Accelerating the Flemish protein transition: exploring opportunities on the consumer side using qualitative and quantitative research

The Flemish Green Deal 'protein shift on our plate' focuses on improving the ratio of plant-based proteins to animal proteins. Today this ratio in Flanders is 40/60 (plant-based proteins/animal proteins). The concrete goal is to turn this ratio to 60/40 by 2030. A higher consumption of plant-based proteins has benefits for health, the environment and animal welfare. There are opportunities to support and accelerate this protein shift on both the producer and consumer side of the plant-based sector. For example, employment in the sector has increased by almost 52% over the last 15 years and the rise of the 'flexitarian' has led to a more varied diet containing less meat. In this PhD the emphasis is on the consumer perspective, without neglecting the producer perspective. On the one hand, the PhD is based on insights obtained from the BELSPO project I am working on, called 'Futures4Food'. This project aims at connecting futures and stakeholders of the plant sector by designing effective transition trajectories. This requires an overview of the functioning of the sector and stakeholders. In addition to the information and data already available on the internet, importance is also attached to interviews with stakeholders and actors. On the other hand, this PhD will examine the potential of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Structural Equation Modeling to gain a better understanding of consumer behavior regarding sustainable protein consumption. This PhD will be partly using quantitative research and partly qualitative research.