Nutrition: Lauterbach promotes less meat consumption

Nutrition: Lauterbach promotes less meat consumption

In Germany, every consumer has been eating less and less meat on average for years. This is good for climate protection. Federal Health Minister Lauterbach is promoting even less meat consumption.

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach spoke out in favor of more climate protection and better nutrition, and a significant reduction in meat consumption.

“I wouldn’t say meatless,” the SPD politician told Der Spiegel magazine. “But we need a diet that is much more vegan and vegetarian, because otherwise we release far too much CO2 and methane simply through the way we eat.” In addition, the current meat consumption leads to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and is associated with animal cruelty. “What sense does animal cruelty make so that we eat unhealthily and at the same time ruin the climate?”

Meat consumption is a risk factor for colon cancer

Lauterbach also referred to a social issue. So far, low-income people have eaten “cheap meat” in a way that has cost them many years of life. Regular meat consumption, for example, is an important risk factor for colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is usually discovered late, especially in the socially disadvantaged. “The poorer ones don’t lose if they replace cheap meat with vegan or vegetarian food. On the contrary: you win.”

The SPD politician also advocated accelerating the energy transition. “In these cases, environmentalists are sometimes a threat to the climate. Let me put it this way: what use is the short-term survival of the red kite if humans and animals are endangered as a whole?” Misunderstood animal protection will not help anyone. Science can show ways “of how we can also protect birds outside of their previous habitat, because we urgently need to build wind turbines there, for example.”

Integration of science required

Lauterbach generally criticized the fact that there had been no systematic integration of science into everyday political life. “With the Corona Expert Council, which advises my ministry and the Federal Chancellery, this has been successful for the first time. He doesn’t meet once a year and then gives us a report that nobody reads.” The policy of the past few weeks has been significantly shaped by the council and also by its own scientific work. “It should work in other areas of politics just like the expert council.”

Source: Stern

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