The Vegetarian Consumer
Let us consider a few general assumptions regarding the consumer and their choices
relative to their food consumption. Consumer choice economics tells us that consumers are
always looking to maximize their utility when purchasing goods. This involves making choices
based on budget constraints and preferences. If we take this into account, then we can suppose
that converting to a vegetarian diet is benefitting the consumer in some way. As mentioned
above, a claim has been made that food costs associated with a vegetarian diet are less than that
of a non-vegetarian diet. If food expense is at the top of a consumer’s priority list, than
converting to a vegetarian diet might be beneficial, so long as the claim is in fact true. However,
there has been no empirical work done proving this claim and thus we cannot conclude that a
vegetarian has a smaller food bill than a non-vegetarian consumer.
Claiming that food expenses are one of the only factors driving a consumer’s decision to
convert to vegetarianism would be a large misinterpretation. Analyzing a consumer’s choice to
become a vegetarian becomes a little more involved than the general assumption that consumers
seek to minimize their costs. This is not implying that all other consumers only consider costs.
Other factors such as quality, origin and brand might play an important role when deciding to
purchase goods. A vegetarian, however, also needs to consider other factors such as ingredients,
environmental friendliness and animal treatment. These are only a few examples of the different
types on consideration that a vegetarian consumer might regard as important when purchasing
foods