A new representative survey finds broad public support for making healthier, more sustainable food the easy choice — and little of the polarisation often assumed in food debates.
ISAAP works towards national Action Plans for Plant-based Foods across Portugal, Czechia and Denmark. A central question behind that work is whether the public actually wants the kind of practical, systemic measures these plans propose. New polling from our project coordinator, ProVeg Czechia, offers a clear answer for the Czech context: yes, and more decisively than the public debate often suggests.
What the survey found
The representative survey of 1,000 people, carried out by YouGov and commissioned by ProVeg Czechia, accompanies an open call to the Czech government for a modern food policy. Its headline numbers are striking:
- 66% support lower VAT on fruit, vegetables, legumes and plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy.
- 56% want public canteens such as schools, hospitals and social services to offer at least one plant-based main course every day.
- 53% consider the option to choose a plant-based meal in restaurants and public canteens a self-evident part of what should be on offer.
- 52% agree a plant-based diet can help reduce diet-related health risks, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
- 57% back targeted support for Czech farmers who grow crops for direct human consumption, and 55% support a more balanced split of agricultural subsidies between animal production and crops grown for people to eat.
A consistent pattern: support without polarisation
What stands out is not only the level of support, but its shape. Across nearly every measure tested, the same pattern repeats: relatively high agreement with concrete, non-coercive steps, and a consistently low share of strong opposition — typically between 11% and 18%. Notably, half of respondents say plant-based options in restaurants and canteens are currently limited, and around half feel insufficiently informed about the health and environmental effects of what they eat. The public is not asking for animal products to be removed. It is asking for more choice, clearer information, and a fairer playing field for plant-based options.
Why it matters — at home and across the EU
For national policy, the survey gives the open call to the Czech government a solid evidentiary footing: these are not fringe expert preferences but positions with measurable public backing. It also reinforces the direction of ISAAP’s policy work in Czechia, which draws on Denmark’s pioneering Action Plan for Plant-based Foods, supported within our consortium by Dansk Vegetarisk Forening.
The implications reach beyond Czechia. Public catering standards, VAT on food, and the balance of farming support are all questions live in EU-level food policy. The Czech findings suggest that where European policymakers create conditions for healthier, lower-emission, more resilient diets, they are likely to be working with public opinion rather than against it.
From evidence to the canteen tray
The survey’s clearest signal — that people want plant-based options where they already eat, especially in workplace and public catering — is exactly the gap our consortium partner Catering Zdravě is closing in practice. The Czech catering company is building plant-based meals into everyday corporate dining by pairing sustainability and local sourcing with modern gastronomy, on the conviction that a well-made plant-based dish should never leave a diner feeling they are missing out. As Managing Director Michal puts it, the real opportunity lies in reaching people who would not normally choose a plant-based meal, and showing that these dishes can be varied, satisfying and full of flavour. It is a working demonstration of the same principle the polling points to: expanding choice, not removing it. Read how they are doing it: How Catering Zdravě is bringing sustainable, plant-based innovation to corporate dining.
Looking ahead
We will continue to gather evidence like this across our partner countries as the foundation for credible, public-backed Action Plans. Findings that show appetite for gradual, systemic change — rather than conflict — are exactly what turn ambition into workable policy.
About ISAAP
ISAAP (Innovative Strategies to Accelerate Adoption and Consumption of Plant-Based Food) is a collaborative European project bringing together partners from Portugal, Czechia, and Denmark. Our mission is to support a healthier, more sustainable, and resilient food system by promoting plant-based foods and building strong national action plans. ISAAP is co-funded by EIT Food.