Muriel Verain

Muriel Verain is a Researcher in Consumer Research at Wageningen University & Research, focusing on food choice, nutrition, and sustainable food systems. She leads multiple research projects on plant-based diets, public procurement, and consumer behavior related to protein transition. Her work bridges academic research with policy and industry applications.

Her research interests center on understanding consumer motivations behind healthy and sustainable eating. Key areas include meat reduction, plant-based food adoption, the role of public procurement in dietary change, and the use of digital tools like nutrition apps. She examines psychological factors such as self-efficacy and decisional balance in dietary behavior change.

Recent publications highlight trends in the protein transition, including shifting supermarket offerings toward plant-based proteins and consumer responsiveness. Her work also explores how environments can support sustainable food choices and the effectiveness of meat analogs in flexitarian diets.

She has been involved in significant research projects such as 'Shifting Shelves' and 'Smart Food Intake,' and her findings have been featured in both academic journals and media outlets. Muriel Verain completed her PhD on a multilevel lifestyle approach to healthy and sustainable food consumption, supervised by G. Antonides, H. Dagevos, and S. Sijtsema.

She has contributed to datasets on food consumption via apps and delivered expert commentary in media on topics like insect consumption and consumer response to new food technologies. Her research is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant.