Cigarette Style Warning Labels Could Help Reduce Meat Consumption, Study Finds
Lowering meat consumption in developed nations is an effective way to help fight climate change, and warning labels on meat products could help encourage positive change.
Graphic warning labels like those seen on cigarette packets could help people to reduce their meat consumption, according to a new study.
The findings suggest that including warning labels on meat options could therefore help improve public health and reduce national carbon footprints.
In the research, scientists from the UK’s Durham University tested a range of warning labels that detailed the damages meat causes to climate, health, and risk of pandemics. Each label showed a graphic image alongside brief text.
Every label was found to be effective, with demand for meals with meat reduced by between seven and 10 percent.
One of the warning labels used in the study.
The study, published in the academic journal Appetite, noted that participants were most in favor of the warning labels that focused on climate issues, which were found to also be the most credible.
Labels like this could be particularly effective at encouraging consumers to choose the more sustainable food choice when presented with like-for-like dishes, such as a set of meals like meat pasta bake, fish pasta bake, vegetarian pasta bake, and a vegan pasta bake.
Public initiatives to help encourage healthier and more sustainable food choices will likely become increasingly more widespread as governments around the world look to reduce their carbon footprints. In the UK, where the study took place, the independent Climate Change Committee, which advises the government, recommends a 20 percent reduction in meat and dairy consumption by 2030.
“Reaching net zero is a priority for the nation and the planet,” said Jack Hughes, who carried out the research at Durham University’s Department of Psychology. “As warning labels have already been shown to reduce smoking as well as drinking of sugary drinks and alcohol, using a warning label on meat-containing products could help us achieve this if introduced as national policy.”
How To Encourage Greener Eating Choices
“We already know that eating a lot of meat, especially red and processed meat, is bad for your health and that it contributes to deaths from pollution and climate change,” explains Dr Milica Vasiljevic, senior author on the paper.
Warning labels like those used in the study could help raise consumer awareness around the carbon footprint of animal products. Education and awareness will be key in changing consumer habits, with one recent poll finding that the majority of Americans do not link one’s personal intake of meat and dairy products with one’s personal impact on the climate.
That means there is still some way to bring public opinion closer to the overwhelming scientific evidence that confirms that the food industry - particularly meat and dairy - is one of the key drivers of climate change.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock farming. These emissions are largely carbon dioxide and methane, which are two of the largest contributors to global warming. Within this statistic, cattle alone are responsible for 65 percent of emissions.
Importantly, climate studies show that reducing our meat and dairy intake or consuming more vegan foods can help lower our impact on the environment. That’s why public knowledge of meat and dairy’s climate impact is so important, because if people know about the problem then they can choose to take steps to help solve it too.
For example, a global shift towards a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change, according to the United Nations, and research from the University of Oxford shows that going vegan is the “single biggest way” to reduce your impact on the planet.
“A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gasses, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use”, explained the University of Oxford study’s lead researcher, Joseph Poore. “It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.”
Start Your Plant-Based Journey
Swapping animal products in favor of plant-based alternatives does not have to be the sacrifice that people make it out to be, but rather a way to invest in personal health and wellness, while protecting our environment and animals.
A great way to introduce yourself to more plant-based foods is with the Species Unite 7-Day Vegan Challenge - try it here.
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