Public funds, private interests: a critical social marketing perspective on national local meat promotion

Purpose Despite increasing policy attention to sustainable diets, research has rarely examined whether national, publicly funded food-promotion aligns with meat-industry interests and how such alignment shapes norms around meat consumption. This paper aims to critically examine state-sponsored meat promotion through the case of Slovenia’s national campaign “Our super meat”. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a multimodal content analysis of the campaign’s central communication materials: four 20-second televised advertisements promoting locally produced meat under the “Chosen Quality – Slovenia” label. Findings The authors identified five dominant themes: ethical production, national tradition, social norm, environmentally friendly production and positive aspects of meat consumption. Campaign’s framing re-legitimises meat as a culturally appropriate, desirable and responsible default. The ads also address common motivations for meat reduction (animal welfare, health and environmental concerns) by presenting labelled local meat as reassurance, which may lessen the perceived need for reduction. Practical implications Public campaigns that invoke sustainability and health should be assessed not only for informational accuracy but for their normative effects. Critical social marketing can support policy reflection by making explicit the assumptions and power relations embedded in publicly funded food promotion and by informing more coherent communication strategies that normalise plant-forward eating and legitimise meat consumption reduction practices. Originality/value Drawing on critical social marketing, the authors show how government-backed promotion can deploy persuasive repertoires typical of commercial meat advertising (norm reinforcement, appetitive imagery and national-identity cues) while invoking sustainability and health. The study therefore highlights a critical tension between public dietary-transition goals and the normalising effects of state-supported meat promotion.