This is the last of a series of 3 columns on uncertainty. A response to uncertainty can be radicalization, It is argued that confirmation bias plays a role in this initial “radicalization”: the tendency to prefer information that confirms one's belief as “facts” to contradictory information (“fake news”). People who have just switched to something new, vegetarianism for example, or who have just started a new study, can be very fanatical at first and want to lecture everyone. But no one has the energy to compete again and again on the cutting edge of the “game” (infatuation, new beliefs, etc.), so luckily the nuance returns with time. After the radical "infatuation" (outshout/ignore uncertainty), uncertainty regains its place and space is once again created for the human dimension, for solidarity and nuance. The couple in love who give themselves completely to each other eventually regains an eye for the rest of the world. I have been a vegetarian for over 50 years, so I never really talk about that anymore. Bias fades with time.
MULTIFILE
This is the last of a series of 3 columns on uncertainty. A response to uncertainty can be radicalization, It is argued that confirmation bias plays a role in this initial “radicalization”: the tendency to prefer information that confirms one's belief as “facts” to contradictory information (“fake news”). People who have just switched to something new, vegetarianism for example, or who have just started a new study, can be very fanatical at first and want to lecture everyone. But no one has the energy to compete again and again on the cutting edge of the “game” (infatuation, new beliefs, etc.), so luckily the nuance returns with time. After the radical "infatuation" (outshout/ignore uncertainty), uncertainty regains its place and space is once again created for the human dimension, for solidarity and nuance. The couple in love who give themselves completely to each other eventually regains an eye for the rest of the world. I have been a vegetarian for over 50 years, so I never really talk about that anymore. Bias fades with time.
MULTIFILE
High consumption of animal-source foods, specifically meat, adversely affects human health and the environment. Dietary habits are shaped at younger ages and a reduction in meat consumption may be facilitated by the life course transitions in early adulthood, but studies are limited. This study among young Dutch adults aimed to describe their perceptions on the influence of life course transitions on meat consumption, barriers and enablers to reduce meat consumption, and strategies for reducing meat consumption. Barriers and enablers were grouped applying the COM-B model that includes capability, opportunity, and motivation. This quantitative cross-sectional study included a representative sample of 1806 young adults from two Dutch consumer panels who completed an online survey. Young adults frequently reported life course transitions, especially those related to moving house, to have decreased their meat consumption. Barriers and enablers to reduce meat consumption were identified for all three factors of the COM-B model. Important barriers included taste, perceived high prices of meat alternatives, and habits. In contrast, important enablers included care for the environment and animal welfare, enjoyment of smaller portions of meat and saving money. However, barriers and enablers largely differed by groups of meat consumption frequency. Self-perceived effective strategies for reducing meat consumption were price reduction of meat alternatives, recipes for vegetarian meals, and more attractive meat alternatives. The findings of this study are relevant for the development of targeted behaviour-change programmes including interventions in the physical and the social environment (like lowering prices and improving the offer of meat alternatives).
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The growing awareness of consumers of the increasing problem with livestock and meat production due to the high nitrogen emissions and the related impact on climate change drives consumption of plant based vegetarian alternatives. Similarly there is also an increasing demand for animal-free, eco-friendly alternative vegan leather. Consequently there has been significant interest in developing leather-like vegan materials from multiple plant sources, such as mango, pineapple and mushroom based materials. However, the commercialization and the growth of sustainable vegan leather production is hampered significantly by the difficulty of achieving the needed quality for the various consumer products as well as the high prices of the vegan alternatives. In the Growing Leather project two SMEs, BioscienZ and B4Plastics, will combine forces with Avans University of Applied Sciences to develop vegan leather from the mushroom based material called mycelium. BioScienZ is a biotech company with strong expertise and capacity to produce low-cost and consistent quality mycelium. B4Plastics is a material development company, with strengths in designing and distributing eco-plastic products. In this project Avans University will use several mycelium types (produced by BioscienZ), and with the guidance of B4Plastics, it will test various additives under many different conditions, to ultimately develop an environmentally friendly, vegan material that will have comparable material characteristics to animal leather and is competitive in price.
