Ever since red and processed meat was linked to an increased risk of cancer a decade ago, people have been advised to limit their daily consumption of these to a maximum of 70g. But while the “five a day” fruit and vegetables campaign turns 21 this year, and warnings about excess sugar abound, other government guidelines on food remain vague. While they specify two weekly portions of fish, one of which should be oily, about meat they say only “eat some”. There are no recommendations as to how much white meat should be consumed.
This is unhelpful, but also revealing. The national food strategy, commissioned by ministers in 2021, warned that a significant section of the public feel strongly about meat-based meals. Drawing on research with a focus group, its authors observed that there is “something culturally sacred” about staples such as a plate of bangers and the Sunday roast. For this reason, the strategy rejected the idea of a meat tax as a means of incentivising lower-carbon diets, on the grounds of its likely unpopularity. But meat-eating has gone down all the same. In 2022, people in the UK ate less meat at home than at any time since records began in the 1970s – and 14% less than in 2012. Part of this decline is due to cost of living pressures, and proof of the difficulties that households face in affording food bills. But this is not the whole story, since richer households have cut back as well as poorer ones, and veganism has gained in popularity.