RESEARCH shows that 7 per cent of metropolitan Australians identify as being vegetarian, a figure that has been stable for a number of years now.
Yet close to half of those same people say they eat meat.
Confused?
According to Australian research consultancy Pollinate, known for its work in understanding consumer attitudes towards the environment, it comes down to the concept of fluidity of identity.
Most people believe one can be a vegetarian and still eat meat and that's not surprising when you consider no one really knows what a vegetarian is, or what meat is for that matter.
Pollinate chief executive officer Howard Parry-Husbands gave a presentation at the Zanda McDonald Impact Summit beef industry gathering in March which had some massive 'light bulb moment' messages for the livestock industry.
When a consumer says they are vegetarian but they eat meat they're not lying, he said.
"It's how they interpret things," he said. "Think about it: If I only eat meat occasionally, am I mostly vegetarian? If I eat fish or chicken but not red meat am I vegetarian? If I adhere to meat-free Mondays am I vegetarian? If I eat prawns and oysters am I vegetarian?
"And what is meat anyway? The Impossible Burger looks and tastes like meat, so why isn't it meat? Consumers are faced with this paradox."
So in a nutshell, being a meat eater and being vegetarian mean different things to different people, at different times.
It's just not simple and that is at the core of the challenge the beef industry faces in its attempts to understand the consumer and meet their needs around sustainability and animal welfare, Mr Parry-Husbands said.
The big mistakes producers are making is feeling under attack by vegetarians and insisting 'we just need to educate people', he said.
There are a hundred reasons people give for becoming vegetarian - saving the animals, the planet, their health, the rainforests, water, even world peace - but ultimately a person only needs one to make the decision.
"Once you become vegetarian you stack the other 99 on top," Mr Parry-Husbands said.
"But the thing is, none are anchored in a hatred for meat or farmers. It's consumer guilt that is our real issue."
Pollinate research shows 38 per cent of Australian consumers 'just want to not feel guilty about being unsustainable'.
"This is about consumers wanting to do the right thing, not about farmers doing the wrong thing," Mr Parry-Husbands said. "The consumer doesn't blame the farmer. In fact, they genuinely love and trust farmers.
"They just want to feel they are not contributing to unsustainability."
