‘Travel with a Goat’ trailer prompts Britons to reduce meat consumption

The series challenges foodie influencers to spend four days traveling with an animal destined for the slaughterhouse, through either South America, Africa, Asia or Europe before making the decision to save or slaughter it.

The poll reveals that most Brits aren’t yet ready to sacrifice eating meat but are increasingly broadening their food choices at meal time with 10% of respondents stating they follow a flexitarian diet of meat and non-meat food, while those aged 18-24 are the generation most unlikely to be classed as meat eaters (69%).

When asked to reveal what would encourage meat eaters to reduce their meat consumption, over a third (34%) said it would be having more awareness of the health and nutritional benefits, while nearly a quarter (24%) said being more aware of animal welfare issues would be the biggest driver.

Despite 73 per cent of Brits classifying themselves as meat eaters, over a quarter (26%) admit they never or rarely think about where meat comes from when shopping for food, but 34% state intensive factory farming is “morally wrong”.

In each episode of Travel with a Goat – which features Great British Bake Off winner Sophie Faldo, British food writer Stefan Gates and TV chef Dean Edwards – food influencers from around the world are challenged to travel with either a goat, alpaca, sheep, pig or donkey before deciding its fate.

When posed with the same dilemma, the study reveals 41% of Brits would save a goat from slaughter, with the majority stating they would save a donkey (54%) ahead of an alpaca (48%) or more traditional British livestock animals such as a sheep (36%) or a pig (34%).

Frank le Mair, executive producer, Insight TV, said: “Travel with a Goat is a show every British consumer should watch. This new show aims to bring viewers face-to-face with the life and death decisions behind every day eating habits and provoke a discussion about the ethics of farming and consuming animals, without endorsing any one perspective. While the study reveals many Brits are still happy eating food produced from animals, the results also highlight that after watching the show many would reconsider the amount of meat they eat. It’s a healthy debate and the question is, freedom or feast, what would you do?”

British food personality, Sophie Faldo, added: “Taking part in the series has made me more conscious about the welfare of animals which are bred for the purpose of meat. By traveling and living with an animal, and ultimately having a say in its death, you are confronted with the reality of how meat arrives on your plate. This is certainly a hot topic of conversation, so I encourage viewers to tune in, watch the show and make up their own minds.”

Travel with a Goat is now available to watch exclusively on Insight TV.

Insight TV is a client of communications agency Way to Blue, who provided an integrated campaign of research, experiential, creative, production, PR and social in support of Travel with a Goat.