Foodservice in the UK sends conflicting messages about meat consumption: on the one hand, provenance and quality not quantity are increasingly stressed by many establishments; on the other hand, there are also operators that continue to sell on quantity.
World Meat Free Day on 15 June will focus attention on the impact of meat production on the environment which, in the long-term at least, will increasingly impact upon the menus and dishes offered by UK foodservice. It’s worth pausing for a moment to consider the implications, and how your customers will also have changing expectations.
Unsustainable demand
Meat has been a key part of most people’s diet for thousands of years but, with a growing global population expected to increase by 30 per cent to 9 billion by 2050, the ‘unsustainable demand’ for protein is having significant effects on the environment. Experts predict that by 2050 meat production will have to increase by over 200m tonnes, meaning there will be a 42 per cent increase in global cropland and a 77 per cent increase in greenhouse gases cover if attitudes towards meat consumption don’t change.
Go meat-free for just one day
In a bid to tackle the protein problem, the first ever ‘World Meat Free Day’ is due to take place on Monday 15th June. This not-for-profit initiative has been set up to raise awareness of the serious sustainability issues surrounding excessive meat consumption and aims to encourage people to pledge via the website – to go meat-free for just one day.
For the first time, leading organisations including The Eating Better Alliance, Compassion in World Farming and Quorn have joined forces to collectively raise awareness of the advantages meat reduction has on health and the environment and urge a shift towards eating less meat and better quality meat when it is eaten.
Willingness to eat less meat
Sue Dibb, Coordinator of the Eating Better Alliance, said “Eating less meat is a simple way to eat healthily and it’s better for the environment too. World Meat Free Day is a fantastic campaign that can really make a difference to the world we live in. Our research shows that 1 in 3 people are willing to consider eating less meat, with 1 in 5 already cutting back.”
Massive savings
If 10 million people replaced the meat in just one meal, the amount of CO2 emissions saved would be the equivalent to driving around the world more than 2,430 times. In addition, a huge 5,700 acres of land would be protected – that’s the equivalent to 89,000 tennis courts – or 35 times all the pitches in the entire English football league. Not to mention the health benefits meat reduction can have; if 10 million people pledged to eat meat-free for one meal 48 tonnes of saturated fat would be saved; the weight of three and half Big Bens.
Positive impacts of greater diversity of ingredients
To further support the campaign, the Carbon Trust has recently completed a detailed new report, which finds that a greater diversity of main ingredient choices in the UK would lead to positive outcomes for health, society, and the environment through to 2030. The research reveals that building meals around a greater variety of protein-rich sources is a simple and effective rule, which would substantially improve the overall sustainability of British diets.
According to the Carbon Trust much of the sustainability benefit from diversity comes from replacing meat, and particularly red meat, with other main ingredient choices. Around three-quarters of the UK population eat meat every day, and only two per cent of the population are vegetarian.
To pledge to go meat-free on Monday 15th June, pledge here
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