Researches from the University of Southampton have found that men who don’t like the taste of meat or men who are unable to eat it for health reasons still find it extremely difficult to choose a vegetarian or vegan dish from a restaurant menu due to the fear of being ridiculed by their peers.]

The research project that was conducted over a year found that the men experienced “social isolation” from their friends after admitting to reducing their consumption of meat.

The findings were based on a sample size of twenty two men drawn from different groups. “Green-minded men” who are exploring vegetarianism for environmental reasons, “exercising men” who want to keep protein intake high without relying on meat, and men who relied on the emergency aid of food banks.

Dr Roe said: “What we have discovered is that many men are interested in eating less meat, they just need social permission to do so.”

“As more men make vegetarian and vegan choices, that permission is becoming more readily available.”

Dr Roe and Dr Hurley found that the issue that the reluctance to be seen ordering vegetarian dishes extended to those who were advised to lower their meat consumption for medical reasons.

There weren’t any formal interviews with researchers instead they were observing men in focus groups and as they ate vegetarian options in social settings.

The conference will hear that “participants valued eating vegan and vegetarian food in social environments, and that this was a way of ‘normalising’ their choice”.

Researchers added: “As evidence shows that eating less meat is vital to a more sustainable future food supply, unpicking this strong association between meat and man is an important aspect to global food security research.”

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