Don't say "vegan" or "plant-based": Food without meat and dairy is more likely to be chosen when labeled as "healthy" and "sustainable"

Eating less meat and dairy is healthy and environmentally sustainable, but food labeled as "vegan" is relatively unpopular. Here, we examined the effect of different labels for promoting choices for food without meat and dairy, among a representative U.S. sample (N = 7341). Participants chose between one gourmet food gift basket without meat and dairy and another with meat and dairy that were available from an actual online store. They were randomly assigned to one of five conditions, in which the gourmet food gift basket without meat and dairy was labeled as "vegan", "plant-based," "healthy," "sustainable," or "healthy and sustainable." Ten participants were randomly selected to receive the gourmet food gift basket of their choice. Overall, the gourmet food gift basket without meat and dairy was less likely to be chosen when its label focused on its content (stating "vegan" or "plant-based") rather than on its benefits (stating "healthy", "sustainable" or both). Specifically, the "plantbased" label did only slightly better than the "vegan" label, leading, respectively, to 27% and 20% of participants choosing the gourmet food gift basket without meat and dairy. However, 42% of participants chose the gourmet food gift basket without meat and dairy when it was labeled "healthy," 43% when it was labeled "sustainable," and 44% when it was labeled "healthy and sustainable." This labeling effect was consistent across sociodemographics groups but was stronger among self-proclaimed red-meat eaters. Labels provide a low-cost intervention for promoting healthy and sustainable food choices.