A central place for meat, but what about pulses? Studying French consumers' representations of main dish structure, using an indirect approach.

Over time, meat has acquired a central place in French gastronomy. The role played by plant-based proteins, such as pulses, is less clear. In order to better understand it, this study seeks to identify how French non-vegetarian consumers structure their main dish, using an indirect approach. A total of 120 participants had to compose dishes, following six different scenarios, by selecting three images of food items out of the twenty proposed. Results provided information about: (1) the first food product chosen, and (2) how foods from different food-groups were associated. Our results indicated that (1) French non-vegetarian consumers generally constructed their main dishes using animal-based food products first. Some differences were nevertheless identified, in relation to the scenario presented, and the profile of the participants. Results also showed that (2) the food-groups most often associated within a dish were meat, starch, and vegetable. The pulse group, when used, was in general associated with the meat and vegetable food-groups. These findings provide new evidence of the structure of the French main dish. They also highlight possible levers that could be used to promote pulses to French consumers.

French consumers know the benefits of pulses, but do not choose them: An exploratory study combining indirect and direct approaches.

Pulses present nutritional advantages for human health, and also contribute to food security and environmental sustainability. Despite these beneficial properties, the consumption of pulses in France has decreased over the past century. This study explores the representation of pulses among French non-vegetarian consumers, using both an indirect approach, with scenarios evoking real-life situations, and a direct approach, with an online questionnaire. For the indirect approach, based on six different scenarios, the 120 participants composed dishes by selecting three food images out of the twenty provided. One week later, for the direct approach, the same participants completed a questionnaire, with ten questions about food products, using the same images. Results showed that spontaneous selection of pulses was low for all dish-composition situations, coherent with the low consumption of pulses declared in the questionnaire. Among possible barriers to pulse consumption were dislike of pulses, preparation difficulty, and perception of pulses as a food for vegetarians. Participants possessed theoretical knowledge about the benefits of pulses, but this knowledge seemed not to be applied to dish-composition situations. Results also highlighted the complementarity of these two methods, providing deeper understanding of consumer food habits in relation to pulses. Based on these findings, several levers are proposed to increase pulse consumption: improving familiarity with pulses, using the context of consumption, formulating trendy and innovative products, and promoting pulses as a "food for all".