中文 | 日本語 | Tiếng Việt

Shifting to more sustainable diets is one of the most effective ways to cut global greenhouse gas emissions and ease the strain on land and water resources. Experts agree that eating less resource-intensive animal proteins, like beef, can help both the planet and our health.

While countries in South and East Asia have traditionally leaned on plant-forward diets, the demand for animal protein is skyrocketing. By 2030, meat consumption is expected to grow by 75% in Vietnam and 20% in China compared to 2010 levels.

Most research on eating less meat focuses on Western countries, where strategies like food labelling and education campaigns have worked well. But little is known about whether similar approaches would work in Asian markets. This study set out to explore how ready consumers in China, Japan, and Vietnam are to embrace more sustainable eating habits.

Researchers surveyed over 5,000 people across the three countries to learn about their food habits and awareness of environmental issues and health concerns associated with meat production. They also asked how much people would pay for food certified as environmentally friendly.

To dig deeper, participants were presented with “food baskets” filled with different items that varied in sustainability and price. These foods considered food culture and habits and included meat, vegetables, fruits, and starch staples like rice or bread. Participants could also choose a meat-free option. The researchers then tested whether providing educational “nudges” could influence their choices. Participants were randomly divided into groups and exposed to one of three nudges or no nudge at all (the control group):

• The climate impact nudge explained how the growing demand for meat contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions
• The resource use nudge highlighted the environmental toll of intensive farming
• The health effects nudge emphasized risks from fertilizers and pesticides used in intensive agriculture

Each nudge ended with a statement about the ability of the participant’s personal choices to make a difference.

The survey was delivered face-to-face in China and Vietnam and online in Japan. Participants were recruited from both urban and rural areas in each country, and the sampling was designed to represent population demographics in terms of age, gender, and household income to investigate country-level effects.

The researchers found that, overall, chicken and fish were the most popular protein choices, with people willing to pay 2% more for them compared to pork. Beef was slightly less popular, and lamb was the least preferred. When it came to carbohydrates, rice was the clear favorite. Consumers were willing to pay 7% more for rice than bread or potatoes. Meat-free options, however, didn’t have strong support. Taken together, this suggests that traditional staples like rice and pork remain deeply rooted in diets. These cultural preferences mattered more than income when it came to food choices, especially among older participants.

Food labelled as sustainable was well received across all three countries, with participants being willing to pay roughly 16% more for a food basket with items that were certified as sustainably produced. Vietnamese consumers stood out, being willing to pay 39% more for eco-friendly options. Chinese consumers were also on board (31%), while Japanese consumers were a bit more hesitant (10%).

Younger and wealthier participants were the most interested in sustainable options and willing to pay more for them. On the other hand, older and rural consumers responded better to health-focused messages.

While 84% of consumers said they trusted certified environmental labels, this varied by the agency responsible for certification. Overall, international organizations were trusted the most. Participants in China and Vietnam expressed the most trust in government certification schemes (50%), while Japanese participants were the least trusting of these (26%).

The findings revealed that the nudges didn’t do much to reduce consumption of less sustainable proteins like beef and pork. However, they did slightly increase interest in chicken and fish, particularly the greenhouse gas emission and health-related messaging. According to the researchers, this could indicate that promoting better choices is easier than discouraging worse ones.

What does this mean for advocates? Although many Asian consumers are reluctant to reduce their animal protein intake, there’s growing concern for the environment. The strong interest in food certification shows that people are open to sustainable choices, especially when they’re seen as trustworthy and high quality.

Ultimately, creating meaningful change will require more than awareness campaigns or nudges. A comprehensive approach will combine culturally tailored strategies, reliable certification programs, and improved access to affordable sustainable options. Together, these efforts could help lower the environmental footprint of diets in these diverse markets.