Why some men just can’t stomach plant-based food

Meat alternatives are suddenly everywhere, from burger joints to supermarket shelves to restaurant-grade food. One problem? For men, in particular, there is often a visceral attachment to slaughter-derived meat. This could pose a stumbling block for an industry worth an  estimated $A9.4 billion  globally in 2020 and seeing significant growth, with grocery sales in Australia  up by 46%  in 2020. Our  new research  is based on interviews with 36 men who recently went to vegan restaurants in Sydney and tried a plant-based burger. We found none of these men, who usually eat animal meat four to five times a week or more, were likely to include plant-based alternatives in their diets permanently. But why? That's the interesting part. Many of our interviewees made a strong link between animal meat and their own masculinity.