Image: OÖN/Graphic
The most important thing for more sustainability would therefore be a strong reduction in animal foods. In concrete terms, this means, for example, a maximum of one serving of red meat every two weeks and one serving of dairy products per day, according to the presentation on Tuesday.
According to the WWF, more than a third of the climate-damaging greenhouse gases worldwide can be traced back to food. 70 percent of land biodiversity loss and 80 percent of deforestation occurs through food production, transportation, storage and waste. The production of animal-based foods causes a particularly large “footprint”. In Austria, both the consumption of meat and dairy products and the waste of food are far too high.
The “Food Pyramid 2.0” proposed by the WWF and the authors of the study reduces the previous recommendations for the consumption of meat, fish and eggs by half and those for dairy products by two thirds. At the same time, the proportions of legumes, nuts and vegetable fats are increasing.
A serving of red meat every two weeks is recommended
Converted to portions, this means: On average, a maximum of one portion of red meat every two weeks is recommended and a maximum of one portion of low-fat, white meat per week, plus one or two eggs. Consumption of dairy products should drop from the current three servings to one a day. The recommended quantity of fruit and vegetables remains the same, but the proportion of cereals, potatoes, legumes, nuts and vegetable oils should increase. In the case of resource-intensive coffee, tea and cocoa, the study recommends a reduction from the previous maximum of three to one or two cups per day. Fatty, sweet and salty snacks should continue to be consumed infrequently.
“Food Pyramid 2.0”
Even with the “food pyramid 2.0” “planetary boundaries would continue to be exceeded”, but significantly less than before. Therefore, in addition to changing eating habits, a change in production is necessary.
The WWF hopes that the federal government will take up these proposals. In the future, nutritional knowledge should be imparted as a separate school subject. Waste – more than a million tons of food turns into waste in Austria every year – must be at least halved, with binding specifications. In order for enough arable land to be available for plant-based alternatives, land use must be greatly reduced. In addition, the WWF is calling for a reduction in VAT on unprocessed foods such as fruit, vegetables and legumes. The higher tax on plant-based milk alternatives is to fall from 20 to 10 percent.
Source: Nachrichten
