National Vegetarian Week has returned, promoting the small changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint and help the planet.
The Vegetarian Society is one of the many charities encouraging businesses, schools, local authorities, supermarkets and individuals to take part in the week.
Richard McIlwain, chief executive of The Vegetarian Society, said: “In 2022’s campaign, we inspired people to switch over 70,000 meat-based meals for veggie and plant-based dishes, saving over 100 tons of carbon.
“That’s equivalent to the emissions released by driving a car around the earth’s equator over 16 times!”
National Vegetarian Week 2022 saw record-breaking attempts, celebrity supporters and fantastic planet-friendly recipes for people to try.
A range of businesses across the UK are getting involved with the support of local authorities, in which many have declared a climate emergency.
The National Food Strategy says the UK should eat 30% less meat by 2030 and, for people who eat meat every day, this can be achieved by going meat-free for two days a week.
Jess Whiteside, the incoming president of University of Sheffield Veg Soc said: “National Vegetarian Week can raise a lot of awareness about how amazing eating more plant based food can be.
“I’ve found first hand that people who see me eating a vegetarian and vegan diet can see how much I love cooking and enjoying delicious food. They’ve slowly started implementing more and more vegetarian options into their cooking and their food choices, only to find that they don’t even want to eat meat anymore.”
Sheffield has a range of vegetarian and vegan food on offer. Popular places include Church: Temple of Fun in Kelham Island, South Street Kitchen, Humpit, Pom Kitchen, Street Food Chef, Tis Bagels, The View Deli, Falafel King and Garden Kitchen.
Miss Whiteside said: “No matter where I go though, or wherever I am when I need a bite to eat, I’m never short of options and I’m rarely disappointed.
“Some of the best vegetarian and vegan food I’ve eaten has been in this city.”
A new UK wide survey commissioned from YouGov by The Vegetarian Society has found that over half of all young adults agreed they would choose to eat more sustainably if carbon footprint labelling was included on food packaging.
With the government committed to reducing UK greenhouse gas emissions by almost 80% by 2035, these findings suggest that carbon footprint labelling could play a key role in reducing consumption of high carbon foods.