Eat less meat and dairy: official recipe to help health of consumers – and the planet

There is an interesting article over at guardian.co.uk, about the impact meat and dairy has on the environment and human health, that may be of interest to some of you. I find it refreshing to see a government willing to take a step in the right direction by informing their citizens on the best way to reduce their own carbon emissions and improving their health at the same time.

The environmental impact of the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been vastly underestimated, and in fact accounts for at least half of all human-caused greenhouse gases (GHGs), according to Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, co-authors of "Livestock and Climate Change".

A widely cited 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Livestock's Long Shadow, estimates that 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions are attributable to cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs, and poultry. But recent analysis by Goodland and Anhang finds that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions.

There is nothing an individual can do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as much as going vegetarian can.

Here I have listed some excerpts from the article along with a link to the complete article and the report cited in the article at the end of this post.

Cheers,

Ronnie Wright
World Change Cafe

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Eat less meat and dairy: official recipe to help health of consumers – and the planet

The first official recommendations for a diet that is both healthy and good for the environment are published today, and they are likely to be seen as an assault on the UK's current food system.

To fight climate change and tackle the growing crisis of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, British consumers must cut down on meat and dairy produce, reduce their intake of processed foods and curb waste.

These are the three priorities identified in a report by the government's independent advisory body on sustainability, the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), which calls for radical changes in patterns of consumption.

[…]

Recommended diet for a warming planet

1. Cut consumption of meat and dairy products

Health benefits: Reduces incidence of cardiovascular disease, of some forms of cancer, and of animal-borne infections. Environmental benefits: Large reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, slowing of deforestation, freeing of farm land for other use, freeing of water resources, slowing loss of biodiversity, lower food prices and cheaper diets, higher employment. Negative impacts: Decline in UK and global livestock industry, potential increase in deficiencies of iron, calcium and zinc.

2. Cut consumption of processed foods and drinks, especially fatty, sugary ones and stimulant drinks

Health benefits: Reduced obesity, reduced tooth decay, likely to particularly improve health of low income groups. Environmental benefits: Cut in GHG emissions from energy-intense production of highly processed foods and bottled water. Reduced land use. Negative impacts: Cut in size of UK food manufacturing industry.

3. Reduce waste

Consume no more calories than needed, accept different standards of food quality and that some foods may not always be available in UK. Health benefits: Cut in obesity problems, cheaper diet would benefit poor particularly; less air pollution from food freight, less food poisoning. Environmental benefits: Reduced GHG emissions, reduced waste in agriculture, reduced imported food and associated emissions.

[…]

To read the complete article go here.


To read the report Setting the Table: Advice to Government on priority elements of sustainable diets go here.