Ambitious
We were told that the National Food Strategy Group did consider a “meat tax”, but at this stage it is considered “politically impossible.” Fortunately, the political environment is changing rapidly.
recent Opinion polls show that 46% of the public support climate policy, which means restricting their meat consumption, while only 31% oppose it. Even government ministers acknowledged the potential of a vegan diet to help solve the climate crisis.
There are many less controversial measures that could have been included in the strategy but were not included, such as mandatory vegetarian options on all public sector menus proposed by the Vegetarian Association Catering activities for everyone.
This is a missed opportunity. However, the strategy does contain promising recommendations, including a proposed target of reducing meat consumption by 30% by 2050.
This happened after the Climate Change Commission last year called for a reduction of at least 20% by 2030. Although this new goal is not ambitious enough, it will be an important first step in guiding public policy in the right direction.
protein
The strategy also calls for investment in “alternative proteins”, including proteins from plants, insects, “artificial meat” and precision fermentation.
Insect farming brings major ethical issues and brings many possible environmental risks.
Cultured meat has great potential to replace the demand for “traditional” animal products, but it currently relies on animal-derived starting cells and “growth serum”.
When it comes to plant-based alternative protein sources, we should welcome these with caution, while not ignoring the central importance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts in our national diet.
Mandatory reporting by large food companies is another interesting suggestion. This will include reporting on sales of fruits and vegetables, as well as protein sales by source.
farmland
This transparency can encourage companies to set their own goals to reduce animal products and help people identify companies that drive change and companies that hinder change.
Some of these proposals are aimed at increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables nationwide. These are mainly for low-income families who eat less fruits and vegetables on average.
These proposals include expanding the “Healthy Start” program and the “Community Diet” program to enable healthcare professionals to connect patients with diet experts and give them free fruits and vegetables.
Although popular, this targeted plan does not match the scale of the challenge. By requiring people to obtain support through healthcare professionals and government agencies, there is also a risk that the most marginalized people will be excluded.
The strategy also makes recommendations for agricultural policies, such as additional investment in fruit and vegetable cultivation, and measures to restore farmland habitats.
imagine
It requires a considerable part of the environmental land management plan budget-which will form the basis of future British agricultural subsidies-to fund the restoration of natural and semi-natural habitats.
Solving the problems of land management and food production is crucial because it can create another source of income for farmers, otherwise they may see commercial ranches as their only option.
The government is expected to pass a white paper (proposed legislation) in response to the national food strategy by January 2022. To meet the scale of this challenge, the government must propose ambitious legislation, but what should this legislation look like?
A report recently published by the Vegetarian Association, Planting value in the food system, Provide some ideas.
The report was written by Dr. Alex Lockwood of the University of Sunderland after consulting with the policy team of the Vegetarian Association, and proposed a practical but ambitious vision for the UK’s plant-based food system.
crisis
Crucially, it looks at our food system through a fair and just perspective to all people, including non-human animals.
While studying the report, Dr. Lockwood met with people in the entire food system, including farmers, to understand their views and hopes for the future of food.
The report proposes a food sustainability bill that will set goals for the government and guide food policy to achieve better social, health, and environmental outcomes.
This includes the goal of reducing consumption of animal products, but achieving a completely plant-based system. It also proposed new governance structures, such as the Food Sustainability Committee, to review progress and hold the government accountable.
This ambition is exactly what is needed to solve the environmental, social and health crises in our food system. It shows that if we are ready to accept plant-based food and agriculture, there is a practical way.
This author
Tim Thorpe, campaign and policy officer of The Vegan Society, tweeted @TimSRT. He has a background in environmental science and conservation, and writes articles on agriculture and environmental issues. Interested in vegetarianism and the environment?Why not take A 7-day vegetarian commitment to save the planet?
