Understanding attitudes towards future plant-based diets for public health

Recent commentary on the interconnectivity between planetary and human health has focused on calls for changes in human food consumption in favour of plant-based diets. This project seeks to understand public health implications around plant-based diets including the drivers influencing consumers making dietary decisions, the availability of plant-based foods and strategies taken by plant breeding companies.

Successful adoption of dietary changes towards increased vegetarian and cereal choices will require attitudinal shifts and understanding by stakeholders across the food supply chain.

This study will:

  • Examine evidence for, and nature of, existing linkages amongst stakeholder groups engaged with the vegetable and cereal supply chain
  • Seek to understand the beneficial value of changes in dietary consumption from a public health perspective.
  • Predict the contributions that changes in demand for increased plant production will make to climate change mitigation measures.
  • Identify intervention points for change along the supply chain from the perspective of individual stakeholder groups and current policy
  • Promote of the co-benefits of linking planetary and human health.

The Liverpool region provides a unique opportunity to undertake these activities because of the proximity of stakeholder groups. This research will provide policy briefs to will support future interdisciplinary collaborations and directions for UKRI grant applications together with opinion articles for the journal Food Security and Energy.

For more information please contact Professor Steven Edwards

Back to: Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Food Systems