University Canteen Sees Sustained Drop in Meat Consumption Weeks After Meat-Free Month
In May, the Studierendenwerk (student’s office) at Germany’s University of Bonn declared a meat-free month in its Hofgarten canteen. Up to eight weeks after the experiment ended, researchers saw a surprising result — sales of main meal components containing meat remained 7-12% lower than they were before the meat-free month. According to a working paper published by the researchers, many students and staff members were pleasantly surprised by the meat-free dishes, discovering new options that they enjoyed. Consequently, they opted to order these meals again in the following weeks, indicating that even a short-term intervention can lead to significant behaviour change. Around half of people surveyed following the experiment said they would be happy to have one meat-free month per year, while 75% were in …