In collaboration with 40 other organisations, we have sent an open letter to the government and media calling for an end to a government-sponsored meat and dairy promotional campaign
The Vegan Society has joined a group of more than 40 organisations calling on the government to put a stop to a meat marketing campaign being run this January, and promote healthy plant-based food instead. This action has the backing of Chris Packham and Dale Vince among many others.
Calling out the meat propaganda
Back in August, we issued a statement condemning the “Let’s Eat Balanced” campaign run by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development board, an “arm’s length” body of government. The longstanding campaign has attracted criticism from health, environmental, dietary and animal organisations over a number of years, but is running yet again this Veganuary.
Behind the scenes over the summer, we were also working with a group of other campaigning groups to contact the government, calling on them to put a stop to the campaign. In a private letter endorsed by, among others, Friends of the Earth, Plant-Based Health Professionals and Feedback we noted that expert opinion on diet and health is that people should be eating less meat, not more. Indeed, the government’s own advisory body on meeting Net Zero, the Climate Change Committee, calls for significantly reduced consumption of meat and dairy and identified the AHDB campaign as inconsistent with climate goals in a report earlier this year.
Sadly, the government’s reply, received in November, did not engage with our arguments, and food and farming minister Daniel Zeichner declined to take any action about the campaign. Since then, we’ve worked with Plant-Based Health Professionals and Feedback again – both of whom have previously campaigned against Let’s Eat Balanced - to produce a second open letter supported by even more groups. With our partners, that letter has been sent to the government and released to the press today.
Voices in support
We’ve been delighted that so many organisations and campaigners have joined the call for the government to promote healthy plant-based food, instead of standing by while the AHDB promotes food we know to be bad for our health and the environment. Letter signatories include the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, the Food Foundation, Compassion in World Farming, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Caroline Lucas and Dr Amir Khan.
We’re also delighted that the campaign has received the vocal support of naturalist Chris Packham and Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince, who have both signed the letter. Chris said:
“The AHDB has become little more than an advertising company for the meat and dairy industry. The government should be supporting the farmers who are growing the nutritious pulses, fruits and veg that we should all be eating more of, instead of ignoring the expert scientific advice that says if we want to cut emissions, we need less meat on our plates.”
Chris Packham, credit: Jo Charlesworth
Dale added:
“It seems pretty crazy for a government-sponsored body to be promoting meat and dairy when actually the country needs to be informed of the risks and encouraged to eat plant- based foods instead. This is a serious breach of the government responsibility to give proper health advice when it comes to food.”
The information gap
Alarmingly, new research conducted by The Vegan Society has found that less than one-in-three people can correctly identify the officially recommended limits on red and processed meat consumption. While veganism seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practicable— all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose, this finding lends weight to the argument that a government-backed body should not be encouraging more meat consumption. Find out more about the full definition of veganism.
Evidence is abundant that high quantities of red and processed meat increase the risk of coronary heart disease, some forms of cancer and type 2 diabetes1, and the Lancet Countdown has calculated that 38,500 deaths were associated with high consumption of red and processed meat and dairy products in 20212. Unsurprisingly the advertising for the “Let’s Eat Balanced” campaign makes no mention of the recommended limits.
A critical opportunity
In December, the government announced it would be developing a new food strategy during 2025. This year is therefore a critical one for the promotion of plant-based food and diets. With so many organisations with such diverse interests supporting this campaign, we feel it could hardly have got off to a better start. We look forward to working with our friends and partners over the course of the year to build support, push home the evidence and persuade the government that the future is plant-based.
How can you help?
Please write to your MP and encourage them to contact the government and ask for action to promote healthy plant-based foods. You might find the information in our letter helpful.
References
- Kennedy et al, 2024. Estimated effects of reductions in processed meat consumption and unprocessed red meat consumption on occurrences of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, and mortality in the USA: a microsimulation study. Lancet Planet Health. 2024 Jul;8(7):e441-e451. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00118-9. PMID: 38969472. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38969472/ ; World Health Organisation, 2015. Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat
- Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, 2024. https://s41874.pcdn.co/wpcontent/uploads/Lancet-Countdown-2024_United-Kingdom.pd
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