BfR Annual Report 2015

BfR

Annual Report 2015

Vegan diet – a case for risk communication?

A growing number of people are making the choice to

adopt a vegan diet and therefore to refrain from consum-

ing all foods of animal origin. The results of representa-

tive surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015 indicate that

some 950,000 people in Germany are vegans. Some

studies state that a vegan diet has positive effects on

overall health: it is said to keep cholesterol levels low and

reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as

cancer.

Nevertheless, a vegan diet is associated with possible

health risks – above all in the case of infants, small chil-

dren and children, who have high-level requirements

for nutrient supply during their growth phase. One of

the main problems with a vegan diet is a lack of vitamin

, iron, calcium, iodine and zinc as well as long-chain

Omega 3 fatty acids.

It was in response to the prevailing scientific un-

certainty regarding the pros and cons of a ve-

Vegans have above-average educational qualifications

and a sound knowledge of nutrition. 40 of the 42 par-

ticipants in the focus groups were aware that a vegan

diet can lead to a deficiency of vitamin B

, and the over-

whelming majority of them therefore supplement this

vitamin on a regular basis. Two in three of the vegans

previously already followed vegetarian diets. This means

that vegetarianism promotes the decision to adopt a

vegan diet – by virtue of the fact that vegetarians have

already fundamentally changed their diet and have the

role of a “food outsider”. It is generally the case that re-

porting in the media is a major factor in the decision to

switch to a diet free of animal products. For the majority

of respondents, films on the inhumane rearing of animals

were the most important trigger for the change of diet.

The majority of vegans are convinced that humans do

not have the right to kill animals or cause them to suffer

without necessity. As the production of animal products

can entail suffering on the part of the animal, they reject

this practice on principle. Human rights such as freedom

and inviolability are “transferred” to the animals. The

published categorisation of vegans into ethical, health

and eco vegans was not confirmed. Health-related mo-

tives are rarely mentioned and are generally more of a

welcome side-effect. This means that it is not possible to

determine standardised attitude patterns with regard to

the decision in favour of a vegan diet.

Even a pregnancy does not generally cause vegans to

(temporarily) consume animal products once again. On

the contrary: some participants decided to adopt a ve-

gan diet precisely because they became pregnant. Chil-

dren are also given a vegan diet.

The findings show that there is a need for risk commu-

nication to become active, and that there is a particular

need for wide-ranging information about possible nutri-

ent deficiency due to a vegan diet during pregnancy and

in the case of infants and small children. Risk commu-

nication is always more successful if it picks up on the

convictions that already exist in the target group. Nearly

all vegans have already looked into how to ensure their

A vegan diet is associated with possible health risks –

above all in the case of infants, small children and children,

who have high-level requirements for nutrient supply

during their growth phase.

gan diet that the risk perception experts at the

BfR decided to address this issue. Target-group

specific risk communication strategies were

developed based on the individual and social

influencing factors that play a key role in the

motivation to adopt and maintain a vegan diet.

To this end, focus group interviews were con-

ducted with a total of 42 vegans in different

age groups. This qualitative survey method

documented underlying or latent attitudes,

values and opinions that only come to the

surface if an individual is encouraged to

talk about them in a group environment.

Although the recorded survey data are not

representative due to the limited number

of cases, they allow some general con-

clusions based on the, in some cases

very pronounced deviations from the

population overall.