Progression towards an 80:20 (plant-based:animal-based) energy balance via specially designed Meal Kits

Abstract

Various measures, both by government and commercial entities, are currently taken to promote a more sustainable eating behaviour, in particular in western countries, involving more plant-based foods and less meat. Whereas nudges in this direction previously were predominantly based on both individual and public health recommendations, the arguments for shifts in this direction now include global climate, sustainability and a general lowering of stresses on planetary health. The question is now whether a focus on climate has more effect on our food choices than a singular focus on nutrition and health. We argue that without an understanding of how to prepare delicious plant-based foods with those taste qualities (umami and kokumi) that humans generally crave across cultural and traditional food and taste preferences, it will be difficult to progress significantly towards eating more vegetables and less meat at the population level. In this study, using market-driven data over the period 2016–21 from a major Danish company that annually delivers more 1.5 million meal boxes (Meal Kits) to Danish households, we quantitatively probe the development towards a more plant-based diet among a well-defined set of consumers using Meal Kits. We trace a positive development towards an 80:20 (plant-based:animal-based) energy balance and a concomitant lowering of the carbon footprint for these eaters. Based on an analysis of the recipes that come with the Meal Kits, we propose that the umami and kokumi content of the prepared meals may be a reason for the observed progression, highlighting the importance of taste as a key to changing eating behaviour.