'Vegan' label may be turning off consumers: Study finds more people will pick up foods called 'healthy'

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What is a vegan diet?

Curious about becoming a vegan? Here is what you need to know about the vegan diet.

A study done by a team at the University of Southern California has found that consumers are less likely to pick up food labeled "vegan" and more likely to go for something labeled "healthy and sustainable." 

Presented at the Society for Risk Analysis 2023 conference in Washington, D.C., the study was conducted to see how people responded to specific labels surrounding foods.

There was a large pool of over 7,000 people as part of the study, from whom 10 were randomly selected. 

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These participants were then told to choose between a food gift basket without meat and dairy and another that included meat and dairy, according to the study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Each food gift basket was also given the label of "vegan," "plant-based," "healthy," "sustainable" or "healthy and sustainable." 

A new study has found that foods labeled "vegan" are less likely to be picked up by consumers than if the foods were simply "healthy." (iStock)

Researchers found that people were less likely to choose food gift baskets without meat and dairy when the label said "vegan" or "plant-based" — rather than wiht the labels of "healthy," "sustainable" or both.

Only 20% of participants chose the "vegan" basket, the study noted.

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Yet 44% of the people chose the very same food basket when it was labeled "healthy and sustainable," according to the study.

Researchers said people were much more likely to choose foods labeled "healthy and sustainable." (iStock)

This led researchers to believe that people would eat more healthfully if food was marketed using different terminology.

The labeling effect, said the researchers, "was consistent cross socio-demographics groups but was stronger among self-proclaimed red-meat eaters."

Physicians believe that vegan, plant-based diets are not only cost-effective but may lower body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and more, according to research by the National Institute of Health.

Vegan diets tend to be based around plants and grains without items that come from animals.  (iStock)

A vegan diet is generally described as eating plant-based foods such as vegetables and fruits, grains, nuts and more. 

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Vegans stay away from foods that come from animals such as dairy products, meat and eggs.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for further comment.

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