“Change must be enjoyable and a positive experience overall” Interview with Prof. Armando Perez-Cueto, PhD, from the HealthFerm project

HealthFerm is organized into different work packages. Yours is the one about consumer acceptance. Can you tell me something about your work and what your specific role within the whole project is?

Armando Perez-Cueto: Out of the four work packages, ours is dedicated to consumer acceptance, concentrating on the people who will consume the products developed by HealthFerm. We aim to identify our target consumers, understand their dietary choices, and explore the historical or traditional factors that have led people to eat plant-based foods, especially plant-based fermented foods. Our goal is to replicate those traditions, recipes, and factors in the products we develop. We address these questions through extensive ethnographic research, surveys, and workshops with our target groups. Sometimes, we simply test to see if they enjoy the taste of our products.

Regarding the acceptance of plant-based fermented foods, a representative survey revealed that 20% of people in our sample of Europeans already consume fermented food or ferment their own! We find this number remarkable, as it indicates that fermented foods are not only highly nutritious but also widely accepted by the population. This makes us optimistic that HealthFerm's products will be well-received by the general public.

Armando’s own sourdough bread (Image: Armando Perez-Cueto)

HealthFerm aims to contribute to a long-term shift towards more sustainable, health-promoting, and tasty foods. Are there any specific outcomes you personally hope to achieve? Any burning questions you hope to answer?

I have a 6-year-old daughter who will experience the effects of climate change throughout her life. When she asks how I contributed, I want to be able to say with dignity that I lived a low-carbon lifestyle and researched potential solutions. Observing the current state of our food system, I am deeply concerned by the overwhelming evidence of its environmental impact, for example on the planetary boundaries that have recently been transgressed. For instance, agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. My expertise is in food, so my priority is to address this issue and contribute to large-scale change. However, change cannot be imposed; it must be made easier and more appealing. We need solutions that promote both personal and planetary health while also being enjoyable. For example, many people love the taste of umami, which is why they find it hard to avoid meat. Yet, traditionally, we've had ways to incorporate umami into dishes, like using soy sauce or sofrito. With HealthFerm, particularly through our work package, we aim to discover what motivates people to change their diets. Simply promising better health isn't enough; the change must be enjoyable and a positive experience overall.

The positive experience of food is often driven by its social aspect. Why do so many people enjoy barbecues? Because they are fun! Sharing a meal with friends and family outdoors in good weather creates a joyful atmosphere. When these factors come together, people are more open to swapping their sausage for plant-based options. We recently hosted an event where all our guests enjoyed a completely vegan barbecue. No one missed the meat, and everyone had a great time. That's the kind of experience we want to promote!

Something that surprised you so far?

I have been conducting consumer surveys for the past 15 years. In the early years, only a small percentage of respondents, about 5%, identified as vegetarians. Around 2017, we began to see the emergence of 'flexitarians.' These individuals primarily consume plant-based foods but occasionally eat meat. They don't consider themselves vegetarians, nor do they identify as regular meat-eaters, as they are aware of the issues linked to conventional meat consumption and want to emphasize their mindful eating habits.

Here’s the surprising part: Today, the number of people identifying as flexitarians has significantly decreased. This isn’t because people are eating more meat again, but because conscious meat consumption has become so normalized that fewer people feel the need to distinguish themselves from omnivores who eat a lot of meat. In fact, 27% of all omnivores now consume meat less than once a week! People can identify as meat-eaters or omnivores without needing to explain that they rarely eat meat. This has become a new norm, and I hope it will continue to grow in the future.

Tell us about HealthFerm’s approach to setting up a participatory research project. How do you and the participants benefit from it?

If we are serious about a dietary shift, we cannot rely on a top-down approach. Participatory processes allow people to take ownership of the outcomes, but more importantly, the feasibility of the dietary shift was battle-tested before introduced to the public!

Classes at the Education Restaurant at Umeå University (Image: Armando Perez-Cueto)

Any recommendations for researchers who seek to set up a citizen science project of their own?

It is essential to be clear about what you want to find out and achieve, and where it makes sense to involve citizens in creating that knowledge and achieving a desired outcome. For instance, involving citizens in DNA sequencing for HealthFerm’s goals wouldn’t have been practical. Training them to operate the machines would have required significant time and resources, while we already have skilled scientists available. However, in areas where citizens are the experts – such as their sourdough starters, dietary preferences, meal recipes and other everyday knowledge – we ensured they encounter the optimal setting to contribute their knowledge.

This doesn’t mean that every participatory project should start with assumptions about who is an expert in what. In a different context, it might actually make sense to train citizens in DNA sequencing if it supports a sustainable project that continues after institutional researchers are no longer involved. As I mentioned earlier, be very clear about what you want to learn and achieve, and where it makes sense to involve citizens in creating that knowledge. When in doubt, involve your target group from the very beginning to help answer these questions!

About the interviewee

Armando Perez-Cueto is professor in food, nutrition and culinary science, and head of research group sustainable food transitions at Umeå University. His work focuses on understanding the why’s and why not’s that would support a mainstream shift to a predominantly -if not exclusively- plant-based diet. At the moment he is leading the consumer studies of HealthFerm.

Image: Mattias Pettersson