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Making sense of public opinion on sustainable food and diet changes in 2025 – from willingness and perception gaps, to policies and public engagement.
The food we eat is a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to tackling climate change.
Eating less and better meat and dairy are some of the more impactful actions that individuals can carry out – while other diet-related choices, such as opting for local produce, and reducing food waste – can make important contributions too.
The UK National Food Strategy recommended a 30% reduction in meat consumption by 2032, while the Climate Change Committee (CCC) considers reducing meat and dairy consumption will make an important contribution as part of the pathway to a lower carbon society. The CCC has previously recommended a 20% reduction in meat and dairy by 2030 and 35% reduction for meat by 2050.
But with this in mind, what’s the public appetite for change?
Taking stock of the public sentiment in 2025, what’s clear is that there is willingness for more sustainable, healthy, and climate-friendly food choices, with many changes already underway. But, there’s still a way to go.
There have been some clear movement in recent years – meat consumption in the UK has fallen by 15% over the last decade, and has reportedly hit an all time low, while many people are adopting a range of sustainable food choices.
Opinion data shows that substantial numbers of people want to buy more local produce, reduce their food waste, and consciously reduce meat and dairy consumption – with many already doing so. At the same time, policies that can help lower food-related emissions – including carbon food labelling and even taxes on meat and dairy – tend to receive more support than opposition.
Yet the more ‘absolute’ options – those that involve cutting out meat and dairy altogether – tend to be less popular amongst the public at this moment in time. And while a vegan or vegetarian diet may not be right for everyone – looking beyond this, there appears to be some clear ‘perception gaps’ when it comes to diet and food choices too.
For instance, there is divergence between the levels of willingness seen in polling on the one hand, and the actions people say they are already carrying out on the other (as shown in the chart below). And reducing meat and dairy is not necessarily seen as being effective by members of the public, despite evidence suggesting this can be more impactful than other types of household climate actions.
Looking across the data story on diet, it’s clear is a vast range of factors play a role in how people engage with food – from gender; to the physical places we make food choices; to costs and day-to-day realities, to deeply held worldviews. These influences can act as both barriers to, and enablers of, change.
It’s also important to bear in mind the wider context in which people engage with diet changes. Any questions about the ‘demand side’ of food debates (i.e. people’s food consumption) are also inextricably linked to the ‘supply side’ (i.e. the UK’s food production and retail sector) on which many people’s jobs and livelihoods depend. And so it’s no surprise that discussions about shifting food culture can be complex, and all too often, politically challenging.
Yet communication, engagement and campaigns that draw on social science insights can continue to play a key role, alongside policies and other measures – whether that’s tackling perception gaps, helping people to see the potential benefits of lower-impact diet options, or highlighting the shifting norms around food.
Research has shown that people tend to engage more favourably with climate-friendly food choices when these are framed as part of a healthy, balanced diet; when the personal benefits of policies are highlighted; when changes are framed positively rather than as sacrifices, and when links are made between diet shifts and food waste.
Campaigns and initiatives drawing on these principles, or when grounded in community and identity have also had clear successes.
So, while there might still be long way to go to bring about wider changes in the UK’s food culture in 2025 and beyond, there’s now a strong foundation of public engagement, shifting norms, and opinion insights to build from.
According to Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) latest carbon budget, a range of low-carbon choices will form part of a “balanced pathway” towards net zero – with food and diet changes making “smaller, but important contributions” to this transition. Household low-carbon choices contribute to one-third of emissions reduction in 2040, while a shift in average meat and dairy consumption are anticipated to make up 6% of these household emissions reductions. The CCC note that:
“By 2040, 25% of meat (30% of red meat) and 20% of dairy is replaced with lower-carbon foods, compared to 2019 consumption levels”
Drawing on evidence from a Citizens’ Panel, which was convened as part of the report, the CCC found that:
Interestingly, much of the news coverage of the Carbon Budget focused on diet shifts, despite a greater emphasis on other measures. (Electrification and low-carbon electricity supply make up the largest share of emissions reductions in the CCC’s pathway – 60% by 2040).
A three-month online research and engagement project conducted by Hubbub worked with 175 UK homeowners (followed by polling of 501 UK homeowners) to understand how to support UK households in the transition to net zero.
On diets and food, the work found people’s motivations involve a mix of considerations about health, costs and taste. Health was the biggest priority when it came to diet, but people also reported cutting down on meat due to increased costs.
When it came to tackling food waste, the expert advice and engagement offered to households helped to drive meaningful changes. By engaging in the project, 75% (130) of 175 Household participants said they felt more confident about reducing and preventing food waste at home.
More widely, the work suggests that further measures are needed to enable households to buy more loose fruit and vegetables, and increase the range of vegetarian choices available; while in terms of communication and engagement, the report suggests there is a need reframe meat reduction more positively.
Several key barriers around changing food policy in the UK have been highlighted in a report drawing on interviews with former prime ministers, health secretaries and other senior ministers. While the piece focuses largely on the obesity crisis, its implications are relevant in the context of the climate crisis.
In terms of barriers to widespread dietary changes, the high profile interviewees argue that:
The report goes on to offer practical advice on how today’s politicians can drive meaningful change in food policy: