Newspapers are committing to cover climate change, including in their food sections. Producing food is responsible for approximately 10% of total U.S. carbon emissions and 30% of global climate emissions. Agriculture is the largest source of the potent greenhouse gas methane, nearly all of which comes from cow burps. For the even stronger greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, animal agriculture accounts for a whopping 79% of U.S. emissions, largely due to fertilizers applied to crops fed to cattle and to cow manure. Although research is being conducted into supply side solutions–for example, feed additives to reduce cow burps–farmers are faced with uncertainty as to these new feeds’ effectiveness, costs, and health impacts on cows and consumers. At least for now, demand solutions, or changing our diet, can deliver quicker environmental benefits.
But let’s not fret about going vegan tomorrow. Consider plant-forward eating, or focusing on plant-based foods while eating meat occasionally. Anything we do to replace beef with tasty recipes featuring plant-based proteins helps. And let’s not forget that high rates of meat consumption are linked to cancer and heart disease.
Lots of things prevent us from switching to plant-forward diets, including lack of knowledge. According to a Yale study, about half of Americans would be willing to eat more plant-based foods if they had more information about the environmental impact of different foods. Unfortunately, 40% of Americans say they never or infrequently hear about the impact of food choices on global warming in the media. Research shows that media can influence social norms about food consumption, and thus help bring about a much needed transition in the American diet.
The majority of Americans say they would eat more plant-based foods if the cost were less than meat options (63%). In reality, plant-forward eating can be cheaper than meat-heavy diets, especially as the cost of beef is expected to rise significantly over the next several years. Two-thirds of Americans say they would eat more plant-based foods if the meals tasted better (67%).
Here is where newspaper food sections come in. A 2021 analysis of four popular U.S. newspaper recipe sections found an average of 54% of recipes included meat or fish, 26% were vegetarian, and 20% vegan. Figures for four U.K. newspapers were 61% meat/fish, 28% vegetarian, and 12% vegan. A spokesperson for the Washington Post, which scored relatively high with a quarter of its meals vegan and nearly a third vegetarian, told the researchers “[M]ore and more readers are looking for help making climate-friendly decisions about all aspects of their lives, food included, and we want to respond to that.”
Yet even the Washington Post may not be keeping up with the public’s openness to plant-based meals. According to a 2020 study on climate change and diet, 94% of Americans are willing to eat more fruit and vegetables, more than half are willing to eat less red meat (54%), and nearly half (46%) are willing to use dairy alternatives such as soy or almond milk.
As consumer attitudes favoring plant-forward eating become more widely known, and as more of us follow plant-forward recipes, we can envision newspaper food sections following suit to meet the needs and interests of their audiences. So here is what you can do to help the plant-forward transition.
- Try the growing number of tempting vegan and low-meat/cheese recipes, This will help you lower your carbon footprint and improve your health, while letting food writers know that these recipes are popular.
- Invite family and friends over for a delicious plant-forward meal. You can also share with them how food and agriculture contribute to climate emissions and how to reduce these emissions. Research shows that specific messages resonate more than abstract messages. So instead of referring to CO2-equivalents of greenhouse gasses avoided, use language such as “reducing your meat intake to three times per week is equivalent to avoiding six short-haul return flights each year.”
- Write to your newspaper asking them to support the transition to plant-forward diets. Many newspapers already have committed to sound reporting about climate change. Including a carbon label next to each recipe, similar to how some outlets post nutrition labels, is one way to further this commitment. Newspapers could also eliminate recipes that include beef. Epicurious left beef behind in 2021–beef no longer appears in its new recipes, articles, newsletters, or Instagram feed. Thank newspapers for including more and more plant-forward recipes.
In short, consider the maxim “Meat is a Treat” —something we eat occasionally rather than every day. And share this maxim with family, friends, and those who influence what we eat.
