The World Economic Forum (WEF) has finished its annual conference in Davos, Switzerland, with a grim warning about the future of the planet and the threats posed by a reliance on meat protein in everyday diets.
The answer? Consumers urgently need to turn away from the grill, change their eating habits and embrace vegan alternatives to meat.
These include grains and seaweed, algae, cacti, and even avocado seeds alongside a host of other “climate beneficial foods” and meat-free protein sources that will save the planet from destruction.
The WEF says the food system is responsible for a third of overall global CO2 emissions so there is no time like the present to change a personal diet.
Switching to a primarily plant-based diet could also prevent the loss of thousands of wildlife species, it counsels.
“This food crisis is real, and we must find solutions,” World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on a WEF trade panel last Wednesday.
The WEF has published a starter list to help consumers change their diet with “new and innovative options that have started making their way to the global market only recently.” These include:
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- Algae: combining their carbon-negative profile with sustainable sourcing, algae have the potential to change the food system for the better while being good for your health, thanks to their essential fatty acids and high vitamin and antioxidants content. Although may not appeal to the most squeamish consumers, algae actually possess a meat-like, umami flavour that makes them an ideal replacement for meat. They can also be dried and minced to obtain healthy salt-like condiments and dressings.
- Cacti: many varieties of cacti are edible and contain high amounts of vitamins C and E, carotenoids, fibre and amino acids. Cacti stems have long been part of the Mexican culinary tradition and are now starting to enter the international market through new, delicious concepts.
- Uncommon grains: if you don’t feel like revolutionizing your diet with unusual ingredients, you can opt for a more gradual change by diversifying your sources of carbohydrates. Despite the existence of 21 different families of grains, at the moment rice, wheat and maize make up more than 50 percent of global cereal consumption. Opting for diverse grain varieties (like amaranth, fonio or buckwheat) will not only provide you with more nutritional value, but also help improve soil health and preserve biodiversity.
The WEF has previously said switching en masse to a plant-based diet is essential to protect wildlife habitats and prevent the loss of numerous species currently facing extinction.
Hollywood has also been known to recommend the same message of changing eating habits to save the planet from “certain destruction.”
There is no record of exactly what was served to the 2,500 invited delegates dining at the elite gathering in Davos and whether or not the WEF’s own dietary instructions were followed by participants.