Pieminister Trials Beef Tax To ‘Highlight Climate Impact Of Different Ingredients’

Pieminister is trialing a ‘beef tax’ in a bid to ‘highlight the climate impact of different ingredients’. 

Throughout January, the chain will add a 10p supplement to the price of four of its pies containing beef.

The supplement will be used to purchase and plant trees as part of Pieminister’s forthcoming campaign with Forestry England.

‘A bold move’

Jon Simon is the co-founder and MD of Pieminister. In a statement sent to PBN, he said: “Food production counts for 25 percent of the world’s carbon emissions… Beef consumption is a huge part of the problem. 

“As pie makers, we have a responsibility to do something about this. We’re not telling people they should not eat our beef pies – we’re saying that we should all acknowledge the impact beef has on the planet and give our customers good reason to try a non-beef alternative once in a while. 

“It’s a bold move but we hope our ‘planet payback’ supplement will help with this while kicking off the fundraising for our forthcoming tree planting campaign with Forestry England.”

Plant-Based Options 

The chain says it is also ‘working hard’ to increase its plant-based offerings, following the success of its vegan pies.

Its latest vegan dish, dubbed the Mooless Moo, is a pie made with deforestation-free jackfruit slow-cooked in a rich dark stout gravy. 

Pieminister’s plant-based range is available nationwide through British supermarkets such as Waitrose, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, and Co-op.

Tristan Hogg, co-founder, and MD added: “Our sustainability goals cover everything from animal, human and ecological welfare, to climate change and waste. 

“They’re pretty ambitious; one goal is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2025, which actually exceeds the Science Based Target Initiative for a business of our size. But, we think anything less just isn’t an option.”