Healthy and sustainable food policy recommendations published

The Eating Better Alliance (of which Sustain is a member) has published policy recommendations for the UK, Devolved Administrations and EU, to promote the benefits of a ‘less and better’ approach to meat, for a fair, green and healthy future.

The benefits of a ‘less and better’ approach to meat eating include:

FAIRER
Supporting a fairer system where farm animal welfare is enhanced; food security is improved by using more crops to feed people rather than livestock and more farmers have a fair chance of earning a sustainable living. Halving world consumption of grain-fed meat, for example, could feed 2 billion more people.

GREENER
Reducing the huge environmental footprint of unsustainable meat production and consumption including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water use, pollution, land use change and biodiversity loss. Meat is typically the most greenhouse gas (GHG) intensive part of our diet accounting for at least 14.5 per cent of global GHG emissions.

HEALTHIER
Improving public health by promoting more plant-based diets and reducing adverse health impacts of high levels of meat consumption - particularly of red and processed meat. Eating less meat can also save money. Eating meat no more than three times a week would prevent 45,000 early deaths a year in the UK and save the NHS £1.2bn a year.2 Stopping overuse of antibiotics in farming is essential to save their vital role for human health.

The Eating Better policy briefing recommends that governments should develop policies and practices to support a transition to less and better meat consumption and production including to:

• Publish and promote new official guidelines on healthy eating and environmental behaviour to include the benefits of eating less and better meat. 
• Introduce clear and mandatory procurement standards for caterers to ensure that meals paid for by taxpayers in schools, hospitals, prisons, care homes and all government departments reflect environmental (eg carbon reduction commitments) and health factors, to include less and better, including higher welfare meat. 
• Support and encourage farming that produces meat in ways that benefit the environment, health and animal welfare and provides a fair return for farmers. 

Eating Better also urges UK Governments, agencies and devolved administrations to engage effectively with EU policy processes, including to:

• Work with EU institutions and Member States to develop EU-wide integrated strategies to promote increased consumption of plant-based foods and less and better meat consumption including within the European Commission’s Communication on the Sustainability of the European Food System and its delivery.
• Work to ensure next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform delivers a European Healthy Sustainable Food and Farming Policy which ensures a transition to more sustainable levels of supply and demand at a European level.

Eating Better is a new alliance to demonstrate that eating ‘less and better’ meat can be fairer, greener and healthier for people and planet. The alliance is calling for action by governments, the food industry and all those who can make a difference to help people eat a greater variety of plant-based foods and less meat; and to support farming that produces meat in ways that benefit the environment, health, global food security and animal welfare. Launched in July 2013 with the endorsement of celebrity chef and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Eating Better is already supported by 39 national organisations and partner networks (including Sustain), from a wide range of sectors.

Download the policy recommendations on the Eating Better website: www.eating-better.org, at: www.eating-better.org/blog/43/Our-messages-to-policy-makers.html