Understanding Dynamic Drivers of Beef Consumption in the U.S.: A Systems Approach for Sustainable Food Policy
Open Access DepositedHuman and planetary health are inextricably linked through the food we produce, process, distribute, consume, and ultimately waste. Current dietary patterns, particularly in the U.S., are unsustainable with high rates of beef consumption contributing disproportionately to the adverse impacts of our agrifood system on climate change and diet-related chronic diseases. As a top producer and consumer of beef globally, the U.S. has a compelling opportunity to actively tackle the climate crisis. Limited action toward reducing beef consumption suggests that despite evidence indicating the co-benefits of a shift away from beef, the competing interests of agrifood system actors and their power imbalances contribute to a state of policy inertia surrounding beef in the U.S. Given the complexity of agrifood systems, this dissertation applies a systems approach to address the following research questions: I. How do policy and governance structures influence the complex relationship between the agrifood system and human and environmental health outcomes? II. What is the feedback structure driving beef consumption over time in the U.S. that contributes to adverse human and environmental health outcomes? III. What are effective policy strategies to reduce the adverse human and environmental health effects of beef consumption in the U.S.? To accomplish these aims, we assessed how the influence of policy and governance structures is represented in agrifood systems frameworks using a systematic scoping review and developed a framework that conceptualizes the key linkages between agrifood, human, and environmental systems with an explicit focus on the complex and endogenous role of policy and governance structures and power asymmetries between actors. We also employ a system dynamics modeling approach to identify the feedback structure driving U.S. beef consumption over time and identify strategic points to intervene in the system that can contribute to a desirable reduction in beef consumption. Through synthesizing disparate literature and data sources, we developed and analyzed evidence-based qualitative and quantitative system structures to understand the complexities around high rates of beef consumption, with a focus on demand side drivers and behavior change dynamics. We elucidate three key drivers of current unsustainable trends in beef consumption in the U.S. including (1) widespread availability and accessibility of beef relative to alternatives, (2) powerful industry influence, and (3) strong social norms and information asymmetry. These drivers individually and collectively act as barriers to change. Our findings fill existing gaps in the literature and inform a research and policy agenda for action to improve the health and sustainability of the U.S. agrifood system through beef reduction. Our development of qualitative and quantitative model structures representing dynamic hypotheses for the system underlying beef consumption in the U.S. should continue to be iterated, refined, and communicated with key stakeholders to further understand the barriers and facilitators to action around beef.
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