Follow generational footsteps, or minimize future footprint? : Exploring the motives behind Gen Z’s meat consumption and the implications on the marketing of meat substitutes

Sammanfattning: Background: The environmental changes leave the younger generation (Gen Z) to worry about their future, which means implementing changes in their consumption behavior. With global meat consumption drastically increasing, Gen Z has the potential to frame their food consumption patterns for the future. Existing research lacks an understanding of the young consumer's motives for their meat consumption and how marketing can reach the young consumers. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the motives of Gen Z's sustainable consumption, and more precisely, meat consumption, and what implications their perceptions can have on the marketing of meat substitutes.  Method: This is an exploratory qualitative study, where sixteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews of participants from Gen Z were held and analyzed inductively. The collected data was analyzed through the Gioia method to find patterns and further develop a theory.  Conclusion: The empirical findings suggest that awareness is the key driver for women of Gen Z to change their consumption patterns. However, the same awareness is not affecting the male participants to the same extent. Moreover, the findings suggest that the best approach to reach the young consumers is through digital channels and through neutralizing the concept of avoiding meat. This study contributes to research regarding the consumption patterns of Gen Z and provides insight into a crucial segment of the modern market. Furthermore, suggestions are provided for future research.