Are your lunch meals driving deforestation?

The global impact behind your lunch

A beef sandwich or chicken baguette might feel like an everyday choice – but simple meals like these are often linked to deforestation. Forests are vital for biodiversity and the stability of our climate, but they are under increasing pressure from agriculture. And, in terms of land use, most of that pressure comes from producing animal-based foods, which means that even the simplest lunch is likely linked to a much wider global narrative.

What’s feeding your sandwich filling? 

Think about the ham in a sandwich, the chicken in a salad, or even just a few slices of cheese. The animals these products come from – whether they’re pigs, poultry, or dairy cows – often rely on feed crops such as soy. While many people associate soy with plant-based alternatives such as tofu, the reality is that most of the soy produced around the world is used to feed farmed animals. This huge demand for animal feed puts significant pressure on natural habitats, especially in South America and other major feed-producing regions. 

The direct link between beef and deforestation 

If your sandwich, bagel, or baguette contains beef, steak, or pastrami – or any other product derived from cows – the connection to deforestation becomes even more direct. Nearly 70% of the deforested land in the Amazon has been converted into cattle pasture^{1 2}. Even if the beef in your lunch is organic or domestically sourced, the vast global trade in animal feed means that your meal could still be linked to deforestation on another continent.

Your choices make a difference 

This isn’t about blaming the consumer, but about recognizing how our food choices are connected to wider impacts around the world. Even the simple act of preparing and packing a lunch can support more sustainable food systems – or perpetuate unsustainable practices.

If you’d like to know more about the impact of the food we eat, ProVeg’s Food System Data platform traces the pathways from farm to fork, providing an indication of where the pressures on natural resources are the greatest. 

Ultimately, your lunchtime meal has more impact on the environment than you might think. By choosing ingredients carefully, checking labels, and favoring plant-based options, we can help to protect the world’s forests, meal by meal!

To learn more about the links between deforestation and the food we eat, check out this data sheet.

Simon Middleton

Senior Writer

1. FAO (2022): FRA 2020 Remote Sensing Survey. FAO Forestry Paper No. 186. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb9970en
2. Cerri, C.E.P., C.C. Cerri, S.M.F. Maia, M.R. Cherubin, B.J. Feigl & R. Lal (2018): Reducing Amazon Deforestation through Agricultural Intensification in the Cerrado for Advancing Food Security and Mitigating Climate Change. Sustainability. 10, p.989