Understanding the barriers to plant-based dietary change: The role of meat-centric meal perception among adults in Australia and Denmark

Facilitating sustainable dietary transitions is crucial for addressing the climate crisis, yet changing individual eating behaviours - particularly in meat-centric food cultures - remains challenging. This study examines different psychological factors underlying plant-based eating, with a focus on meat-centric meal perception - the tendency to view meat as the essential component of a proper meal. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 592 meat-eating adults aged 20 to 70 (evenly recruited across five age groups) in Australia (N = 325) and Denmark (N = 267), two of the world's highest meat-consuming countries. Participants completed validated measures of familiarity with plant-based meals, food neophobia, cognitive reflection, and meat-centric meal perception. A more meat-centric meal perception was correlated with consuming fewer plant-based meals in Australia r(323) = - 0.36, p < 0.001 and Denmark r(265) = - 0.42, p < 0.001. Mediation analyses showed that higher familiarity with plant-based meals was associated with a less meat-centric meal perception, which in turn was related to higher plant-based eating among Australians (indirect effect = 0.34, 95 % CI [0.183, 0.534]) and Danes (indirect effect = 0.45, 95 % CI [0.267, 0.673]). Food neophobia was associated with lower plant-based eating in both countries, with an additional negative indirect effect via meat-centric meal perception in Denmark. Cognitive reflection showed no significant association with either meal perception or plant-based eating. These findings highlight meat-centric meal perception as a key psychological barrier to plant-based eating and underscore the importance of familiarity and food neophobia in shaping meal perceptions, offering valuable insights for promoting sustainable dietary change.