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Perspectives in the Scientific Literature on the Barriers and Benefits of the Transition to a Plant-Based Diet: A Bibliometric Analysis

by
Lelia Voinea
,
Ana-Maria Badea
*,
Răzvan Dina
*,
Dorin Vicențiu Popescu
,
Mihaela Bucur
and
Teodor Mihai Negrea
The Faculty of Business and Tourism, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 41 Dacia Blvd., Sector 1, 010404 Bucharest, Romania
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2025, 14(17), 2942; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14172942 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 14 July 2025 / Revised: 18 August 2025 / Accepted: 22 August 2025 / Published: 23 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Food Security and Sustainability)

Abstract

Plant-based diets are increasingly attracting attention as they play a significant role in human health and environmental sustainability and are believed to be key components of sustainable food systems. In the present study, both pros and cons of the adoption of plant-based diets are analyzed using a bibliometric method integrated with a qualitative examination of the scientific literature. For the bibliometric study, Bibliometrix software was utilized, examining 3245 scientific articles, downloaded from the Scopus database, and printed between the years 1957 and 2025. The analyses were conducted using R software, version 4.4.1, with access to the Bibliometrix package, version 4.1. The results indicate a remarkable rise, in the last two decades, in the scholarly focus on the influence of plant-based diets on the individual’s health condition as well as the environment. Keyword co-occurrence studies and international collaborations demonstrate a dominance of research focus in both the United States and Europe, with significant contributions from the Asia–Pacific region. Furthermore, the current work offers qualitative identification of the benefits of plant diets from various perspectives like nutritional, economic, ecological, and cultural. It also explores the main dissuaders from adhering to these diets, including perceived nutritional hazards, cost perceptions, low availability, and social prohibitions. Findings emphasize that, in spite of all the barriers, plant food-based diets have a wide-ranging ability to provide tangible benefits at both the individual and population levels, and documented in the scientific literature are recommendations of expert-led education programs, economic incentives, and judiciously framed public policies to overcome these barriers and to make this transition possible towards sustainable food choices. Findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the current lines of inquiry and stage the subsequent work on how to motivate sustainability among the general population.
Keywords: plant-based diet; positive outcomes; obstacles; environmental sustainability; dietary transition plant-based diet; positive outcomes; obstacles; environmental sustainability; dietary transition

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MDPI and ACS Style

Voinea, L.; Badea, A.-M.; Dina, R.; Popescu, D.V.; Bucur, M.; Negrea, T.M. Perspectives in the Scientific Literature on the Barriers and Benefits of the Transition to a Plant-Based Diet: A Bibliometric Analysis. Foods 2025, 14, 2942. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14172942

AMA Style

Voinea L, Badea A-M, Dina R, Popescu DV, Bucur M, Negrea TM. Perspectives in the Scientific Literature on the Barriers and Benefits of the Transition to a Plant-Based Diet: A Bibliometric Analysis. Foods. 2025; 14(17):2942. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14172942

Chicago/Turabian Style

Voinea, Lelia, Ana-Maria Badea, Răzvan Dina, Dorin Vicențiu Popescu, Mihaela Bucur, and Teodor Mihai Negrea. 2025. "Perspectives in the Scientific Literature on the Barriers and Benefits of the Transition to a Plant-Based Diet: A Bibliometric Analysis" Foods 14, no. 17: 2942. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14172942

APA Style

Voinea, L., Badea, A.-M., Dina, R., Popescu, D. V., Bucur, M., & Negrea, T. M. (2025). Perspectives in the Scientific Literature on the Barriers and Benefits of the Transition to a Plant-Based Diet: A Bibliometric Analysis. Foods, 14(17), 2942. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14172942

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