Danes have diminished meat consumption, however lag behind different Europeans

A serious new survey on meat consumption in Europe experiences that Europeans have a rising urge for food for plant-based meals and that meat consumption has dipped. Whereas this is applicable to Denmark as nicely, Danes lag behind the opposite international locations within the survey.

To tofu or t-bone, that’s the query. Europeans—Danes amongst them—are opting away from meat increasingly more. That is demonstrated in a big new College of Copenhagen led survey on meat and plant-based meals consumption in ten European international locations. On the identical time, Denmark is among the international locations that has been slowest to chop again on steaks, sausages and the like.

General, almost 46% of Europeans eat much less meat than they did a 12 months in the past, whereas the determine for Danes is 37%. Thus, 63% of Danish shoppers haven’t diminished their meat consumption, which positions Denmark at an equal final among the many international locations on this a part of the survey.

“Our meat consumption can have a significant affect close to the local weather disaster we’re up in opposition to. Subsequently, it’s encouraging to see that a pretty big proportion of the European inhabitants is consuming much less meat than up to now. On the identical time, it’s noteworthy that Denmark, which is often progressist and development setter, is on the again finish of the pack. I anticipated a bit extra from Denmark,” says Affiliate Professor Armando Perez-Cueto of the College of Copenhagen’s Division of Meals Science.

Perez-Cueto led the survey which is the primary of its sort in collaboration with ProVeg Worldwide and Ghent College as part of the Good Protein mission.

Different knowledge from latest years have proven that Denmark’s meat consumption is above the EU common however decrease than these of its neighboring international locations (Scandinavia, Germany and the UK). As for beef, Denmark’s consumption is on the very prime of the rating and better than in all of the neighboring international locations.

Myths and cultural obstacles stand in the way in which

Denmark would not simply fall in final in the case of what now we have accomplished, however close to what we intend to do. Denmark is the nation the place the fewest variety of individuals plan on chopping their meat consumption. Whereas almost 40% of Europeans mixed intend on lowering their meat consumption throughout the months forward, the determine for Danes is 33%. Which means that 67% are both going to eat as a lot or extra meat than earlier than.

The survey identifies many attainable causes for Denmark’s final place end:

“Firstly, we have to puncture widespread myths. For instance, half of Danes imagine that we can’t do with out meat nutritionally, even when scientific proof factors on the contrary. Secondly, there’s a meals tradition which says that plant-based meals lack ample style and {that a} full mealtime ought to incorporate meat. This view is held by 45% of Danes. Whereas solely 100 years have handed since Danes lived totally on a plant-based food regimen, the narrative of what is proper to eat has grown strongly,” says Armando Perez-Cueto.

Loads of different obstacles hinder an more and more plant-rich food regimen as nicely. Greater than a 3rd of Danes discover that plant-based meals are too costly, that they do not know the right way to put together them, that they lack details about them and that they simply do not discover them visually interesting.

“This stuff can and ought to be addressed. It ought to be a process for all of society—public authorities, researchers, organizations, and many others. – to nudge individuals in the direction of extra climate-friendly consuming habits. As a result of, a inexperienced transition of society can’t occur with no inexperienced transition of our meals consumption,” explains Armando Perez-Cueto.

Winds of promise

Armando Perez-Cueto underscores that, all in all, promising winds are blowing for a extra plant-based food regimen amongst Europeans:

“Almost 30% of the European individuals report that they plan on consuming considerably extra plant-based dairy and meat options. And about half of all individuals have but to style plant meat, plant milk, tofu, quinoa or comparable merchandise. So, there may be huge development potential out there for plant-based meals and fertile floor for growing a wider collection of and improved merchandise.”

Amongst different issues, the European shoppers additionally responded to the varieties of plant-based merchandise that they want to have the ability to purchase in shops. Particularly, there may be demand for plant-based poultry within the type of hen breast and plant-based fish within the type of fish sticks, smoked salmon and fish burgers. Amongst Danish shoppers, there may be specific demand for a better provide of plant-based minced meat and steak.

Extra figures from the survey:

• Greater than 7,500 Europeans participated within the survey. They arrive from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania and the UK.
• Vegetarians and vegans account for 7% of respondents, whereas 30% of the respondents think about themselves flexitarians. The Netherlands and Romania have the best proportion of flexitarians, with 42% and 40% of their populations respectively. In Denmark, the proportion is 27%.
• Final 12 months’s best reductions in meat consumption have been in Romania (52% of the inhabitants) and Germany (51%). Denmark and the UK share final place (37%).
• Whereas poultry is probably the most steadily consumed meat in Europe as an entire, beef is the commonest alternative in Denmark. 59% of Danes eat beef no less than as soon as every week.

Information:

• Animal merchandise account for 82% of the greenhouse gasoline emissions originating from Europeans’ diets. Analysis reveals that a rise within the consumption of plant-based various meats can scale back emissions by 30-90%.
• The survey was performed by the College of Copenhagen in collaboration with the group ProVeg Worldwide, Ghent College and Innova Market Insights as a part of the Good Protein mission. The experiences on the survey may be downloaded right here.
• Good Protein is an EU-funded mission aimed toward growing a brand new era of other protein sources which might be each sustainable and nutritious. A complete of 33 industrial and analysis companions in 21 totally different international locations are collaborating on the mission. Armando Perez-Cueto of the Division of Meals Science is main the mission’s shopper research. The Division may also contribute to the processing of plant protein and plant-based meals.