Why do people hate vegan? Science may have the answer

People seem to always have beef with veins – and scientists say they have realized why.

A new study published in the food journal Quality and preference found that the typical hatred of your carnivores to vegans can simply be due to envy.

Researchers from the University of Vasa in Finland wanted to understand why a plant -based diet and the use of meat substitutes are still so angry in Europe.

“Consuming meat and meat substitutes is a very busy social phenomenon,” said Roosa-Maaria Malila, an author of the study, in a statement. “According to our research, customers who prefer plants-based alternatives are perceived as different social-not in a good way.”

The team asked 3,600 participants from Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden to give their opinions to an imaginary consumer, based on their food purchases habits.

Participants showed three different shopping lists. All lists included the same five main foods: pasta, bread, apple juice, carrots and bananas-but they changed based on the inclusion or exclusion of animal and plant-based protein products.

One list was for a meat meal, including items such as minced meat, cold cuttings and sausages. The “flexible” list had a mixture of meat and plant -based items, such as chicken rolls and vegetable sausages. The third list was heavy on meat substitutes, such as vegetable -based dumplings and vegetarian sausages.

Research revealed that imaginary buyers who preferred vegetarian foods were seen as friendly people with the environment competent, aware of health and morality.

However, participants also opposed fake meats – bringing feelings of fear, envy, contempt and anger.

“In our research, we found that people even wanted to act aggressively on vegetarians or exclude them from social circles,” separated Malila.

Researchers explained that these mixed feelings reflect the “prevailing climate” of understanding the need to minimize meat consumption for environmental reasons.

“Understandably, changing one’s consumption habits is not so simple. This can be reflected in disappointment and channeled through those who are already changing,” they writes.

“Of course, the fear of renouncing the benefits gained also causes similar feelings, although a vegetarian diet does not need to be really a compromise, but the image about it can be perceived as such.”

There are a number of reasons why people choose not to reach for meat substitutes during food purchases, such as price or taste – but according to the study, the main reason seems to be the lack of social acceptability.

“Food is a strong part of our social identity. If and when vegetarian food arouses negative feelings, not many people want to risk associating with it,” Malila explained.

“It belongs to a group is an evolutionary motive. We need to accept our human beings.”