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Men’s meat diets are responsible for 40% more climate-warming emissions than women’s, according to a British study.
The study also found that a quarter of diet-related emissions come from “optional” foods and beverages, such as coffee, alcohol, cakes and sweets. Scientists say policies to encourage sustainable diets should focus on plant-based foods but switching to drinks and cutting back on sugary snacks presents further opportunities.
A second study found that in western countries, vegan and vegetarian diets were about a third cheaper to buy than regular meals, which the researchers said contrasted the perception that they were “preserving a privileged middle class”.
Food production accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and previous research has shown that meat eating in rich countries must be sharply reduced to address the climate crisis, which is caused largely by methane and livestock-related deforestation. But this study has looked at average emissions from a broad food category.
New study, published in journal Plos One, analyzed emissions associated with more than 3,200 specific types of food and examined the diets of 212 Britons, who recorded their food and drink intake over three 24-hour periods. It found that animal products were responsible for nearly half of the average diet’s greenhouse gas emissions: 31% from meat and 14% from dairy. Beverage causes 15% of emissions and 8% comes from cakes, biscuits and confectionery.
Research also shows that non-vegetarian diets produce 59% more emissions than vegetarian diets. Men’s diets had 41% more emissions, mostly because they ate more meat but also drank more.
“We all want to do our part to help save the planet,” said the scientists, led by Holly Rippin, at the University of Leeds. “Finding out how to change our diet is one way we can do it. There are broad concepts like reducing our intake of meat, especially red meat, but our work also shows that big gains can be made from small changes, such as cutting back on sugary foods.”
Rippin said the study did not assess why men eat more meat. “But we can speculate that it could be because men generally eat more than women,” he said. “We could also speculate that men might eat more of a traditional meat-based diet.”
Another recent study found that men’s spending on goods causes 16% more emissions than women’s spending, even though the amount of money is very similar, largely due to higher spending on gasoline and diesel for cars.
The scientists’ database also includes 40,000 branded food items, and they say future research could allow people to reduce their food emissions by swapping brands.
Study analyzing the cost of different diets published in the journal Lancet Planet Health. It compares seven sustainable diets with current typical diets in 150 countries using food prices from the World Bank.
It found that in high-income countries, the vegan diet was the most affordable, reducing food costs by 21-34% compared to the average diet, depending on specific food choices. The vegetarian diet came in second, with a cost reduction of 27-31%.
A flexitarian diet, with low amounts of meat and dairy, reduced costs by 14%, but a fish-based pescatarian diet actually increased costs by 2%. The study focused on whole foods and did not include high-processed meat substitutes or dining out at restaurants or takeaways.
“We thought the fact that a vegan, vegetarian and flexible diet could save people a lot of money would surprise people,” said Marco Springmann, of the University of Oxford, who led the second study. “When scientists like me advocate healthy and environmentally friendly eating, it is often said that we are sitting in our ivory tower promoting something that is financially beyond the reach of most people. This study shows that it is quite the opposite. This diet can be better for your bank balance as well as your health and the health of the planet.”
A recent survey for WWF found that more than 70% of Britons believe that people should eat foods that are better for the environment, but 65% say sustainable options are too expensive.
Current average diets in rich countries are not aligned with nutritional guidelines, with eating meat at higher than recommended levels. The two new studies confirm previous work that a healthy diet is also a low-emissions diet.
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