incentives. This analysis provides further guidance for designing more effective interventions by considering different recruitment strategies to target different individuals, which can minimize the negative spillover of incentives. / Master of Science / This thesis is composed of two essays that study the behavioral economics to motivate health-promoting behaviors. The first paper, “Does Nutrition Education Reduce Delay Discounting?,” studies delay discounting, or delayed gratification, which is an important research topic because it plays a role in producing numerous health outcomes, such as obesity. It is important to understand how the delay discounting process relates to unhealthy diets. People who discount the value of future outcomes prefer immediate rewards (e.g., enjoyment/taste) even though a larger reward from delaying exists (e.g., good health status). In this paper, we aim to provide evidence over whether nutrition education reduces delay discounting. Our analysis, therefore, provides guidance for designing more effective interventions to help increase overall health. The second paper, “Are We Reaching Those Most In Need?: Motivation Profiles and Willingness-to-Participate,” explores the potentially negative psychological spillover effects (i.e., ‘crowding out’ effects), which can complicate incentives’ effectiveness because it can make targeted behavior (i.e., the aim to improve one’s health) less desirable. To understand this ‘crowding out’ effect, our paper examines how different types of motivations (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic motivations) influence people’s willingness-to-participate in a weight control program with and without incentives. This analysis provides further guidance for designing more effective interventions by considering different recruitment strategies to target different individuals, which can minimize the negative spillover of incentives.