People who eat meat prefer not to see the animals they are eating on product labels, a new survey by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has found.
In the study, nearly two-thirds of meat-eaters found “food imagery” more appealing for “pork” products than pictures of pigs.
The AHDB is part of the UK Government Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). Earlier this year, campaigners accused the body of “misleading” consumers with its pro-meat adverts in supermarkets.
Meat-eaters don’t want to see who they’re eating
The AHDB says that “[v]volume growth in fresh red meat has been challenging for many years.” Indeed, the total number of pigs slaughtered for meat in the UK fell to 10 million in 2023, the lowest number since 2013.
In response, the AHDB led a study to find out “what shoppers are looking for in food packaging.”
The results reveal that most don’t want to see the animals who died for their meal. “Even though some shoppers didn’t mind imagery of animals, most were put off by seeing animal imagery on pack,” the study notes.
It is unsurprising that meat-eaters prefer to ignore the animals they put in their mouths. Studies have shown that disassociation is a common technique meat-eaters use to avoid feelings of guilt.
A spokesperson for the AHDB told Plant Based News (PBN): “Decisions to include food imagery are based on research and resulting evidence.”
Meat labels don’t tell the whole story
Faced with falling demand for animal products, the AHDB launched an advertising campaign this year geared towards getting younger people eating more meat and dairy.
Adfree Cities was one of several campaign groups to submit a complaint. Veronica Wignall, its co-director, said in a statement: “With cows grazing in sunlit green fields, birdsong and health messaging, the AHDB’s ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ ads don’t tell the whole story.”
The new study used a similar “happy cow” on a food label. However, even this airbrushed version of animal agriculture proved too much for most meat-eaters.
One participant wrote that they “prefer seeing the dish that can be eaten rather than the animal.”
Cigarette-style labels for meat
In recent years, the meat industry has tried to stop plant-based meat companies using “meaty” labels.
Some believe that rather than censoring “vegan steak,” regulators should focus on the deception on meat packaging. For example, Chris Packham has suggested that more honest “cigarette-style” labeling of animal products would reduce meat consumption.