How can we use ‘true pricing’ as an instrument for systemic change in the transition to plant-based alternatives? 

In a global food system under immense pressure, the environmental, health, and social impacts of beef consumption are a pressing challenge. Beef serves as a powerful proxy for examining broader food system dynamics, as it encapsulates systemic tensions and trade-offs. With global population growth accelerating demand, beef production is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and land degradation. Consumption of red and processed meat also far exceeds recommended thresholds. 

True cost pricing, an instrument that aims to internalise hidden costs by incorporating environmental and societal impacts into market prices, is increasingly recognised as a promising lever for change. It has the potential to address systemic inefficiencies across the food system. However, there has been little research on how true cost pricing might impact the food system. While true pricing is often presented as a systemic alternative, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how it functions in practice. 

BeTrue aims to fill these knowledge gaps by investigating how true pricing mechanisms for beef can be embedded in systemic policy and regulatory changes to reduce consumption and support plant-based alternatives. It is grounded in systems change theory, which suggests that small, targeted interventions can create self-reinforcing feedback loops leading to transformative changes. 

By identifying system-level barriers and leverage points across policy, markets, and consumer behaviour, the project supports interventions that internalise environmental and social costs while safeguarding fairness and affordability. BeTrue translates evidence into actionable policy options and transition pathways that can reduce emissions, support dietary shifts, and create a level playing field for producers. In doing so, the project contributes to climate mitigation, improved public health, and more just food system transformations. 

At SEVEN, the project is led by André  Nollkaemper (international law). Other SEVEN researchers who participate in the project are Fabian Dablander (behaviorial science and sustainability), John Grin (policy sciences), Anniek De Ruijter (health law and policy), Wilma Waterlander (public health).

BETRUE will be carried out by a consortium led by SEVEN, and that includes the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the Free University of Bolzano, and the University of Copenhagen. 

The project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) as part of the European Partnership ‘FutureFoodS’.