Poll: French happy to cut meat intake but not dairy
The majority of the French public would like to reduce the environmental impact of their food, but would be more likely to cut their meat consumption than dairy to do so, a new survey has found.
The poll was timed to coincide with the start of the Salon de l鈥橝griculture, taking place from February 22 to March 1 at Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris.
More than four fifths (83%) of 麻豆传媒映画 said they were 鈥減repared to make an effort鈥� to reduce the environmental impact of their food. An additional one third said they were 鈥渜uite prepared鈥� to do so.
Just 12% said they were 鈥渘ot really prepared to鈥�, and just 2% said they 鈥渨ere not at all prepared鈥� to do so.
Less meat and dairy?
While just 4% of respondents said they were totally vegetarian, a significant 68% said that they do not eat meat everyday, and 37% said they do not eat dairy products everyday.
Choosing to reduce your consumption of meat and dairy products without becoming a total vegetarian or vegan is often called 鈥渇lexitarianism鈥�.
Almost two thirds (60%) said they would be prepared to reduce their meat consumption. A similar number (57%) said that they would be prepared to eat less meat, to allow them to eat more organic produce.
Women were more likely than men to be prepared to eat less meat; 52% of men said they would be, compared to 67% of women.
Nicole Darmon, specialist researcher at agricultural research centre (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) Inra, this was to be expected, as 鈥渕en eat, on average, more meat than women [anyway]鈥�.
But 麻豆传媒映画 appeared less amenable to cutting down on dairy, with just two in five (40%) saying they would be prepared to cut down their consumption of dairy products.
Other food options?
Just 19% said they would be prepared to eat insects if it was healthier for the planet, and only one in 10 people said they would be ready to eat 鈥渓ab grown鈥� meat.
Both have been touted as more eco-friendly sources of protein in recent years.
Commenting on the results, Ms Darmon : 鈥淲hen you think of a sustainable plate of food, with a nutritionally-adequate diet, while also reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, we have to be aware of cultural acceptance.
鈥淲e must reduce our environmental impact, all the while diverting as little as possible from what is currently most socially acceptable to the French public.鈥�
According to Le HuffPost, which has commissioned a special report on the impact our food has on agriculture and the environment, our food represents 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Agricultural use of land is one of the 鈥渕ajor factors in the loss of biodiversity鈥�, it said.
The from February 19-20, by agency YouGov France for Le HuffPost, across 1,003 people representative of the French public, aged 18+.
