Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/306606 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Citation: 
[Journal:] npj Climate Action [ISSN:] 2731-9814 [Volume:] 3 [Article No.:] 79 [Publisher:] Springer Nature [Place:] Berlin [Year:] 2024 [Pages:] 1-7
Publisher: 
Springer Nature, Berlin
Abstract: 
Switching to a diet lower in red meat has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Using a unique time series of daily sales data from three German university canteens from 2017 to 2019, we analyse the effects of a monthly Veggie Day in a food-away-from-home context. We find that the temporary ban on meat dishes did not lead to a widespread boycott – as the heated public debates might have suggested. In our setting, a Veggie Day could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 66%. However, especially at the site with a higher share of meat eaters on regular days, up to 22% of customers bypassed the meat-free main dishes on Veggie Days and ate at other on-site alternatives where meat was available. However, total on-site sales did not decrease significantly. Students were less likely to switch to alternatives than staff and guests. A less stringent implementation of a Veggie Day where only beef dishes were removed from the menu, did not result in a significant shift to alternatives but could reduce emissions by up to 51%.
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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