Less Meat, More Health?

Article adapted from http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_149261.html.

A letter by Edmund Lim Wee Kiat

Eating less meat brings benefits to our health and environment

AT A recent seminar organized by the Economic Development Board and The Straits Times, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew shared his concern about the 'enormous problem' of global warming and the associated problems of floods, droughts, typhoons and rising sea levels.

He raised the question: 'Will we have the wisdom and the ability to prevent this degradation of the environment?'

MM Lee then expressed his doubts. 'I have serious reservations, because I don't see any government telling its people to consume less... less travel, less food, eat more vegetables, don't eat more protein.'

What does eating more vegetables and less animal protein have to do with our environment?

Eating less meat and more vegetables is good for our health and our environment.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that the production of one calorie of animal protein for human consumption requires more than 10 times the fossil fuel input to produce one calorie of plant protein. This results in 10 times more carbon dioxide emission.

A 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report stated that the livestock sector produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the transportation systems.

In addition, the livestock sector produces manure which contributes to more than 60 per cent of human-related nitrous oxide. Nitric oxide worsens the global warming situation as it has 296 times the Global Warming Potential of carbon dioxide.

In the United States, more than 30 per cent of all fossil fuels produced in that country are used for animal production.

The animals that are bred for human consumption are fed with various vegetable crops. Energy is required to produce these crops. These crops are then harvested, processed and transported to the feedlots for the animals' consumption. After the animals are fed and bred, they are transported to the slaughterhouse to be killed. The carcasses are subsequently transported in refrigerated trucks to the processing plants. Eventually, the meat is delivered to a grocery store.
The production and transportation of animals take up a substantial amount of fuel. As a result, more carbon dioxide and toxins are emitted to the detriment of our environment.

The meat that we consume in Singapore requires additional fuel for refrigeration and transportation as these carcasses are imported via airplanes from countries such as the US and Australia.

Furthermore, as the consumption of meat increases, more land is required for animal grazing or production of crops for animals. Some of these extra lands come from Latin America where rainforests and forests are destroyed so as to meet the increasing demands for animal production.

According to a Smithsonian Institution research, the demand for grazing land results in the destruction of a land area the size of seven football fields in the Amazon basin, every minute of every day.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report pointed out that 70 per cent of former forests in the Amazon have been deforested and changed to grazing lands.

Our earth's green lungs are being devastated to feed mankind's appetite for flesh. If we consume less meat, there would be less deforestation, destruction, pollution and global warming.
The production of animal leads to pollution. The manure from the billions of animals that are bred and killed for food causes a tremendous amount of water pollution in rivers and damage to our environment. This serious pollution was one of the reasons that led to relocation and phasing out of pig farms in Singapore in the 1970s.

The UN researchers highlighted that the livestock industry badly damages our environment and scarce water resources. It is a leading cause of water pollution, degeneration of sea life and increased water consumption.

Senior UN Food and Agriculture Organisation official Henning Steinfeld reported that the meat industry is 'one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems'.

If we eat less animal protein, there will be less need for animal production and there will be less damage to our environment. This can also reduce the factors that accelerate global warming.

According to the Agri-Food and Veterinary (AVA) authority statistics, the import of meat increased significantly over the past 10 years. In 1997, 14,019 tonnes of beef were imported to Singapore. Last year, the import of beef increased by more than 10,000 tonnes to 24, 358 tonnes. In comparison to 1997, the import of chicken last year increased by 10,000 tonnes whereas the import of pork and mutton decreased by less than 1,000 tonnes each.

The per capita consumption of beef in Singapore increased from 3.5kg in 1997 to 3.7kg last year. On a positive note, the per capita consumption of meat decreased and the consumption of vegetables. Nonetheless, we can do better by importing and eating less meat while consuming more vegetables.

Meat is high in unhealthy saturated fat, cholesterol and calories. The consumption of animal products can contribute to obesity, heart disease, certain kinds of cancer and a range of other dreadful illnesses. This also leads to increases in rising medical expenses, especially for a graying society like Singapore.

Authorities and individuals can certainly do more to encourage people to eat less meat and more vegetables so as to promote healthier living and lower medical expenditure.

Oxford University researchers from the Department of Public Health stated that imposing a tax of 17.5 per cent on food products regarded as unhealthy could reduce consumer demand and lower the number of heart attacks and strokes.

According to this study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, such a policy decision and implementation could save more than 3,000 lives in Britain annually as a 'well designed and carefully-targeted fat tax could be a useful tool for reducing the burden of food-related disease'.

Such a tax on meat could reduce meat intake and eventually benefit our environment too. High taxes have been levied on detrimental tobacco and alcohol to discourage unhealthy living.

Likewise, a tax could be imposed on the consumption of meat, as well as high-fat and high-sugar products. The funds from such a tax could then be used to subsidise the cost of fresh vegetables and fruits so as to make them more affordable and attractive. Such a tax may not be a popular government policy initially but it can lead to long-term benefits for our society and families.

Together with education, such efforts will encourage healthier eating habits where people will eat less meat and more vegetables and fruits. There will then be a reduction in meat consumption and production. This will certainly be better for one's personal health, as well as for the well-being of our environment and future.

Nonetheless, we need not wait till such a tax is imposed. Today, we can start improving our health and reducing global warming by eating less meat.

My colleague bought a Toyota Prius hybrid car in her effort to emit less carbon dioxide and benefit the environment. According to a University of Chicago study, being a vegan benefits the environment more than driving a Prius because a vegan, compared to a meat-eater, prevents 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the environment, whereas a Prius emits one tonne less of carbon dioxide every year.

So, by eating less animal protein, we are helping to reduce global warming. As an individual, you and I can play our part to prevent the degradation of our environment. The future is not so bleak and there is still hope.