Tofu hurts environment more than meat--study

The research conducted by Cranfield University, England, and funded by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has shown that a change from beef and lamb to veggie-substitutes like tofu affects the environment by adding to the requirement of agricultural land.

One of the study authors, Donal Murphy-Bokern, former farming and science coordinator, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said, “For some people, tofu and other meat substitutes symbolise environmental friendliness but they are not necessarily the badge of merit people claim.”

“Simply eating more bread, pasta and potatoes instead of meat is more environmentally friendly,” added Murphy-Bokern.

Details of the study
The research team found that meat substitutes like tofu, soy, chickpeas or lentils tend to be unsafe for the environment for many reasons, one of which is expenditure of more energy on the production of such processed foods.

Furthermore, the large size of cultivated land to accommodate the needs of vegetarians, adds to the harm. This may also lead to an enormous increase in deforestation, thus, impacting the overall climate of the planet.

Owing to the change from beef to livestock products like tofu, Briton researchers conceded that these vegetarian products are imported into the country to supply the needs of vegetarians in England, which in turn affects British farming.

“The protection of U.K. lands is far stricter (in laws and regulations) than in the foreign countries that produce these vegetarian products,” said the study authors.

“An increase in vegetarianism could result in the collapse of British farming,” they cautioned.

Food beneficial for the planet
Lord Stern, climate change economist, Bradford, said, “Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources.”

“A vegetarian diet is better,” Stern added.

The benefits of a vegetarian diet to the environment, rely mainly on the types of foods consumed as substitutes to meat, concluded the study.

Vegetarian Society spokeswoman, Liz O’Neill, said, “If you’re aiming to reduce your environmental impact by going vegetarian then it’s obviously not a good idea to rely on highly processed products, but that doesn’t undermine the fact that the livestock industry causes enormous damage.”

The details of the study appear in an article form in the online edition of The Telegraph.