July 21, 2023 – New research shows that a vegan food regimen has the bottom environmental impact and that switching to this plant-based food regimen could help the world meet its environmental goals.
The studyled by researchers from the University of Oxford in England was published on Thursday within the journal Natural foodThey compiled dietary data from 55,504 vegans, vegetarians, “fish eaters” and “meat eaters” and linked this with data on greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, water pollution and potential biodiversity loss using information from 38,000 farms in 119 countries.
Researchers noted that food production has long been linked to environmental impacts, particularly carbon dioxide production and water pollution.
“The environmental impacts of animal foods are generally higher than those of plant foods. This is due partly to direct processes related to livestock farming… and partly to indirect processes through the inefficient use of crops as animal feed rather than directly for human consumption,” they write.
The diets with the bottom environmental impact were found to be vegans, who eat a plant-based food regimen and avoid animal products reminiscent of meat and dairy. The researchers found that vegans had only 1 / 4 of the environmental impact of meat eaters. A bunch that ate meat, but not very much, had a 30% lower environmental impact than individuals who ate probably the most meat.
“Despite significant differences depending on where and how food is produced, the link between environmental pollution and consumption of animal products is clear and should lead to a reduction in the consumption of animal products,” the researchers concluded.