Truth, lies and culture wars: Social listening analysis of meat and dairy persuasion narratives

The report identifies two primary misinformation strategies: 'disparage' (78% of cases), which attacks alternative proteins and climate science, and 'enhance' (22%), which promotes animal products through health-washing and greenwashing. It highlights the role of 'misinfluencers'—where 50 accounts drive 50% of total engagement—and examines how these narratives intersect with far-right ideologies and real-world policy debates in the Netherlands and Ireland.

• Misinformation is divided into two broad strategies: 'disparage' narratives, which discredit plant-based diets and alternative proteins, and 'enhance' narratives, which promote animal-based products. The 'disparage' strategy is dominant, accounting for 78% of the misinformation posts analyzed.
• The 'disparage' strategy employs five main attack points: representing alternative proteins as unhealthy, discrediting their environmental impact, using 'culture wars' to polarize audiences, undermining scientific research, and framing dietary changes as part of an 'elite' conspiracy known as 'The Great Reset'.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2023). Truth, lies and culture wars: Social listening analysis of meat and dairy persuasion narratives. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Truth-lies-and-culture-wars-final.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Truth, lies and culture wars: Social listening analysis of meat and dairy persuasion narratives. 2023. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Truth-lies-and-culture-wars-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Truth, lies and culture wars: Social listening analysis of meat and dairy persuasion narratives |date=November 2023 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Truth-lies-and-culture-wars-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2023truth, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Truth, lies and culture wars: Social listening analysis of meat and dairy persuasion narratives}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Truth-lies-and-culture-wars-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }