Most People In The UK Would Cut Meat And Dairy To Improve Food Security

A new survey found that most people in the UK would be willing to cut their meat and dairy consumption to improve food security.

The survey is part of “How Can Plant-Based Diets Support Global Food Security?,” a research report by The Vegan Society that analyzes the topic in detail.

Attest, an AI-powered consumer survey company, carried out a nationally representative poll of 2,000 UK adults in October on behalf of The Vegan Society.

According to the poll, 72 percent of people are “somewhat” or “very” concerned about the state of UK food security, and 69 percent said that they would be open to reducing their meat and dairy consumption to make the food system more secure.

More than half (51 percent) of respondents said they were supportive of policies to help the UK food system make the transition away from livestock farming and towards plant-based proteins. Meanwhile, 82 percent agreed that securing a sustainable food supply should be a top priority for the government.

Claire Ogley, head of campaigns, policy, and research at The Vegan Society, said, “It’s encouraging to see that when presented with the facts, a significant majority of people are willing to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy to make us more food secure. But they need support from [the] Government to shift diets towards healthy plant-based foods like vegetables, pulses, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Food policy should prioritise promoting healthy plant-based options in all settings and ensuring everyone can access, afford, and know how to cook them.”

‘Animal farming is inefficient’

Photo shows deforestation in the Amazon. Most people in the UK would be willing to cut their meat and dairy consumption in order to improve food security, according to a new survey — Adobe Stock Farming animals for food is resource intensive, high-emitting, unsustainable, and deeply inefficient

According to The Vegan Society’s new research report, redirecting the large quantities of edible crops and land used to farm animals to direct human consumption could make the food system more efficient and more sustainable.

Ogley said, “Animal farming is inefficient, environmentally destructive, and reliant on imported feed and fertiliser. We have seen how that dependence exposes us this year. A transition to a plant-based food system is a big part of the answer to the interconnecting problems with global and national food security.”

The Vegan Society supports the Ten Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets, which “proposes integrated measures to increase demand for and supply of domestically produced plant-based foods.”

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