Ministry of Health Promotes Vegan Path to Sustainable Future

A report just released by the Ministry of Health encourages plant-based eating as a key strategy for reducing our national health sector’s carbon footprint.

Sustainability and the Health Sector is all about how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the health sector. The primary action recommended for food sustainability is to reduce meat and dairy intake. Not only is the production of red meat in particular very resource intensive, the over-consumption is detrimental to health, with processed meats being recognised as carcinogenic by the WHO. There are also reports coming out suggesting that cow's milk may also contain carcinogens. With these in mind, it is hard to continue to defend eating meat and dairy.

The report goes onto suggest that more hospital meals are to be prepared using more plant-based foods. The Vegan Society Aotearoa would like to congratulate the Ministry of Health on recognising the value of plant-based foods both in health and sustainability.

“We are delighted that this government agency is committed to addressing the issue of climate change and the population's health by asking patients, staff and the public to reduce their meat and dairy intake. We fully support this initiative and are keen to help in any way we can,” said Claire Insley, media spokesperson for the Society. “If hospitals can start growing their own fruits and vegetables within their grounds or on the roof of buildings, this would help immensely to curb resource wastage and combat climate change by providing more green spaces, especially within our cities”

Supporting organic and spray free produce will also support patient's health by reducing the amount of pesticides they eat. Locally grown produce is also favoured, as is reducing single use plastics. More in house catering will help hospitals become more sustainable as well as improve patient health by increasing the amount of fresh food eaten.

“It is really good to see these changes being adopted and we hope other public sectors will also follow suit” Insley continues. “We need strong leadership from all government agencies to ensure that New Zealand meets it's Paris Agreement targets. We applaud the Ministry of Health for this insightful initiative and look forward to seeing more sectors joining them”

The Vegan Society Aotearoa New Zealand is here to facilitate a vegan New Zealand and we offer support, advice and information to all those wishing to increase their plant-based options. You do not have to be ill to go vegan, prevention is better than cure and if you need some help, why not try our 21 day easy vegan challenge.

More information at www.tryvegan.org.nz Sign on and find out how you can improve your health, reduce your carbon footprint and help save the planet simply by choosing different things to eat.

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