How to eat sustainably

Our verdict at a glance

In the UK, we need to halve the amount of meat and dairy we produce and eat by 2030 to help fix the climate and nature crises. Levels of meat consumption are falling but could be speeded up. This requires the government and the food and farming industries to help people choose and access affordable, healthy diets. Eating less and better meat and dairy as well as more vegetables and plant proteins is also great for our health.

How can eating better help?

In richer countries like the UK, the way we eat simply isn’t sustainable. The high demand for meat and dairy, driven by huge food and farming companies, has led to a system of intensive agriculture. Animals in crowded factory farms are fed on imported feed that’s driving deforestation and habitat loss overseas. This industrial system of agriculture is one of the leading causes of the climate and nature crises. And it’s not just the planet that suffers. 

Environmental impacts 

It’s been estimated that animal agriculture produces between 11 and 20% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. That means we urgently need to change both the way we produce food and what we eat to tackle the climate crisis and reduce emissions to reach net zero.

Industrial agriculture also has a devastating impact on the environment, here and overseas. Cattle ranching and soy farming for animal feed are driving biodiversity loss and destroying wildlife habitats. For example, soy grown for the UK and Europe – 90% of which is used for animal feed – is driving mass deforestation in the Cerrado in South America. Often this is linked to human rights abuses like land grabbing. This is where companies force communities off their land, leaving them with no way to produce food to sell or feed their families.

Here, factory farming produces harmful waste that pollutes our land and waterways. The 10 largest meat and dairy companies produce over 120 double decker busloads of manure and slurry per hour. For example, this is leading to the near ecological collapse of the River Wye, as well as vast toxic blooms of blue-green algae in the UK’s biggest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

What’s more, around a third of all food is wasted. That means the land, energy, water and labour involved in its production are also wasted, while creating more emissions through its disposal.

Ethical impacts

Animal welfare is a major concern. In cramped conditions designed to maximise profits by producing more food with fewer costs, animals like cows, pigs and chickens can’t move freely or enjoy the outdoors. Deprived of space, these animals suffer from stress and a lack of stimulation. To prevent them injuring each other, their bodies are altered – such as trimming beaks and docking tails – often without pain relief.

The UK does have laws in place to protect farm animals, but they could be better. Many intensive farms still keep animals in conditions that cause disease, discomfort, pain and fear.

Health impacts

Powerful food companies prioritising profit over all else are flooding our supermarket shelves with poor-quality produce. This means a typical UK diet contains unhealthy levels of meat and dairy products, as well as ultra-processed food high in sugar, salt and saturated fats.

This diet has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, obesity and other illnesses. Eating too much meat – especially red and processed meat – is linked to certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes. Increasingly, experts are recommending that we aim to eat more plant-based and whole (minimally processed) foods instead. 

What level of food consumption is sustainable?

To reduce carbon emissions, the government’s independent climate advisor, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has recommended a 20% reduction in meat and dairy consumption by 2030, with deeper cuts by 2050.

As part of the Eating Better alliance, we’re calling for a more ambitious target: a 50% reduction in UK meat and dairy consumption. Not only will this tackle climate emissions like the CCC’s targets, but it’ll also help to rapidly restore nature. And we’re calling for the remaining meat and dairy production to be better. That means high environmental and animal welfare standards.

Thankfully, the UK is already moving in the right direction. We now need to continue and accelerate this positive trend if we’re to meet climate targets. 

How can we produce food sustainably?

Sustainable food and farming

Farming can play a central role in sustainable food production. Many farmers, like those in the Nature Friendly Farming Network, are already moving to more planet-friendly methods such as agroforestry and organic farming. By working with nature, farmers can improve biodiversity, as well as the quality of soil and water, which means less need for expensive chemicals and artificial fertilisers.

To address the environmental impact of livestock production, we need to move away from damaging intensive systems. Farmers should be supported to shift to better systems – like mixed farming which involves fewer animals and more horticulture, such as producing plant proteins like peas and beans. This will also help free up land for other uses such as crops and more trees.

Farmers must be supported and rewarded for delivering these environmental, animal welfare and health benefits. For too long, they’ve been scraping by on payments too low to make a proper living. This urgently needs to change.

Government action on food and farming

The government is dragging its feet on sustainable food. We urgently need clear and effective policies that enable everyone – no matter their income – to access tasty food that’s affordable, healthy and sustainable. We also need government to support a fair transition for farmers towards less and better meat production. This includes paying farmers properly if they’re to bring back nature and reduce intensive agriculture. We support the Eating Better alliance’s Better by Half roadmap, which sets out actions for the government, the food industry, farmers and investors to halve meat and dairy consumption in the UK.

Politicians have also been failing to tackle the major harms caused by global food companies out to line their pockets above all else. We need a new UK law that holds companies to account for any environmental harm and human rights abuses in their supply chains, here and around the world. 

How can we eat sustainably?

Much of the action needed can only come from government, the food industry and food producers. But there are also changes we can make as individuals to eat more sustainably. 

Less and better meat and dairy

Friends of the Earth isn’t calling for an end to animal agriculture, but rather less and better meat and dairy. That’s because we can address the climate and nature crises without completely removing meat and dairy from our diets. Sustainable, ethical animal agriculture can improve soil quality and produce manure for fertilising crops, helping farmers avoid expensive, artificial fertilisers made using fossil fuels. Meat and dairy products are also an important source of nutrition for many communities around the world. 

We can all reduce how much meat and dairy we eat by choosing to eat more vegetables, wholegrains and plant proteins like peas and lentils instead. And we can make sure that the meat and dairy we do eat is better for the planet and for animal welfare. This includes:

• Buying products from non-intensive agriculture, such as animals raised on pasture and fed using home-grown animal feed. 
• Choosing products with higher welfare standards, such as organic, free range or those with the RSPCA Assured label. 

Vegetarian, vegan and plant-based eating

We can also change our diets to cut out meat (going veggie) or animal products including dairy (going vegan). There are heaps of vegetarian and vegan options out there, from delicious recipes to shop-bought ranges.

But remember, plant-based eating doesn’t have to be permanent or all-encompassing. Many people take part in initiatives like Veganuary, where they eat vegan for just 1 month. Others focus on eating more plants like fruit, veg, nuts and pulses, while still incorporating occasional meat and dairy into their diets. The goal is to reduce how much meat and dairy we eat in whatever way feels right for us.