A new UK study has found that men's diets produce 41% more greenhouse gas emissions than women's, largely due to higher meat consumption. The research, published in PLOS ONE, analysed over 3,200 food items and the diets of 212 British people, revealing that animal products account for nearly half of average diet emissions, with meat contributing 31% and dairy 14%.
The study also found that a quarter of diet-related emissions come from 'optional' items such as coffee, alcohol, cakes and sweets. Non-vegetarian diets produced 59% more emissions than vegetarian ones. Lead author Holly Rippin from the University of Leeds said small changes like cutting out sweets could make a significant difference.
A separate study in The Lancet Planetary Health found that in high-income countries, vegan diets are 21-34% cheaper than average diets, and vegetarian diets are 27-31% cheaper. This challenges the perception that sustainable eating is only for the wealthy. Lead author Marco Springmann from the University of Oxford noted that these diets can be better for both health and the bank balance.
The research comes as a recent WWF survey found that over 70% of Britons believe people should eat more environmentally friendly food, but 65% think sustainable options are too expensive. Both studies confirm that healthier diets also tend to have lower emissions.
