People are eating a little less meat than a decade ago but enabling dietary change at scale remains a major challenge. By Nick Hughes.
Meat consumption is back in the news then? That’s right. New research published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal found that people with diets high in processed and red meat have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers said the findings highlighted the importance of reducing meat consumption for public health and should inform national dietary guidelines.
Is the message getting through? Yes and no. Eating Better, a coalition of civil society organisations which campaigns for a ‘less and better’ approach to meat consumption for health and environmental reasons, has been tracking public attitudes towards meat eating for the past decade. It recently published a review of progress over that ten-year period which found that although people are eating meat less often than they were 10 years ago, progress is slowing. In fact, the number of people eating meat at least five times a week has increased from 43% in 2022 to 50% in 2024. Eating Better said further exploration is needed to determine if this represents a temporary change or a reversal of the longer-term trend, and whether it reflects a polarisation between those eating less and those eating more.
It feels like meat eating remains a polarised issue? It does, especially in a policy context. During party conference season last autumn the Conservative Party tried hard to make it a political wedge issue as it looked to pin the idea for a meat tax on the opposition. Labour didn’t bite and in the run up to the election both parties swerved the issue altogether, albeit both did pledge to develop a new land use framework. Meanwhile, growing interest in regenerative agriculture has framed livestock as integral to future food production due to their role in nutrient cycling, however evidence (from the likes of the Climate Change Committee and the national food strategy) pointing to the need to reduce overall meat consumption at a population level has to-date not always been central to the regenerative narrative.
So what else do we know about current public attitudes to meat? Since 2013, awareness of the potential negative environmental impact of meat production has increased, according to Eating Better. The amount of people who agree that producing and consuming meat can have a significant negative impact on the environment has increased from 31% to 41% in 2024, albeit once again there are signs of regression given that 44% of people answered in the affirmative in 2020. Almost two thirds of people (61%) now say they are willing to reduce their meat consumption, according to this year’s public attitudes survey, however just under a quarter (24%) claim to be eating less meat than they were a year ago, showing a clear gap between intention and action.
What explains that gap? Cost is one. Eating Better notes how plant-based meat and dairy alternatives currently come with a price premium and says the current environment of high food costs, cheaper unhealthy options, and expensive plant-based substitutes is not conducive to long-term dietary changes. Similarly, the kind of meat considered ‘better’, such as organic or pasture-raised meat, is seen as too expensive to consume regularly by 67% of survey respondents. (In this context, it’s worth noting that recent analysis by the World Resources Institute found that shifting to the kinds of production systems commonly associated with better meat often results in higher environmental impacts per kilogram of protein, albeit indicators including on-farm biodiversity and soil health were absent from the analysis).
So what can be done to get people eating less and better? For starters, Eating Better says governments need to step up to the plate by delivering a food plan that sets a target for meat and dairy reduction and enables better production of meat and dairy. Changes to public sector buying standards that can help create a market for better meat and dairy through revised menus in schools and hospitals also have a role to play. Foodservice businesses can play their part too by putting more plants on plates and menus (as many are already doing), make plant dishes appealing, set targets for more plants and less and better meat, provide exciting plant-based training and development for chefs, and develop a sourcing policy that delivers better meat and dairy.
