A recent study by the World Health Organization (WRI) found that young people in the United States and the United Kingdom are buying and eating more meat than aging groups when making food decisions in the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to the institute, agriculture, one of the key players in climate change, should be targeted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many young people are aware of this, and list environmentally friendly diets as a top priority, according to a British report. A higher percentage of young people prefer vegetarian, vegan or vegan diets compared to previous generations.
WRI: Young consumer beliefs do not necessarily predict dietary habits. To better understand consumer decisions, we have reviewed evidence and analyzed two decades of price data on buyers’ purchases in the UK and US. The institute finds that there are young people
WRI found that young people were eating more meat than older generations. Their analysis shows that young adults aged 19-30 eat more red and boiled meat than people 65 and older. And young buyers between the ages of 18 and 24 are buying more meat than any other age group.
According to WRI, these findings are not necessarily surprising. “People always report that they are more polite and moral. And there is always a gap between purpose and action, ”said Edvina Hughes, WRI’s Great Food Involvement Leader for Food Tank.
Findings may also represent a lack of awareness – young people may be unaware that they are eating more meat than the previous generation, despite their environmental needs or sustainability. And while research is needed to understand the root causes of this trend, WRI proves that consumer education is inadequate.
“We really need to take that extra step to ensure that the choices we want people to make are available and affordable, comfortable and delicious, and to establish social norms about plant-based diets,” says Stati Blodin, a behavioral scientist at WRI.
WRI instead hopes to highlight the important role the region plays in consumer choices. In their freedom A playbook for a vegetarian-rich dinner dinner in the food service WRI offers 23 interventions and 34 other behavioral changes that members can use in the dining environment. Examples include substituting meat for food or using attractive language on the menu to highlight the characteristics and benefits of plant-rich foods.
“It is very important that people make the choice easy so that they do not have to compromise on choice or appearance or experience. It is important to have a plant-rich alternative. It doesn’t have to be vegetarian and it doesn’t have to be vegan, but it’s about mixing things up more, maybe changing the composition, changing the amount in some foods, ”says the food tank.
This playbook is a supplement to WRI’s Global Cool Food Promotion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in connection with food service. Covenant members are food service organizations that have decided to reduce their emissions by 25 percent by 2030. Members include Ica, Panera Dabo and Harvard University. So far, WRI has seen a total reduction of 4.6 percent in greenhouse gas emissions, a 10 percent reduction in plant-based foods, and a 12 percent increase in plant-based foods.
The institute hopes that by raising awareness of the eating habits of young people, they can change their behavior to help them deal with climate change.
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