A new leaf

Food is among humanity’s greatest joys. From savouring special delights to sharing food, how we eat symbolises our deepest bonds. However, worryingly, the way we now consume food could soon consume us — the world’s food, once richly biodiverse, is now heavily composed of processed animal products.

Global meat production

has quadrupled since 1961, with over 340 million tonnes produced annually. Demand and supply

feed

each other.


Over half the world’s land is used for agriculture, of which 77% is used to rear animals — one-third of Earth’s arable land is used only to grow feed to feed livestock. Such industrially-produced food is damaging us, causing heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancers worldwide. Alongside, it is wrecking the

Earth

— livestock-based agriculture causes 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, driving climate change. Animal-based food production demands deforestation — 70% of the amazingly biodiverse Amazon rainforest has been destroyed to house animal ranches and grow livestock feed — while chemical fertilisers are damaging water and soil. As the Earth is degraded, it will lose its ability to produce the crops needed to feed us. Our unthinking

consumption

is over-sating us now — and leading to a future of deprivation.



Clearly, what harms nature harms us, and scientists have thus formulated the planetary health diet — an endeavour which unites the well-being of the world and an individual’s health in something as simple as our daily bread. The diet only requires lowering animal-based consumption and increasing plant-based dietary options. A large-scale shift to this would mean vast tracts worldwide reducing emissions and toxins. Importantly, such a diet could lead to twelve million premature losses of life averted annually — the difference that would make to us and our families is immeasurable.



The planetary health diet is a compelling idea, and as two-thirds of Americans reduce their meat consumption now, one whose time has come. As Times Evoke’s global experts emphasise, multiple partners, from the media to educationists, governments to food industries, can help this transition — but the change starts with you. Join Times Evoke on a fascinating journey of food, whereby we can all turn over a vibrant new leaf.