Polly Foreman writes about Mirbach's observations for the Plan Based News website.
Don't play with your mother's love
In his LinkedIn post, Mirbach noted that in the southern US, many people drink Coca-Cola for breakfast. “This is the tradition there, which is also part of the consumer's identity. “Mothers served their children Coca-Cola for breakfast, now these children are adults and serve the same drink to their children,” he wrote. That is why, according to the expert, the New Coke brand, which was a new version of Coca-Cola, also refreshed in terms of taste, met with some resistance in the southern United States. Mirbach claims that the company thus challenged values such as safety, nostalgia and motherly love. He called the move “the marketing equivalent of criticizing someone's mother.”
The example of resistance to New Coke serves the specialist to draw attention to the problems encountered in all activities aimed at changing people's eating habits. Even though he promotes plant-based alternatives to meat and cheese, he notes that offering someone such an alternative may be interpreted as criticism of someone's (carnivorous) lifestyle. Bringing a vegan version of a meal for Christmas that has been our mother's specialty for years may be interpreted by her as a sign that she fed us incorrectly.
Your lunch criticizes me!
Mirbach goes on to say, “When your child brings a vegan lunch to school, parents of other children may perceive it as criticism.” Of course, in the case of a single, private person, this is no argument to give up manifesting their attachment to a plant-based diet. However, if we want our actions to have a positive impact on people's eating habits (not only in terms of consuming fewer animal products, but also e.g. sugars, saturated fats, processed food, etc.), we must take this aspect of the human psyche into account.
“The emotional stakes are very high,” Eric Mirbach states in his post. “If we want lasting changes towards a more sustainable food cycle, we cannot ignore it. The solution to these consumer characteristics will be open, honest and well-thought-out communication,” the expert argues in his entry.
