New data released by The Vegan Society reveals that one in three Brits think the Government should promote a plant-based diet to help tackle the climate crisis.
According to its research, 32% of the 6,200 people surveyed between 17-23 February would ‘happily get behind plans and policies that actively encourage people to cut back on their meat, dairy and egg consumption in order to help the government successfully achieve its climate objectives’.
The results mirror global figures published in January by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its People’s Climate Vote, which revealed that 81% of those asked in the UK said they see climate change as a global emergency.
In the Vegan Society’s findings, of the 2,000 people who said they would support policies which promote plant-based diets, 61% said they would ‘back public awareness campaigns on the health and environmental benefits’ and 60% said they believed every public sector menu should offer at least one plant-based, healthy meal option. The Vegan Society has been campaigning for such increased public accessibility through its Catering for Everyone campaign.
This data is hugely positive for the vegan movement
The research also showed that 55% ‘felt there should be financial incentives and support for more UK-grown, high protein crops’ – such as beans, lentils, nuts and seeds – while 53% called for packages of support for farmers to ‘transition out of animal farming’.
51% of respondents suggested children should be offered plant-based milk via public health initiatives – something recently adopted by the Scottish Government – and 48% said plant-based restaurants should be afforded Zero VAT rates.
Commenting on the data, Louisianna Waring, insight and commercial policy officer, The Vegan Society, says: “We believe this data is hugely positive for the vegan movement. It is fantastic to see that one in three people in the UK are listening to the science on the impact of dietary choices.
“Many of the climate solutions on offer can only be achieved if implemented together and promoting plant-based diets is one solution that unlocks several others including reduced deforestation and less water and land use.”
