A total of 74% of Brazilians would consider cutting back or giving up eating meat for health reasons alone
The vast majority of Brazilians would consider reducing or giving up meat for the sake of their health, whilst nearly half of them would also reduce or give up meat for environmental reasons, a new survey carried out by the Datafolha Institute finds.
The survey, commissioned by the Brazilian Vegetarian Society, asked a total of 2,006 people aged 16 and above whether they would consider giving up eating meat. The results were surprising:
- 74% of respondents said they would stop eating meat to some degree for the sake of their health;
- 43% of those interviewed said the environment would be a determining factor in reducing or giving up meat;
- 42% said they would consider reducing or giving up meat for animal welfare reasons.
“These are incredible statistics coming out of Brazil which illustrate the heightened awareness that the population has of the impact of meat consumption on human health, the environment and animals,” Aline Baroni, Director of ProVeg Brazil, said.
“Most Brazilians are already eating more meat than officially recommended. So rising awareness of the impact of meat consumption needs to translate into policies that actively promote accessibility and affordability of plant-based foods, aligned with our dietary guidelines, to allow people to more easily transition to more healthy sustainable diets,” Baroni added.
“The fact that 74% of Brazilians are open to reducing or eliminating meat consumption shows us that change is happening and that our society is moving towards a more ethical, sustainable and healthy future,” Monica Buava, President of the Brazilian Vegetarian Society, said.
Brazil is already working to promote healthy, sustainable diets at this year’s UN climate summit, COP30, which takes place in November in the Brazilian city of Belém.
The Brazilian Government’s commitment to prioritize the provision of sustainable, healthy food – including plant-based options – at COP30, was announced by Nilza de Oliveira, Brazil’s Director of Operations in the Extraordinary Secretariat for COP30, during the COP29 climate summit, in Azerbaijan last year.
The location of the COP30 summit is particularly poignant as Belém sits within the Amazon rainforest which has been the subject of destruction for decades as cattle farming operations have expanded.
Nearly 70% of deforested lands in South America, including regions such as the Amazon, the largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world, along with the Cerrado savanna in Brazil and Gran Chaco, is used as cattle pasture1.
Globally, 41% of tropical deforestation is driven by beef production2 and 50% can be attributed to the expansion of cropland, large parts of which are used for the production of feed crops for animal products from chickens and pigs.
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Footnotes
- FAO (2022): FRA 2020 Remote Sensing Survey. FAO Forestry Paper No. 186. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb9970en
- Pendrill, F., U. M. Persson, J. Godar, et al. (2019): Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. Global Environmental Change 56 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.03.002
Notes to Editors
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For scientific data about the benefits of plant-based eating, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organization with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
