What Potlucks Teach Us About Food Sustainability: Jonathan Kershaw (Transcript)

Innovative solutions are urgently needed to make more food with fewer resources while producing less waste. However, innovative solutions alone will not be enough. The most sustainable technology on the planet would have little impact if it is not adopted.

But change does not come easily. Our food system is a complex network of biological, social, political, and economic factors. And it touches the livelihoods of billions of people. One of the many challenges to change is the personal nature of food.

The Personal Nature of Food

Food is an important part of our cultural fabric. Food is a way that we express our identity and share experiences with others. It’s no wonder people can feel attacked when a food that is meaningful to them is put on someone else’s bad list. The recent rise and stagnation of plant-based meat alternatives is a prime example of how an innovative food solution can fall short if promoted too narrowly.

Around 2016, a new kind of plant-based burger began hitting the market. Now these were not your typical plant-based black bean burger focused on vegetarians. These burgers were designed to replicate the taste of beef. And they had the ambitious goal of convincing meat eaters to eat more plant-based.

Initially there was a lot of excitement and investment in this category. Many people felt that plant-based meats would reduce our intake of animal products. Fast forward to today. Sales have stagnated. Plant-based meat companies have experienced large layoffs. New products are being canceled. And the hope to decrease meat consumption seems far from being realized, as the introduction of plant-based meats as beef market share remains largely unimpacted by the introduction of plant-based meats. What happened?

Wasn’t this a product that could save the planet? While many experts will point to the failure to fully replicate the taste of meat or the higher price point, there is another underlying problem. Peter McGuinness, CEO of Impossible Foods, recently summed it up. He shared that the category initially attracted climate warriors who were passionate about changing the food system.

However, it was this very passion for the environment that turned off much of America. As McGuinness put it, “There was a wokeness to it. There was an academia to it. There was an elitism to it. The way to get meat eaters to actually buy your product is not to vilify them, insult them, and judge them. We need to go from insulting to inviting.” So how do we do that? How do we become more inviting?

Strategies for Promoting Sustainable Food Choices

Strategies to promote sustainable food choices has been a focus of my own research. I’ll share two main takeaways. First, deliver on the qualities that people care about most. And second, customize your message so that it matters.

First, deliver on what people care about. And what do people care about when it comes to food? Well, what did you think about the last time you decided what to eat? Were you thinking about how to make more food with fewer resources? Were you pondering on the labor practices of ingredient suppliers?

Or how to save orangutan habitats from palm oil producers? If you’re like most people, taste was probably near the top of your list. If a food doesn’t taste good, then it really doesn’t matter whether it was produced sustainably or not, because people won’t buy it. Although the number of people who try to eat more sustainably is growing, people’s primary food motivations, taste, health, cost, convenience, still must be met first.

Now my second point, messaging that matters, is related to my first, about taste. Messages cause people to associate food with a feeling or a value, which then creates an expectation about how the food will taste. For example, the ideas associated with organic agriculture will cause many people to tell you that organic vegetables taste better.

Even though blind taste tests fail to show a consistent difference. The same is true with wild caught fish. Many people insist that it’s better tasting. However, with labels aren’t present, there’s not much of a difference. I see messaging as an exciting opportunity. Messages aligned with values can help sustainable food taste better, and thus unite people around the common goal that food should taste good.

I’ll now share an example from my own research of how personal values can influence how food tastes. I recently wondered how an increasingly important value system, political identity, could play a role in this conversation around food sustainability.

The Role of Political Identity in Food Choices

Political identity has become one of the most prominent and polarizing identities for Americans. In fact, many will place party over country. Political affiliation has been associated with the cars you drive, the shows you watch, where you shop, who you date. It may also influence food choices.

Now, a recent study by Joshua Dyck showed that Democrats rated meatloaf as less appealing when they were accurately informed that it is Donald Trump’s favorite food. Likewise, Republicans found chili less desirable when told that it is Barack Obama’s favorite food. My colleagues and I designed an experiment to see if political identity could influence actual taste, not just expectations. We recruited Democrats and Republicans to try a plant-based meatball and a beef meatball, and tested whether a political message could influence their experience.

We found that Democrats rated the plant-based meatball as tastier than Republicans did, and were more likely to buy it and eat it. Likewise, Republicans were more likely to buy and eat the beef meatball. One possible explanation is that Democrats and Republicans are often divided on environmental policies. Thus, differences in green values could have influenced how they rated the meatball.

Interestingly, a recent study by Jennifer Yule found that conservatives were less likely to buy plant-based meats if they were advertised with environmental benefits. These findings have important implications for how we talk about sustainable food choices. Leading with a moralistic crusade to end climate change might only deepen tribalism and us versus them thinking.

Now yes, the carbon footprint message will resonate with those who are trying to be more green. However, people who prioritize eco-friendliness over other factors make up only a small share of consumers. I propose that we broaden the conversation, put another leaf in our metaphorical table, if you will, and invite more ways of thinking to the discussion. We need input from diverse groups of people. The responsibility to be stewards of our planet is not and cannot be owned by a single political party or ideology.

We need to think more creatively, expansively, and inclusively. For example, some people may resonate with a message that connects eco-friendly foods with traditional values such as frugality, duty, responsibility, and preserving a traditional way of life. Others may respond more positively when health benefits are emphasized.

For others, it may simply be a matter of logic and inevitable practicality that will have to make do with what we have in a world where climate change continues to disrupt the supply chain and drive up food prices.

Still more, the excitement of innovation may bring others to the table. How do we engage in these conversations to build a more collaborative approach? I have a few invitations for where we can start. We can be curious, ask questions.

Invitations for a Collaborative Approach

As we seek first to understand, we’ll build common ground. We can question our own assumptions about ideas that contradict our own opinions. We can exercise humility and recognize that everyone has a perspective we can learn from. We can meet people where they’re at, not where they should be.

For example, not everyone is willing to give up meat and eat plants for the rest of their lives, and that’s perfectly fine. There are many sustainable changes we can make to our food habits, such as reducing food waste and supporting brands or products that prioritize the environment. Several innovative food solutions are on the horizon, such as cultured meat, upcycled foods, and yes, even insect-based protein. Each of these solutions is technologically feasible and environmentally impactful, yet each faces consumer skepticism.

Will we learn? As we approach new ideas with a lens of curiosity and collaboration, we can solve a global food challenge. Now, yes, just like a potluck dinner, sometimes you might get that metaphorical bag of chips that expired nine years ago, and there’s likely to be some irritation along the way as ideas that don’t really mix start to touch each other.

But as you question your assumptions and broaden your approach, you might try some new ideas that actually taste pretty good, despite your reservations. Who knows? You might even like it. Thank you.

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