Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37712383›Full record

ArticlePublic health nutrition2023

Promoting plant-based eating in meat-centric meal contexts: a field study.

David Guedes, Vasco Brazão, Lisa Roque, Lúcia Campos, Cristina Godinho, Monica Truninger, Markus Vinnari, João Graça

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Public health nutrition, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Universal Truths about Reducing Meat Consumption?Current environmental health reports · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

David GuedesIscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS_Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-1795-6258
Vasco BrazãoCLOO Behavioral Insights Unit, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0009-0009-2206-202X
Lisa RoqueIscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS_Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-6326-102X
Lúcia CamposIscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS_Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-7858-9869
Cristina GodinhoNOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Center, Comprehensive Health Research Center, CHRC, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-2293-7190
Monica TruningerInstituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa (ICS-ULisboa), Lisboa, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-4251-2261
Markus VinnariUniversity of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0003-2258-8282
João GraçaInstituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa (ICS-ULisboa), Lisboa, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-6868-9420
Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa · PTUniversity of Lisbon · PTUniversidade Nova de Lisboa · PTUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveShifting from meat-centric to plant-rich diets may help to enable healthier and more sustainable food systems. Here we present the results of a 1-week intervention to promote plant-based eating in a meat-centric food context (i.e. canteen).

designThe intervention included environmental restructuring strategies (e.g. promotional materials and menu redevelopment) and improvements to the offer of plant-based meals. The evaluation (sales data; pre-registered) spanned 3 weeks prior to the intervention (baseline), 1 week during the intervention (immediate/short-term impact) and 3 weeks after the intervention (follow-up). Opinion surveys were also used to collect data with customers during the intervention.

settingCanteen unit of a university campus in Portugal (Lisbon metropolitan area).

participantsIn addition to sales data (baseline: 7965 meals; immediate/short-term: 2635 meals; follow-up: 7135 meals), we used opinion surveys to assess customers' meal appraisals during the intervention (

resultsThe odds of a sold meal being vegetarian were 24 % higher in the intervention week compared with the pre-intervention period [OR = 1·24, 95 % CI (1·10, 1·40)] and 9 % higher in the post-intervention period compared with the pre-intervention period [OR = 1·09, (95 % CI (1·00, 1·19)]. Survey data showed that vegetarian meals compared favourably to meat and fish alternatives in liking, sustainability and satiety.

conclusionsA short-term, theory-driven, operationally feasible intervention was effective in promoting increased plant-based meal choices in a collective meal context. Nevertheless, these changes were not entirely sustained over time. Future studies could test whether prolonged or more transformative interventions are necessary to unlock entrenched food practices more effectively in meat-centric collective meal contexts.

Indexed as

DietMeatHumansMealsSatiationUniversitiesCommunal cateringInterventionPlanetary health dietPlant-based dietsSustainability

Identifiers

PMID37712383
PMCPMC10641616
OpenAlexW4386757909

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.