EU Backs Campaign Encouraging Public To Become ‘Beefatarians’

A campaign encouraging the public to become a ‘beefatarian’ has been backed by the EU.

The Proud of European Beef initiative is spearheaded by corporations Provacuno and APAQ-W. It is a three-year-long campaign that aims to makes consumers ‘confident’ about their decision to eat red meat.

The campaign is set to cost €4.5 million (approximately $5.39 million) – with ads running across countries such as France, Belgium and Spain. It will receive 80 percent (€3.6 million) of its funding from the European Commission.

‘A refusal to eat meat’

“The scope of the project is not only to highlighting the benefits of the product but to make the consumer feel identified and supported in its choice regarding it,” the campaign’s site states.

“Consumer behavior may lead to a refusal to eat meat due to the multiple types of information presented nowadays.

“But even so, those consumers who choose to eat red meat should feel at ease should they wish to reaffirm their choice for this product.”

Should the EU promote red meat?

Despite the campaign, The World Health Organization classifies red meat as a Group 2A carcinogen.

This means products such as pork, beef, and lamb ‘probably cause cancer’.

Moreover, the WHO says the strongest evidence for an association with eating red meat is for colorectal cancer. However, there is also evidence of links with pancreatic and prostate cancer.