MEAT & TALK : Creating discussions and promoting change with food and design

Abstract: Meat is both a sensitive and current subject with daily reports on its environmental affects, animal well-being and our health. Meat consumption in Sweden has risen with around 40 percent since 1990 and the carbon footprint from the meat industry is today almost as big as the carbon footprint from all cars, boats, train and airplanes together. Despite numerous reports from various government departments and researchers, there are very few policies and instruments in how meat consumption can be reduced.  Meat & Talk explores how food design can be used as a medium to create discussions and reflections, as well as how it can be used to encourage a change in behaviour and to affect policy making. During the project a participatory design approach have been used and several food events have been carried out including both consumers and politicians. The events have been designed differently using different methods such as evoke emotions, provoke, materialise statistics and empower and guide the participants to reduce their meat consumption. The focus has been on the emotional aspects of eating meat, including norms, status and culture. The project has been both exploratory and experimental and is positioned in between several different design fields and art movements. Probes have been used throughout the process in order to get reactions and responses from the participants.  Through the activities during the project, a workshop format has developed proposing a national tour involving politicians and officials within municipalities. The aim is to visualise issues with meat consumption, get meat on the political agenda and discuss future possibilities for each municipality.