Flexitarianism: Current Trends And Insights

Despite the environmental, health, and animal welfare benefits of reducing meat consumption, demand for meat is rising — especially in developing countries. Many consumers in the West are reluctant to cut back on meat, but a small group of “flexitarians” reduce meat in their diet, choosing to eat it in moderation instead of giving it up completely.

Flexitarianism has been studied extensively, but some questions remain. Specifically, it’s unclear how many consumers are open to this dietary change, how widespread flexitarianism is right now, and whether different types of flexitarianism exist. This study helps to fill these gaps by scanning recent research on meat eaters and meat reducers from affluent countries to gauge how many modern consumers are moving towards flexitarianism. The literature review included relevant studies since 2019.

The findings confirm that meat culture is deeply rooted in human history. The 4Ns theory explains that many people today view meat as “normal, necessary, natural, and nice” in various social and cultural contexts. Changing this mindset is challenging. The bulk of the research revealed that 41 to 58% of Western consumers prefer meat and have no intention to reduce or replace it, and an Australian study showed this number is as high as 75%.

The studies also established flexitarians as a unique group of food consumers, distinct from people who are strongly attached to eating meat. In fact, flexitarianism is not a fringe behavior — many consumers regularly skip meat for several days each week. The proportion of flexitarians varied across studies, usually falling between 10 and 25%. However, a U.S. study found that 66% of consumers reported eating less meat, especially red and processed meat, compared to three years ago.

Since flexitarianism isn’t a strict diet, flexitarians vary in how often they eat meat, the types of meat they consume, and their reasons for cutting back. For example, people less attached to eating meat tend to be “medium” or “heavy” flexitarians, eating less meat overall, while those more attached to meat are “light” flexitarians, who may have only one or two meatless days a week. The breakdown differed among the research. In an Australian study of 717 flexitarians, the largest group (50%) were light meat reducers, eating meat at least four days a week on average.

This paper emphasizes that flexitarianism can help create healthier and more sustainable eating habits. As the author argues, it’s an easier change to make relative to strict vegetarian or vegan diets, and any step toward less meat is better than none. And, while more research is needed to understand the extent and impact of flexitarianism, it’s clear that animal advocates should continue to promote plant-forward diets to lessen the impact of our food choices.