A new report suggests that reducing meat and dairy consumption in the UK is necessary to lower its 129.5 million-tonne carbon footprint and achieve sector net-zero targets by 2030 and 2050.
The report, titled “A Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System”, was produced by the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the accounting firm EY, and food industry leaders.
To decarbonise the supply side, the report suggests broad adoption of lower-carbon farming practices, regulations to eliminate deforestation from supply chains, major infrastructure modifications to achieve zero-emission logistics, and low-carbon heating and cooling. To decarbonise the demand side, it suggests diet changes and reducing food waste (approximately 25% of food is currently wasted in the UK, with household food waste contributing 60% of the emissions).
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has said that diet change is necessary for the food system to fulfil its carbon reduction role and meet SBTi FLAG targets, specifically for the Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) sectors. The CCC recommends a 20% reduction in red meat and dairy consumption by 2030, aiming for even greater reductions by 2050 to meet these targets.
The report states that shifting diets toward lower-carbon foods, such as those in the vegan diet, can significantly reduce carbon emissions, with a conservative scenario suggesting that a 20% reduction in red meat and dairy consumption by 2050 could achieve 9% to 22% emissions reductions, especially when the flesh of chickens, fishes, or pigs is substituted with pulses. Completely shifting the food sector to a plant-based system would achieve the targets much quicker.
Simon Owen, Managing Director at Redefine Meat, said to Vegconomist, “The impact of the food system on our planet cannot be understated. IGD’s newest report on a ‘Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System’ highlights specifically how impactful meat and dairy foods are. To fulfil the UK’s net-zero goals, the report has projected that a 20% reduction in the most carbon-intense foods – red meat and dairy – by 2050 is a must.“
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