Medical doctors’ teams have referred to as on the federal government to withdraw a “deceptive” marketing campaign encouraging individuals to eat meat and dairy, warning it comprises “a excessive degree of misinformation”.
The Let’s Eat Balanced drive is run by the Agriculture and Horticulture Improvement Board (AHDB), which is funded by farmers and different meals suppliers and comes underneath the wing of the Division for Setting, Meals and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The annual marketing campaign targets individuals attempting to chop down on their consumption of meat and animal merchandise, with adverts selling beef, lamb and dairy.
The marketing campaign web site claims that beef, pork, lamb and dairy are pure sources of protein and vitamin B12, and that British meat and dairy are “among the many most sustainable on the earth, and are produced to world-class meals and farming requirements”.
“In a world crammed with dietary developments and fads, our marketing campaign embraces an inclusive perspective on attaining a balanced food regimen,” it says.
However the Medical doctors Affiliation UK and the Plant-Based mostly Well being Professionals (PBHP) UK organisation have warned that the marketing campaign’s goals are “at odds with established scientific proof” on wholesome diets, and have referred to as for the federal government to retract it.
A letter from the 2 organisations highlights hyperlinks between crimson meat and most cancers and sort 2 diabetes, warning: “Your well being claims are disingenuous.”
The letter, from Dr Matt Lee, Medical doctors Affiliation’s sustainability lead, and Dr Shireen Kassam, director of PBHP, warns Defra and the board that the marketing campaign “flies within the face of the scientific proof and the federal government’s personal tips, which clearly reveal the necessity to shift away from animal farming and transition to a plant-based meals system”.
It factors to a modelling examine by the charity Workplace of Well being Economics that discovered a “plant-based by default” strategy might save the NHS £74m a yr, and highlights estimates that if England alone adopted a totally plant-based food regimen it could save the NHS £18.8 billion a yr.
The letter says: “No different intervention can ship such vital well being advantages alongside value financial savings and environmental advantages.”
The letter can be endorsed by the UK Well being Alliance on Local weather Change, and 9 different vitamin and well being consultants and medical doctors. Collectively, the organisations signify greater than 1,000,000 well being professionals.
The World Well being Organisation has labeled processed meats together with ham, bacon and salami as carcinogens – one thing identified to trigger most cancers. Consuming processed meat will increase the danger of bowel most cancers, it says, and even simply two rashers of bacon a day pushes up the danger.
Most cancers Analysis UK and the NHS agree that consuming plenty of it raises the danger, and advise individuals who eat greater than 90g of crimson and processed meat a day lower all the way down to 70g or much less.
US researchers additionally say consuming crimson meat 3 times per week will increase the danger of early loss of life by 10 per cent.
The authors write: “Changing animal protein with plant sources of protein is related to vital enchancment in well being outcomes, together with decreased danger of untimely loss of life. But the Let’s Eat Balanced marketing campaign has hyperlinks to suggestive ‘well being advantages’ while ignoring the steerage to restrict meat consumption, notably crimson and processed meat.”
The federal government marketing campaign says UK milk’s carbon footprint is almost a 3rd decrease than the worldwide common, and that of beef and lamb is sort of half.
However the letter says: “Your claims relating to sustainability are additionally deceptive.”
It cites the Intergovernmental Panel On Local weather Change (IPCC) as saying the typical UK food regimen shouldn’t be suitable with a sustainable international meals system.
“Actively selling meat to those that are decreasing meat consumption flies within the face of public well being and sustainability targets and motion,” the letter goes on.
“We name on the AHDB to wholeheartedly embrace this troublesome however obligatory step, by retracting the marketing campaign to advertise elevated consumption of meat and dairy utilizing deceptive and un-evidenced advertising.
The letter writers level out that limiting or avoiding animal-sourced meals cuts the danger of coronary heart illness, hypertension, sort 2 diabetes, weight problems and sure cancers.
“Though meat is a supply of protein, zinc, iron and vitamin B12, these vitamins are simply obtained from a well-planned plant-based food regimen, as recognised by the British Dietetic Affiliation amongst different dietetic and vitamin establishments,” they add.
An AHDB spokesperson stated: “Let’s Eat Balanced is a completely evidence-based marketing campaign speaking the dietary and sustainability advantages of British crimson meat and dairy in a fashion that aligns with the federal government’s dietary tips, as outlined within the Eat Effectively Information. We sincerely hope members of the Medical doctors Affiliation UK are conscious of the Eat Effectively Information and are utilizing these tips to assist their sufferers’ wants.
“Anybody advocating a completely international plant-based food regimen as a panacea to local weather change ignores the very fact the realities are much more complicated. Options lie in a steadiness of sustainable plant and sustainable meat and sustainable fish manufacturing together with a balanced plate strategy to diets and portion sizes.”
