Graduate Exit Seminar - Jamie Rye Allen

Plan to join Jamie Rye Allen's graduate exit seminar on April 2, 2025, at 12:00 pm in Kottman Hall, Room 333C or via Zoom. Jamie will present, "What’s in a Label and Who’s on the Table: An Examination of Consumer Perceptions of Herbivorous Alternatives and Social Psychological Distance from Animals used for Food"

Abstract: Substantial research has investigated consumption behaviors pertaining to meat products and herbivorous alternatives for them, but research up to this point has largely neglected products from three of the largest categories of animal agriculture: dairy, eggs, and seafood. This dissertation research first investigates consumer perceptions of dairy and egg product alternatives among omnivorous and herbivorous populations to understand how different labeling strategies—vegan and plant-based—impact beliefs about product attributes and consumer choice. Then, the concept of meat-related cognitive dissonance is applied to such non-meat animal products and their alternatives to examine if and how it manifests beyond meat-eating behavior. Next, this research explores how the belief that a dairy product is healthy or unhealthy can impact related opinions about herbivorous alternatives for it. Lastly, this research compares experienced social closeness towards different animals used for food, and tests two messaging strategies aimed at increasing experienced social closeness.

Advisor: Dr. Nicole Sintov