Softly, Softly Change the Diet?

Gaby Hinsliff has written a useful opinion piece on how to get people to eat less red meat and dairy products (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/30/climate-battle-cutting-down-on-meat-animal-products-dairy-carbon). The primary motivation for making such a change, is to reduce carbon emissions (15% come from red meat and dairy) and to enable individuals to make a modest contribution to countering climate change. Hinsliff implies that the best strategy is not to make a big song and dance about it. In the UK, 1 in 5 people already describe themselves as 'flexitarians' (people who have not given up meat but are happy to periodically have meat-free alternatives). Hinsliff appears to have engineered a gradual change in her family's diet, without telling them. There were no complaints as nobody seemed to notice. Although meat sales have increased in the UK, there has been a marked reduction in beef and lamb consumption. People are eating more chicken. Hinsliff gives an interesting account of the American recipe website Epicurious. The website have just announced that, for environmental reasons, they will not be publishing any new beef recipes! Cue, outrage from Americans, already suspicious about the fate of their hamburger! Epicurious apparently, however, stopped publishing beef recipes a year ago, also without telling anyone. The website's traffic numbers climbed, as people 'gobbled up' vegetarian alternatives! I agree with Hinsliff, that people don't like to feel they are being told what to eat. Gradual, unnoticed change probably works better?