The number of people in the UK who follow a meat free diet has increased by 12% in under ten years.
A recent survey by the independent comparison platform Finder.com shows that 7.2 million Britons, 14% of us, are now following a meat free diet.
The figures show a sharp increase in just under a decade, as the same survey found that just 2% of British adults were meat-free in 2012.
For many young people, concerns about the environmental impact of the meat industry are driving them to make the switch to vegetarianism. Hollie Clarke, who recently went veggie, said:
“I’d been considering turning veggie for quite some time but it was only over the last couple of months, when I started looking at the environmental impact of the meat industry, that really pushed me to make that decision and cut meat out entirely.”
The meat industry affects the environment in several ways, but concerns predominantly focus on the release of methane, CO2, and nitrous oxide, better known as ‘greenhouse gases’.
Chiara Tomasoni, a vegan chef, agrees that environmental concerns are significant to those deciding to ditch meat: “I think younger generations are increasingly aware of the impact that the food we have has on the environment.”
