Unpacking Animal-Based Food Transitions In India
As countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China become richer, their citizens’ quality of life tends to improve. In turn, there is a common belief that the demand for animal-based foods in these locations will increase.
According to the authors of this study, India serves as an interesting contradiction to this argument. India has grown into one of the largest economies, lifting many from poverty. India’s meat consumption has nearly doubled in rural areas, but compared to most of the world, individual meat consumption remains low.
This research focuses on understanding why this is the case. Through a survey of 432 residents of Vadodara in Gujarat, India, the authors unpack the drivers of food consumption norms and values. They studied people of different religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, focusing on their eating habits, how and when certain foods are consumed, and how different diets and food groups are defined.
When asked what constitutes vegetarian food, 98% of survey respondents believed milk and dairy products to be vegetarian, while 95% considered eggs to be non-vegetarian. Some participants said non-fertilized eggs could be part of a vegetarian diet because they do not take a future life. Respondents also agreed that dairy products and eggs are not vegan.
Only 45% of participants agreed that killing animals was morally wrong, and one-third did not consider plant-based proteins better than meat and dairy proteins. Younger, unmarried, and non-Brahmin participants did not feel that a vegetarian diet was necessary for salvation. Non-Brahmin respondents from lower education backgrounds were more likely to disagree with vegetarian norms in favor of non-vegetarian food consumption. However, 90% of all participants thought vegetarian food was tasty and healthy.
Strict vegetarians were primarily middle- and upper-income individuals (69%) consisting of Brahmins and Jains. Participants who consumed non-vegetarian food less than twice a month were primarily middle and upper-income individuals (76%), women (60%), Brahmins, Hindu non-Brahimns, and highly educated. The primary reason for not being strictly vegetarian was for special occasions or health reasons.
Participants who ate non-vegetarian several times a month tended to be low-income and non-Brahmin individuals with medium levels of education. For this group, meat was generally eaten at religious festivals and when they had enough money to purchase it. Those who ate non-vegetarian at least once per week were primarily men from low socioeconomic groups and non-Brahmins. This group did not indicate vegetarian or non-vegetarian values being part of their tradition. Men between the ages of 25 and 50 with high socioeconomic status were another group who regularly consumed non-vegetarian items.
Participants held different views about allowing non-vegetarian foods into their homes. Brahmins and Jains especially had religious concerns about keeping non-vegetarian foods separate. 76% of households excluded non-vegetarian food, 19% allowed it, and 5% allowed only eggs. For the households that allowed non-vegetarian food, 50% were low-income, 85% were non-Brahmins, and 48% had a middle-level education. Furthermore, 66% of these households used the same utensils for cooking vegetarian and non-vegetarian items.
For many participants, vegetarian food was regarded as a dietary staple, not a replacement or second-best option. Meanwhile, non-vegetarian food was consumed primarily during religious festivals (30%) and family and friend gatherings (54%). When eating out with a vegetarian, 68% of participants said they would order a vegetarian dish. Similarly, with family and friends at a restaurant during a fasting festival, 99% of respondents said they would order vegetarian food.
Like most urbanizing nations, India has dramatically increased its animal-based protein consumption. However, the transition has not been uniform, nor has meat-free food been marginalized. This means that animal advocates should consider local culture and context carefully when advocating to developing regions. There isn’t always a straightforward path from wealth to meat consumption — what people eat also depends on their social, religious, and cultural values.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41130-018-0076-7