Design matters for acceptance of sustainable food policies

Public support for food policies aimed at reducing the environmental impact of food consumption depend on how these policies are designed, new research shows. So instead of abandoning necessary policies because they seem unpopular, policy makers and researchers could try to design them in ways that bring people on board.

 

Diet shifts are necessary but tricky to achieve

Food production has a profound impact on the environment, contributing approximately 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions and utilizing 70% of the world’s freshwater resources. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in biodiversity decline. Creating a more sustainable global food system requires improvements in food production, but also substantial shifts in dietary patterns, not least replacing animal-based food products with plant-based alternatives.

In a recent article in Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, Beijer Institute programme director Therese Lindahl examined if public support for food policy packages to achieve such shifts, including combinations of taxes and subsidies, depends on how those packages are designed. For example, policies can differ in terms of the tax and subsidy levels, how subsidies are financed, and what the tax revenues are used for.

“Public support is crucial for any policy to be politically feasible, if people don’t accept a policy, it’s very hard to implement”, Lindahl says. “But support isn’t a fixed thing. It can shift depending on how a policy is designed and communicated.”

Support vary with the design

Her study was based on survey responses from around 4500 Swedish citizens, who were asked to rate their support for various policy interventions on a scale from 1 to 5. Sweden faces several food-related challenges common to high-income countries, including persistently high levels of red meat consumption, approximately double the global average.

The responses suggested that citizens are generally opposed to food policies they perceive as financially burdensome. For example, removing VAT on plant-based protein was viewed more positively when financed through the public budget rather than through a targeted tax on animal-based protein, which has a more direct impact on consumers at the grocery store.

Results showed that other design factors that could influence support included the order in which policy components were presented and whether a policy was introduced gradually.

Before scrapping, try redesigning

Therse Lindahl advises policy makers to not treat public support as a fixed barrier:
“Too often, perceived lack of support is used as a reason to avoid action, but the results show that support can be shaped by how policies are designed. Before concluding that a policy package is too unpopular to pursue, consider a different design, because it can meaningfully influence whether people accept or reject it.”

Reference: Lindahl. T. 2026. Citizen support for policy interventions implemented to achieve more sustainable food consumption: The role of policy design and presentation. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability 11:100346.

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This study was part of the research Programme Mistra Food Futures