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Cut down on red meat to save the planet and cut premature deaths, say experts

A new report has said there needs to be a drastic reduction in meat eating in order to protect th...
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07.10 17 Jan 2019


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Cut down on red meat to save t...

Cut down on red meat to save the planet and cut premature deaths, say experts

Newstalk
Newstalk

07.10 17 Jan 2019


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A new report has said there needs to be a drastic reduction in meat eating in order to protect the planet for future generations.

The EAT-Lancet Commission analyzed the potential impacts of dietary change on diet-related disease mortality using three approaches.

All three approaches concluded that diet changes toward healthy diets are likely to result in major health benefits.

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This includes preventing approximately 11 million deaths per year, which represent between 19% to 24% of total deaths among adults.

The solution, based on three years of modelling studies, is a diet consisting of around 35% of calories obtained from whole grains and tubers, and protein mostly derived from plants.

While permitting variations based on local need and culture, the diet allows for an average of just seven grams of red meat per day and 500 grams of vegetables and fruits.

Daily poultry consumption would be confined to 29 grams - equivalent to one and a half nuggets - and fish to 28 grams, a quarter of a medium sized fillet.

Eggs would be restricted to around 1.5 per week.

Scientific targets for a planetary health diet, with possible ranges, for an intake of 2500 kcal/day | Source: EAT-Lancet

It said: "Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require substantial dietary shifts.

"This includes a more than doubling in the consumption of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, and a greater than 50% reduction in global consumption of less healthy foods such as added sugars and red meat".

It said this will primarily be done by reducing excessive consumption in wealthier countries.

However, it added that there is still no global consensus on what constitutes healthy diets and sustainable food production and whether planetary health diets may be achieved for a global population of 10 billion people by 2050.

Planetary health refers to the "the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends".

The report has called for widespread multi-sector, multi-level action including a substantial global shift toward healthy dietary patterns, large reductions in food loss and waste, and major improvements in food production practices.

"The data are both sufficient and strong enough to warrant immediate action", it said.

These plates are examples of a planetary health diet. This is a flexitarian diet, which is largely plant-based but can optionally include modest amounts of fish, meat and dairy foods | Image: EAT-Lancet

"Food will be a defining issue of the 21st century.

"Unlocking its potential will catalyse the achievement of both the SDGs and Paris Agreement.

"An unprecedented opportunity exists to develop food systems as a common thread between many international, national, and business policy frameworks aiming for improved human health and environmental sustainability.

"Establishing clear, scientific targets to guide food system transformation is an important step in realizing this opportunity."

You can read the full report here

Additional reporting: IRN


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