Logo: to the web site of Uppsala University

The transgression of planetary boundaries such as exceeded nitrogen levels and increased biodiversity loss has led to an urgent need for more environmental solutions. The solutions offered to date will not be enough to reach the environmental goals, thus solutions for expanding the window of opportunity are needed. The food we consume is such a solution, often overlooked by the use of fossil fuels, consumption, recycling, aviation, or other transportation. Through a mixed-method approach, a qualitative content analysis, and a quantitative survey, I explore the most prominent barriers to eating more plant-based food among Swedish consumers with a meat-dense diet. The study covers a knowledge gap in Swedish research and represents a large consumer group with the ability for large-scale changes. With the use of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Feministic Theory, I explore perceptions, prejudices, and attitudes underlying each individual barrier. The findings reveal the largest barriers to be, in order of precedence; taste and texture, habits, knowledge, price, health, poor supply, the environment, culture, and social identity/stigma. Furthermore, the study reveals a large difference between men and women, disagreements and corroborations between previous studies as well as suggestions on how to frame plant-based food in the forthcomings.