Cost and environmental concerns motivate move from meat

Environmental and budgetary concerns are driving Australians to reduce the amount of meat in their diet according to a new report.

79 per cent of Australians are meat-free at least one day per week according to the report commissioned by the independent not-for-profit think tank Food Frontier, which is focused on alternative protein development.

While the figure is down slightly from 2021, it's the motivators behind the move away from meat that have changed, according to Food Frontier boss Simon Eassom.

"The main reason for meat reduction in 2021 were health reasons, and whilst that's still the predominant reason, budget concerns are a much bigger factor now, and also environmental concerns," he told AAP.

More than half of the respondents cited budgetary constraints around their decisions over their food purchases and their diet.

"Over the past four years, the importance of budget as a motivator for reduced meat consumption has increased significantly, rising from 40 per cent in 2021 to 54 per cent in 2024."

"The supermarkets have told us that people are cutting down from more expensive cuts of meat to cheaper cuts of meat," Dr Eassom said.

Sydney dietician Nicole Senior said she's observed people moving away from meat because of the rising cost of living.

"Within my community in Western Sydney, I'm hearing a lot, that people can't afford meat, and the meat that they're buying is more processed because it's cheaper," she told AAP.

The survey also found that a further one in ten people are planning to reduce their meat consumption in the future, although there was no indication as to when that might be.

"It doesn't mean to say that people are looking to replace meat in every meal, they might still consume meat in every meal but they're reducing the volume of meat," Dr Eassom said.

Flexitarian, meat reducing, vegan, and vegetarian diets were popular, with 43 per cent of the Australians interviewed eating less meat or none.

Emily DÁprano moved to a vegan diet five years ago after advice from her doctor that she needed to reduce her cholesterol.

The 30 year old marathon runner who works in the food relief sector said she was also motivated by concerns for the environment.

"We just started educating ourselves about the wider benefits of veganism, the health benefits, and also the impact animal agriculture has on the environment," she said.

According to the latest government data estimates, agriculture contributed 19.3 per cent of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions in the year to March 2024.

For the first time the Food Frontier survey also explored the meat intake and dietary changes for pets as well.

Almost half of the cat or dog owners interviewed said they would consider changing their pet's diet for health, ethical and environmental reasons.