France urges people to eat less meat for health and climate

The French government has published a long-awaited strategy urging people to limit their meat consumption for the sake of both their health and the environment.

The National Strategy for Food, Nutrition and Climate, setting targets to 2030, promotes a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains, while calling for “limited” overall meat consumption, including processed meats, and a reduction in imported meat.

Food production accounts for a quarter of France’s carbon emissions, with meat responsible for around two-thirds of that figure.

However, the move is sensitive in a country famed for dishes such as steak-frites and beef bourguignon, and comes ahead of the annual Paris Agriculture Fair, where farmers often voice concerns over trade and environmental policies.

While health groups welcomed the publication of the plan, some said it lacked ambition.

Farmers’ unions have yet to respond.…Read more by Camille Bidard