Food industry bosses have agreed to produce a transition plan to slash consumption of red meat and dairy by 20%, after admitting that without the major change to the UK’s diet the industry will not hit its commitments to net zero.
The move is among plans published in a major report today by the IGD and Wrap, following talks with industry bosses from across different parts of the supply chain.
The report, titled A Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System, concludes that without “urgent action on diets”, targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions for 2030 and 2050 will be unachievable.
Wrap and IGD, which worked on the report with accountants EY, have agreed to go on to draw up specific strategies for how the industry will commit to achieve the shift in diets.
Today’s report called for both the industry and government to agree on a “clear pathway” for the 20% reduction, including making changes to the recommended diet in the government’s Eatwell Plate.
“We call on the sector to come together, work through such differences, and focus UK Food’s incredible strengths and talents on solving the greatest challenges of our generation,” says the report.
However, the moves stop short of setting out a clear timeframe as yet and fall well short of calls by the UK’s Climate Change Committee for measures to lead to meat and dairy consumption being slashed by up to 50% by 2050.
In 2021, Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy called for a 30% reduction in meat consumption over the following decade to meet government targets on health, climate and the environment.
Other measures put forwards in today’s report include urging the industry to go beyond the Courtauld Commitment on food waste, which has a target of reducing waste by 50% by 2030 compared with a 2015 baseline.
It says: “The industry should aim to deliver the Courtauld Commitment and go beyond it, reducing food waste to very low levels by 2050.”
The report has been billed as the the first of its kind to provide an independent, evidence-based view for how the UK food system can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with a 1.5°C SBTi outcome and to meet the UK’s legally binding national target.
“The UK food industry is deeply connected to the climate crisis both as a contributor of emissions but also as an industry that is dependent upon a stable and healthy ecosystem to grow and provide food for the country,” said Kirsty Saddler, director of health and sustainability programmes at IGD.
“All organisations across the system can make better progress, faster, if we work together and with government.
“The framework shows the contribution that can be made by the population through diet change, using the NHS Eatwell Guide as a basis.
“This report also notes the critical role reductions in food waste, particularly by households, can make.”
Catherine David, director of behaviour change and business programmes at Wrap, added: “This report marks a significant step forward towards action on greenhouse gas emissions in the food and drink sector.
”We hope this report, uniting the whole of UK food and drink, will help catalyse a fresh and focused phase of collaborative action on the urgent issues that industry must tackle.”
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