Abstract: Studies of GHG emissions from agriculture show that there are large differences in emissions from different products. In addition some foods require more land and water resources than others, which mean that in a future with food scarcity, moving from less to more sustainable food may become a necessity for there to be enough food for everyone. A changing of consumption and production from less to more sustainable food is thus both a mitigation strategy, as well as an adaptation strategy if climate change results in less available agricultural land and water resources, and more food loss due to more extreme weather conditions. Forecasting the economic consequences of climate change on agricultural production cannot be done without taking into account our future consumption patterns.  What will be produced will always to a large extent be a result of what is being demanded by consumers. This is a presentation of two ongoing projects related to this theme. One is a newly started project on factors which influence meat consumption. In a cross-country regression analysis we will estimate the importance of different factors such as income, price levels and degree of urbanization. We are particularly interested in the interlinkages between meat production and consumption at national levels. The other project looks at typical diets in England, Spain and Norway, and will estimate through a multi objective optimization process how the diets can be changed, through taxes and subsidies, towards a diet which is both more healthy and climate friendly.

Abstract: Despite the scientific evidence that more plants and less animal-based food is more sustainable, policy interventions to reduce meat consumption are scarce. However, campaigns for meat free days in school and office canteens have spread globally over the last years. In this paper, we look at the Norwegian Armed Forces’ attempt to introduce the Meatless Monday campaign in their camps, and we evaluate the implementation process as well as the effect of the campaign on soldiers. Qualitative interviews with military staff indicate that lack of conviction about benefits of meat reduction, and the fact that kitchen staff did not feel ownership to the project, partly explain why vegetarian measures were not fully implemented in all the camps. A multivariate regression analysis with survey data from soldiers indicate that those who have experienced meat free days in the military kitchen are more prone to claim that joining the military has given them a more positive view on vegetarian food. Furthermore, the survey gives evidence that stated willingness to eat more vegetarian food is higher among soldiers who believe in the environmental and health benefits of meat reduction.