in the united states and on a global scale, more and more people are pursuing plant-based diets. in fact, the number of vegans in the us tripled between 2004 and 2019, with more people identifying as vegetarian or vegan. 

however, in recent years, the percentage of americans saying they are vegetarians or vegans has been relatively stagnant. in a 2018 poll, gallup reported that 5% of americans say they are vegetarian and 3% say they are vegan. according to a 2023 study, plant-based diets lead to up to 75% less climate-heating emissions, and can significantly reduce water pollution and land use compared to more meat-rich diets. this indicates that having a vegan or vegetarian diet dramatically reduces the environmental impact of food production.

peter scarborough, one of the authors of the study, is a professor of population health at oxford university. “basically my day job here is public health, so it’s about ‘how do we set up policies or interventions,’ how do we change the food environment to get people to be more likely to choose healthier choices and a healthier diet,” he said.  

scarborough has worked on multiple studies relating to sustainable food options. “in 2014, we published a paper in a smallish journal called climatic change, where we were interested in ‘what is the greenhouse gas emissions that’s related to vegan diets, vegetarian diets, and meat eating diets,” he said. scarborough argues that the findings of this study had a wide-reaching impact. “it did really well and it really kind of changed the debate around food systems,” said scarborough. “and clearly, the amount of meat that you were consuming was making a big difference in the greenhouse gas emissions.” 

a recent study in 2023 served as an “update” for this one. scarborough explained that there was more concrete data this time around and more information on the issue as a whole. “what we were able to do was not only estimate greenhouse gas emissions but also look at the impact of land use, water use, eutrophication potential [water composition change due to runoff], and biodiversity loss, but this was the really important thing, we were also able, at this point, to look at variability in environmental impact,” he said. 

the heavy environmental impact of meat and dairy production on the planet is well known by researchers. many experts have concluded that countries must significantly reduce their meat consumption in order to end the climate crisis. but previous studies have used model diets and average values for the impact of each food type.

in contrast, scarborough and his colleagues’ 2023 study analyzed the real diets of 55,000 people in the uk. it also used data from 38,000 farms in 119 countries to account for differences in the impact of particular foods that are produced in different ways and places. scarborough argues that this significantly strengthens confidence in the conclusions. 

many people may be unaware of the negative environmental impact that even two pounds of meat may have. for example, in one hamburger, a large amount of land, water, and resources are needed to raise cattle. in fact, producing one burger uses, on average, 2,400 liters of water. this includes the amount of water used to maintain feedlots for cows to live, irrigating crops for food, and drinking water. this use of resources leads to substantial greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution.

meat contains a great deal of protein, a crucial element in the human diet. diana stavaridis is the executive chef at beyond meat, a global vegan meat company. she believes that beyond meat can serve as an environmentally friendly alternative to beef-based burgers and other meat products while also being high in protein. “now [beyond burgers] can give you the equal amount of protein the body needs. you don’t have to get water for the cow, you don’t need land for the cow, you don’t have to wait for him to eat, you don’t need to kill him, fabricate it, cut it up, freeze it, ship it in plastic bags, drive it all over,” stavaridis said. “that’s the future.”

beyond meat is just one of the many meat alternatives on the market. in fact, according to the global food institute, in the united states, plant-based meat retail sales have tripled in the last decade, reaching $1.4 billion in 2022. the number of products available has also increased to nearly 1,000 items. however, in the last three years, plant-based meat sales have been in sharp decline. according to the global food institute, plant-based meat and seafood sales have dropped by 19% in 2023 alone. a factor behind this may be the often high costs of these meat substitutes and an increased number of competitors.

dr. noah praamsma is a physician working for the physicians committee for ethical science, a group which aims to advocate for ethical research, and promote plant-based nutrition. “when you actually get down to it, there is so much (information) out there of foods that you can eat that are completely plant-based,” said praamsma. “doctors, they do have a lot of knowledge and understanding of how the body works and so that’s why we try to come in and provide them with a little more of a practical understanding of the real health outcomes of a plant-based diet.” praamsma believes that patients’ lifestyles and health will benefit if they switch to a plant-based diet. 

scarborough believes this issue should be addressed at a policy level. “at the agricultural level we could do things to reduce supply, such as subsidizing farmers to reduce the amount of meat that’s being produced.”

over recent years international organizations and the scientific community have called for a drastic change in dietary habits to ensure public health and the planet’s sustainability. as a result plant-based diets have been promoted world-wide. considering that price is a major factor when purchasing food, studies arguing that it is vital that these diets are also affordable. in a 2022 study, researchers conducted research to determine if plant based consumers spend more on food. 

the study claimed this research is crucial saying that price is a major factor when purchasing food and argued that it is vital that these diets are also affordable. the results of their study suggested that plant-based consumers do not spend more but in fact less than any consumer assessed. this could help incentivize consumers to plant-based diets going forward, with particular interest for consumers with lower incomes by ensuring food security.

it’s important to consider demographic factors behind the increase in veganism. interestingly, many more women are vegan and vegetarian than men. in 2023, 8.7% of women and 2.7% of men in the united states identified as vegetarian. this is an increase from 2008, when 4.3% of women and 3.2% of men identified as vegetarian. in the united states, estimates of the percentage of the population that is vegan range from 1% to 5%.

on average, only about one-quarter of vegans in the u.s. identify as male according to gallup. scarborough has observed this discrepancy as well, “we live in a society where high meat diets are strongly advertised and strongly marketed as both the norm and good for us and somehow very macho, there’s a lot of gender labeling with all of this.”​

while scarborough argues for the environmental benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets, he recognizes that this transition is not always easy. “diet is an area where a lot of people feel they can exert some control. ‘i can actually reduce my environmental impact and it’s something that i have the power to do.’ now that’s not to say it’s easy, i don’t want to suggest that just because people can do this and it’s in their individual control that it’s easy, it’s not, diet is habitual,” said scarborough. “these are not easy choices to make.”