Meat? No Thank You: Half Of Brits Will Be Vegetarian By 2040 - New Report Reveals

A new report reveals half of Brits will be vegetarian by 2040.

The report claims that younger generations will no longer think of meat as masculine, and will be ashamed to buy it in public, as the impacts of climate change increase.

Commissioned by No Meat May – a registered charity that challenges people to eliminate meat from their diets for 31 days – the new report, also reveals we have fewer than 30 years to eat less meat if humanity and life on the planet is to survive.

Meat? - No, thank you!

While meat consumption continues to rise in developing countries, in the UK it is estimated that by the beginning of next year, 16 million people will be meat free, and there are a number of reasons why this is such a continuing growth trend. 

“With much more social acceptance normalising meals without meat, plus the extensive availability for alternatives, it follows that we can expect to see continued changes in the way consumers shop and eat,” precast Dr Morgaine Gaye, report auhtor.

Generation Z could also be the generation to create real change and turn around Britain’s meat-eating habits. Already, almost 50% of Gen Z feel ashamed to order anything containing dairy in public, and we can expect this trend to continue as younger generations will avoid buying meat in front of their peers – as its consumption further becomes linked with climate change, health problems and animal welfare issues. 

Healthy plant-based diet

Doctors believe that a plant based diet could help prevent eight out of 10 of the leading causes of death and that a shift to veganism could result in 8.1 million deaths fewer per year according to the PNAS (The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). 

Dr Shireen Kassam, Plant Based Health Professionals says: “A healthy plant-based diet is one of the critical solutions to a number of our global health crises. 

"Not only can a plant-based diet significantly reduce the risk of a number of our commonest chronic conditions, helping us to live a longer and better quality life, it is necessary to reverse the catastrophic trends in antibiotic-resistant infections and help mitigate against some of the health-related impacts of climate change. 

"Diet change is a greatly under-utilised solution within healthcare systems.“

Meat bad for the environment

Switching to a mostly plant-based diet would immediately reduce our carbon emissions by a quarter, an essential behaviour change to save the life of our planet and ourselves. In fact, Dr Gaye predicts that if we don’t start eating less meat, our planet will be uninhabitable in less than 30 years. 

The message and communication around this will take a few years to embed into UK consumers and based on past campaigns, it seems that simple messages cut through most effectively.  

However, for now, “Awareness around carbon footprint and food consumption still seem to create a disconnect for the majority of shoppers,“ says Gaye.

Nevertheless, we can already see from the current war in Ukraine (sometimes referred to as ‘the bread basket of Europe’) that when our grain supply is compromised, the knock-on effect of that is a sharp uptick in both grain, corn, seeds and also meat prices. 

Feeding that grain directly to humans rather than animals would improve global food security and drastically reduce the amount of land needed for food production.

Ditch meat for a month

These days, it's very easy to switch to a more meat-free, basically plant-based diet. Food makers regularly launch new varieties of vegan products. It's easy to find dairy and meat swaps in the supermarkets. Meat alternatives are more realistic and they perfectly mimic meat's look, smell and texture, offering customer the rich umami flavour. 

No Meat May challenges people to eliminate meat from their diet for four big reasons: health, environment, animals, and to do our bit for world hunger.

Launched by Ryan Alexander and Guy James Whitworth, No Meat May started with 30 of their friends all giving up meat for the month of May. No Meat May's mission is to inspire and support more people to shift to plant-rich diets, so we can build a healthier, kinder, more sustainable world. No Meat May is celebrating its tenth annual challenge this year, and has seen participation increase exponentially since the launched in 2013 – highlighting the rising interest in vegetarian, flexitarian and vegan diets. 

Commenting on the report, Ryan Alexander, says: “Dr Gaye’s report highlights the urgency in switching to a plant-rich food system as quickly as possible for the environment, health, and global food security. Key innovations like cellular agriculture and air protein will assist the global population to reduce their meat consumption, but in the meantime, the No Meat May challenge makes it simple to try 31-days of delicious and affordable plant-based food.”

Click here: tvk-meat and seafood and check these plant-based meat swaps to help you replace meat in your daily dishes. Get inspire by these vibrant and colourful meat-free, vegan and vegetarian recipes: best-vegan-recipes (click on the link).

Those wishing to take part in No Meat May can sign up at www.nomeatmay.org to receive vegan recipes, inspirational articles on plant-based lifestyle and support on how to thrive with healthy and enjoyable meat-free, vegetarian or vegan food.