The public sector should lead a move to more carbon-friendly diets to help the environment according to a report from the UK government’s Climate Change Committee.
Reducing food waste and changing our diets is one of the five objectives suggested by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in its report: ‘Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK’. The CCC wants to reduce the 13.6 million tonnes of food waste produced annually by 20% and the consumption of beef, lamb and dairy by at least 20% per person.
These suggestions are consistent with current healthy eating guidelines, which recommend cutting consumption of red meat, and will drive the release of land to support the necessary changes in tree planting and bioenergy crops, which are two other objectives listed by the CCC.
Policies will be needed to encourage consumers to change their diets and reduce food waste. The public sector should take a lead in providing plant-based options with all meals as part of immediate, low-cost, low-regret actions to encourage this shift in consumer behaviour.
In addition to routinely providing plant-based options, the report suggests addressing the skills gap of public sector staff, to encourage staff to become promoters of plant-based alternatives.
Other strategies should include using labelling, promoting R&D into protein alternatives and exploiting synergies between health and the environment. If these ‘soft’ measures fail, a second stage could focus on stronger steps, such as regulation or pricing.
Steps to include food waste should include measures such as target setting for the public and private sectors and mandatory separate food waste collections by 2023. The public sector could set an example to the private sector by setting its own targets, monitoring impacts and improving data collection to share best practice.
The full CCC report offers in-depth advice on UK agricultural policies, aimed at supporting farmers and land managers to reduce the emissions from land use by almost two thirds. This is necessary for the UK to meet its commitment to becoming a Net Zero economy by 2050.
Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, says: “Changing the way we use our land is critical to delivering the UK’s Net Zero target. The options we are proposing would see farmers and land managers – the stewards of the land – delivering actions to reduce emissions. Doing so can provide new revenue opportunities for farmers, better air quality and improved biodiversity, and more green spaces for us all to enjoy. But major changes are required and action from government is needed quickly if we are to reap the rewards.”
The full five objectives for new policy are:
• Increase tree planting
• Encourage low-carbon farming practices
• Restore peatlands
• Encourage bioenergy crops
• Reduce food waste and consumption of the most carbon-intensive foods.
