A new report from UK National Food Strategy recommends Brits cut back on meat consumption by 30% over the next ten years to save lives and combat climate change
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The second part of the government-commissioned UK National Food Strategy has launched today.
This much-anticipated report has taken a comprehensive stance on the future of the UK’s food system.
The UK National Food Strategy urges Brits to cut their meat consumption by 30% in 10 years to prevent early death and combat climate change.
An increase in sugar tax, ‘breaking the junk food cycle’, and preventing childhood obesity are also topics that are tackled in the report.
Moreover, plant-based food organisation ProVeg International was consulted by the UK National Food Strategy team to contribute to the report.
UK National Food Strategy: Part 2
The independent report from the NFS was commissioned by the UK government in 2019. The aim was to set out recommendations to build a better food system for a healthier nation.
Examples of the NFS recommended national diet change by 2032 include:
- 30% less meat
- 30% more fruit and vegetables
- 50% more fibre
- 25% less foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar
Moreover, the NFS report is attempting to restore public health, combat climate change, and restore biodiversity.
Unsurprisingly, reducing meat is the biggest issue the report tackles, with 6 out of 16 chapters dedicated to the meat-free movement.
Throughout the report, we are faced with terrifying statistics detailing the current health crisis in the UK.
64,000 deaths in England are reported each year caused by poor diet. Studies suggest that people who eat fewer animal products have lower rates of a range of health issues including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.
Furthermore, NFS highlights how animal agriculture is no longer sustainable.
Alerting people that the population of animals bred for consumption now dominates the human population.
Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 16.5% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, as well as the suffering of millions of animals worldwide.
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"Today, the combined weight of animals bred for food dwarfs that of the combined weight of all wild mammals and birds put together" - UK National Food Strategy Part 2
Generation plant-based
As well as urging Brits to cut down on meat, the National Food Strategy focuses on improving the diet of children.
According to ProVeg International, school children will be the biggest beneficiaries of the strategy.
In a statement made to Vegan Food & Living, Jimmy Pierson, Director of ProVeg UK, shared: “The recommendations are potentially great news for addressing childhood obesity.
“We know that a diet based around vegetables and fruits, legumes and whole grains, inclusive of less animal-derived saturated fat, can support children to maintain a healthy weight, lowering the prevalence of obesity.”
To add, the NFS report also recommends a new ‘Eat and Learn’ scheme in which Government should require schools to work with accreditation schemes, such as Food for Life, and schemes to provide training to catering staff, such as ProVeg UK’s School Plates programme.
Undoubtedly, we welcome this report and are encouraged by the efforts from the NFS to promote a plant-based lifestyle.
Ready for a change? Kickstart your vegan lifestyle with our seven-day healthy vegan meal plan.
