Fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses perfectly complemented nutrient-rich animal foods such as meat, dairy and fish.
“As sexy as it is not, that word (moderation) should be the mantra of all dietary patterns regardless of whether you eat animal products or not.”
Greig was commenting on a several challenges to red meat in recent weeks from Air NZ offering the plant-protein Impossible Burger on flights to two academic papers urging greater Government controls including taxes and warning labels to address environmental and health concerns.
Greig said NZ’s pasture-based sheep and beef farms have reduced carbon emissions 30% below 1990 levels through productivity and efficiency gains.
That exceeds the 11% reduction below 1990 levels that NZ agreed to as part of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
A recent B+LNZ survey also largely dispelled the deforestation claim the academic papers linked to red meat production, calculating 24% of the country’s total native vegetation is on sheep and beef farms.
“It’s a beautiful thing when you can say the NZ sheep and beef sector is focused on farming within the natural limits of the environment, relying on rainfall, sunshine and providing a habitat for native fauna.”
Greig said as the world population grows there is room for alternative proteins as people seek more food options but some alternatives might not be as nutritionally rich as red meat.
The Impossible Burger consisted of 20 ingredients and compared to NZ beef it is higher in saturated fat because of its added coconut oil and higher in sodium.
“Without the intrinsic meat factor your body would have to work harder to absorb the nutrients it contains but if it’s saving the planet would you be cool with that?”
Greig said scientists at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have been looking at whether changing diets will reduce the environmental impact of food production and found no simple answer.
“In a nutshell, they highlight that the food system is a major source of environmental impact but assessing the environmental impact is complex due to the diversity of agricultural systems, the huge variances within production systems and range of foods eaten around the world.
“Of the limited evidence available, it says that in some cases recommended diets that governments endorse have a lower environmental impact.
“This means our over consumption of food energy associated with average diets including treat foods, eating more food than our bodies actually need, is likely to be the issue, not a single food.”
The solution is to determine a sustainable diet through a holistic approach rather than simply looking at meat in isolation.
