Ethical Considerations when using Behavioural Insights to Reduce Peoples Meat Consumption

Behaviourally informed interventions such as nudges are increasingly used to encourage sustainable and often meat-free diets. These interventions are motivated by concerns about peoples health, animal welfare, and the environmental degradation linked to meat consumption. However, dietary choices are very personal and often of cultural importance, and behavioural interventions have been criticized, for example, for being paternalistic, manipulative, and not respecting people's autonomy. Applying the FORGOOD ethics framework, this paper organises diverse ethical arguments in favour and against using behavioural interventions to reduce meat consumption. We present a systematic high-level discussion on the ethics of influencing peoples diets and suggest that choice architects should reflect on ethical implications when designing, and before implementing, behavioural interventions to reduce meat consumption.