Scotland could cut food emissions and improve public health with modest changes to meat and dairy consumption, according to new research.
A modelling study led by the University of Edinburgh found that replacing some processed meat, unprocessed meat and dairy, with vegetables, beans and eggs, could deliver climate and health benefits without increasing the overall cost of diets.
The research assessed 33 different ways of meeting the UK Climate Change Committee’s recommendations for more sustainable diets.
Scientists examined the impact of dietary changes on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, nutrient intake, food costs and health conditions including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Across all scenarios, lower meat and dairy consumption was linked to better health outcomes and reduced environmental impact.
The researchers said the changes did not need to be extreme.
Even small gram-for-gram swaps in everyday meals, such as sandwiches and pasta dishes, could create meaningful long-term benefits when scaled across the population.
The study found that replacing some meat with a range of alternative foods did not damage nutrient intake.
However, it warned that lower dairy consumption could reduce iodine intake among some groups, which researchers said could be addressed through iodine fortification of plant-based dairy alternatives.
The findings challenge the idea that sustainable diets must cost more. Most of the dietary changes modelled had little impact on overall food costs, suggesting healthier and lower-carbon food choices could be made without placing extra pressure on household budgets.
The study also found that focusing on people who eat the most processed and unprocessed red meat could deliver the biggest benefits.
Rather than asking everyone to cut consumption by the same amount, helping the highest consumers reduce intake was predicted to prevent almost 60,000 cases of type 2 diabetes over 10 years.
That approach also delivered stronger environmental gains. All of the dietary pathways modelled reduced greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use.
The researchers also found that emissions linked to adult food consumption in Scotland, including imported food, are higher than emissions from agricultural production within Scotland.
They said that shows dietary change must sit alongside efforts to cut emissions from farming.
Dr Joe Kennedy, from the University of Edinburgh’s Division of Global Agriculture and Food Systems, said: “The findings show that modest, realistic dietary changes, when scaled across a population, can deliver substantial benefits to people and the planet.
“Making healthier, sustainable options more available and convenient will be key to enabling such change.”
The study was carried out with the University of Oxford and Food Standards Scotland and published in Nature Food.
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