“Disturbing news”: Meat consumption up in the Netherlands, despite buoyant plant-based trend

30 Sep 2019 --- Amid globally trending plant-based protein consumption, new statistics reveal that meat consumption in the Netherlands increased in 2018 for the first time in nine years. This is the conclusion of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) research, commissioned by Dutch animal welfare organization Wakker Dier. The findings are “disturbing,” in the words of Anne Hilhorst, Vice Chairman of the Board at Wakker Dier. The statistic for daily meat consumption in the Netherlands is 50 percent higher than recommendations by national nutritional guidance.

“This is very disturbing news,” stresses Hilhorst. “Eating less meat seems popular, but the reality is apparently more difficult. The increase is at odds with the food trends of recent years. [As made apparent through] vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian [trends]: vegetable food gained ground. Where, in the past, barely one vegetarian option was on the menu, today we see many [translated from Dutch].”

On average, the Dutch consumed 77.2 kilos of meat per person in 2018“Our research is based on a statistical approach based in the Netherlands. This is according to the total production of meat, including import and export data, which is used to calculate the apparent consumption of meat on a national level,” Robert Hoste, Senior Pig Production Economist at WUR, a researcher of the study, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

On average, the Dutch consumed 77.2 kilos of meat per person in 2018, compared to 76.6 kilos in 2017, according to the study. Average daily meat consumption in the Netherlands is 106 grams of meat per day; 35 grams more than the Nutrition Center recommends. The statistic is 50 percent higher than recommendations set by The Netherlands Nutrition Center (NARCIS).

The Dutch consume 29 percent of their daily meat intake at breakfast, lunch and as snacks, according to statistics from the The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Based on these figures, Wakker Dier calculated that the Dutch consume an estimate of 55 million animals as a “snack” outside of traditional mealtimes.

When asked about existing data gaps in the study, Hoste explains: “In our study of meat consumption, ‘pizza with meat,’ for example, is not factored in as a meat product and therefore is not calculated. We cannot account for ‘meat’ that is sold as an ingredient in other products. Another consideration is that meat can also be sold as pet food or for industrial purposes.”

Meat consumption in this study is measured in carcass weight (meat including bones), meaning that not all kilos of meat measured in the study end up in the stomach. Roughly half of the 77.2 kilos is actually meat that is consumed, states Wakker Dier.

As part of its initiative to reduce national meat consumption, Wakker Dier organizes Eat No Animal Day (“Dierendag”) every year on October 4. On this day, the organization works together with company caterers, to encourage meat reduction in meals at local companies. This year, IKEA Netherlands has pledged its participation with all its 13 Dutch branches serving plant-based meat alternatives throughout the day.

European meat sector hits back Ruminant meat (beef and lamb) is identified by the UN as the single food with the greatest environmental impact.
At a time when alternative proteins are enjoying buoyancy on the market, farm-raised meat has come under scrutiny from proponents of emergent plant-based and lab-grown agritech. This year has seen accelerated global investment in meat alternatives, fueled by the rising demand for plant-based proteins.

Innova Market Insights data shows that meat substitutes accounted for 11 percent of new meat product launches (meat, poultry and meat substitutes) reported in Europe in 2018, up from 9 percent in 2013. The global picture shows stronger growth, with 14 percent of meat launches in 2018 being meat alternatives, compared to 6 percent in 2013.

Last month, a UN report warned that food systems must undergo significant change, while pegging plant-based foods as key to fighting climate change. Ruminant meat (beef and lamb), in particular, has been consistently identified as the single food with the greatest impact on the environment, on a global basis, most often in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or land use.

In lieu of a rising tide against meat production, European livestock organizations have banded together under the European Livestock Voice this month in a bid to “restore balance and factual information” about the meat sector’s impact on health, environment and economy. Last week, the cohort asserted that removing livestock farming from Europe, in a “Livestock Exit,” would have severe consequences.

Meat The Facts, an online portal launched by the European Livestock Voice, further argues that from a climate change perspective, the carbon footprint of our meals would not see a substantial difference with the removal of livestock. Responding to the insurgence of lab-grown meat, the initiative argues: “In terms of environmental impact, based on currently available data, in vitro production offers no environmental advantage compared to real meat.”

Discrepancies across research findings are apparent, however. This month, the University Catering Service (USC) of the University of Cambridge, UK, experimented replaced its beef and lamb menu offerings with plant-based meal options, in a bid to reduce food-related carbon emissions. Findings from this nutritional switch-out reveal that not only was there a 33 percent reduction in carbon emissions, but also a 28 percent reduction in land use per kilogram of food purchased.

By Benjamin Ferrer