Why we shouldn’t all be vegan
A one-size-fits-all approach is likely to overlook the complexities of nutritional and environmental factors
After decades in which the number of people choosing to cut out meat from their diet has steadily increased, 2019 is set to be the year the world changes the way it eats. Or at least, that’s the ambitious aim of a major campaign under the umbrella of an organisation simply called EAT. The core message is to discourage meat and dairy, seen as part of an “overconsumption of protein”, and specifically to target consumption of beef. The push comes at a time when consumer behaviour already seems to be shifting. In the three years following 2014, according to research firm GlobalData, there was a six-fold increase in people identifying as vegans in the US, a huge rise, albeit from a very low base. It’s a similar story in the UK, where the number of vegans has increased by 350%, compared to a decade ago, at least according to research commissioned by the Vegan Society. And across Asia, many governments are promoting plant-based diets. New government dietary guidelines in China, for example...
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