Cigarette-style warning labels on meat could cut consumption, say scientists
The UK's national food strategy aims to cut meat consumption by 30% by 2032

Graphic health warnings of the kind seen on cigarette packets may help reduce meat consumption, and help the environment, according to new research.
Since 2008, cigarette packets have had warning labels such as "smoking kills" alongside graphic images illustrating smoking's effects on the body, a tactic that has helped reduce the number of smokers in the UK. Now, researchers say a similar approach could cut meat consumption.
In a study published in the academic journal Appetite, researchers found that graphic warning labels cut the selection of meals that included meat by 7-10% when they described the consequences of eating meat for health, the spread of disease and the climate.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The study also found that participants "did not oppose" climate warning labels on meat, but were less supportive of labels which referred to the health and pandemic risk associated with meat consumption. It suggests that warning labels focusing on meat's impact on the planet could be the "most suitable" for a public awareness campaign, said study lead and PhD candidate Jack Hughes in The Conversation.
Recently released government data found that meat consumption at home in the UK is currently at its lowest level since records began in 1974, and down 14% since 2012. It is a trend that could be driven by "the cost-of-living crisis, the continued impact of Covid" as well as "broader lifestyle changes", said The Guardian.
The UK has set a target of reducing meat consumption by 30% by 2032 as part of its national food strategy. Dr Mike Clark, a senior research associate in food at the Oxford Smith School, told the newspaper that meeting the target would require "a doubling in the rate of meat reduction compared with the rate from the last 10 years".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programs
The Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
Canyons under the Antarctic have deep impacts
Under the radar Submarine canyons could be affecting the climate more than previously thought
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th test
speed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
NASA is moving away from tracking climate change
The Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Colorado
speed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's study
Speed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-off
Speed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet undersea
Speed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?
The Explainer Human extinction could potentially give rise to new species and climates