What Exactly Is a Sustainable Diet? Here’s What That Means

Younger generations are worried about climate change and report being ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ worried about the planet, with more than half saying the concept makes them feel ‘helpless’ or ‘frightened’. pointing out. And even though nearly 54% of millennials are adopting a “flexitarian” diet to minimize their environmental footprint, new research suggests that more young consumers are adopting sustainable, sustainable diets, according to new research. It suggests a lack of understanding of what a possible diet is.

Researchers from Bournemouth University set out to find out how well British and European consumers understand sustainable diets. The study notes that current estimates claim that diet contributes 20-30% of the overall environmental footprint.was announced in appetite, The survey found that participants were unsure or simply didn’t know what makes a food sustainable or environmentally friendly. I interviewed.

“When people think about how to live more sustainably, they seem to understand that it means flying less, using less cars, recycling more, but changing their diet. Not everyone seems to realize the difference it makes, says Katherine Appleton, a professor of psychology at Bournemouth University who led the study.

What is a sustainable diet?

According to the United Nations, a sustainable diet is defined as “a diet with a low environmental impact that contributes to food and nutrition security and healthy living for present and future generations”. Environmental impact considerations for food include:

• production efficiency
• agricultural practices
• employment practices
• food waste
• Ingredient availability
• process
• packaging
• delivery distance

In this study, most participants claimed to adopt sustainable eating habits, but were unsure about how to make changes. is likely to do so, but it does not cut it completely.

Researchers stress that research has shown that more education is needed to persuade consumers to adopt a sustainable diet. and concluded that increasing food accessibility would help curb this lack of understanding.

“We were surprised by the findings. Initially, we were going to look at ways to encourage people to eat more foods such as beans and legumes, but people still don’t fully understand why this matters.” Increasing consumption of certain foods is too preemptive for many people,” Appleton explained.

“We need to promote greater awareness and knowledge of how dietary changes can help the planet. We also need to propose changes.”

A plant-based diet is better for the planet

Consumers need more information about sustainable diets, but about 85% of the world is experiencing the impacts of climate change firsthand. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a climate “disaster” ahead of his COP climate change conference at the UN.

Eating a plant-based diet can reduce food-related emissions by 61%. This is mainly due to reducing beef and dairy intake. About 40% of global methane emissions can be attributed to cattle production. UN researchers have announced that the world must cut her methane emissions by 33% by 2030 to effectively slow climate change.

According to the Good Food Institute Europe, several European countries have reduced their average meat consumption. According to the report, more than 50% of his consumers in France, Spain, Italy and Germany are reducing their meat consumption. The survey found that more than 60% of his respondents felt that animal-based meat and dairy alternatives should be available in stores.

For more planetary events, see The Beet’s Environmental News article.