You won't see meat in these streets
03 April 2025
No more advertisements of juicy hamburgers while waiting for the bus: another Dutch city, Nijmegen, has banned fossil fuel and meat advertisements. The city of Haarlem was the first in the world to implement such a ban in 2022, followed by Bloemendaal and Utrecht.
Local politicians hope this restriction will encourage citizens to eat less meat. Though experts do not expect direct behavioral change, they acknowledge the potential longer-term impact: as long as meat continues to be publicly promoted, it remains the norm.
They emphasise the role supermarkets can play in shifting consumer habits. Promoting plant-based food instead of meat could help steer people in a different direction. In a similar vein, the second-largest Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has already taken a step in that direction by stopping meat discounts.
 | Julianne van Pelt As these Dutch cities make bold moves, things look very different at a European level. In 2023, the EU allocated €29 million in subsidies to promote meat consumption. While surveys show that European citizens are willing to shift toward less meat-heavy diets, the agriculture lobby continues to stir the European money pot with a heavy hand. |
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