Plant-Based Diet May Heal the World, New Research Shows
New data shows that a plant-based diet could help meet global climate targets, and what's more, consumers are making the switch in droves.

A new study recently published in Climate Policy adds to ever-increasing evidence that transitioning to a plant-based diet could help the world meet climate targets by 2030. Additional data from research firm DuPont Nutrition and Health indicates that consumers are indeed experimenting more and more with plant-based alternatives, with 65 percent of global consumers making a “seismic shift” to a plant-based way of life.
The Climate Policy study suggests that transitioning to alternative sources of protein would “drastically help” in meeting climate targets, reports NDTV. The researchers suggest focusing the transition on foods linked to higher greenhouse gas emissions, including beef, cow’s milk, and pork.
The study suggests that a transition away from animal protein has the potential to feed an additional 350 million people in the U.S. alone.
Promising data shows that not only have nearly two-thirds of global consumers begun such a transition, but 52 percent of U.S. consumers are moving towards a more plant-based diet. According to research conducted by DuPont Nutrition and Health, close to 60 percent of the 1,000 U.S. consumers surveyed indicated their dietary change was permanent.
“Our research reveals that for most consumers, this has moved beyond experimentation into a permanent change brought on by health, lifestyle, and social factors,” DuPont marketing leader Greg Paul tells VegNews.
But not all those who purchase plant-based products have made such a drastic transition. While a research review published this summer by EPIC-Oxford dubbed plant-based meat alternatives “useful transition foods” in the adoption of a vegan diet, further data from Nielsen shows that interest in plant-based products has expanded past strictly vegan eaters. Despite ever-growing plant-based food sales, which increased 20 percent over the past year, only six percent of Americans identify as vegan, according to a 2017 Top Trends in Prepared Foods report.
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