Those who care about the provenance of their food and climate change should put buying local ahead of focusing solely on plant-based alternatives, the founder of an online meat retailer has said.
John Pallagi, CEO and founder of Farmison & Co, said buying local and seasonal should be the focus rather than the "usual new-year marketing hype" of Veganuary.
He warned that the annual month-long initiative could have the opposite effect to the one intended by its proponents - pushing out more sustainable ways of eating in the pursuit of "black and white thinking" and "simplistic narratives" on diet.
“The perseverance of the narrative that a plant-based diet is a magic bullet for the climate crisis is worrying," Mr Pallagi said in his January blog.
"Vegan cookbooks full of almond and avocado recipes are a case in point and to me are far removed from the chilly landscape of Yorkshire.
“The idea of consuming foods grown thousands of miles away, often in a chemically intensive and water intensive manner, in the name of sustainability is beyond satire and undermines the very concept of our seasons.”
According to Mr Pallagi, there should be a UFL – an Unseasonal Food Levy – to help change the ‘everything all-the-time’ mindset and guide customers into lower-cost, lower-impact eating.
He also called out the avocado as part of the problem, flown thousands of miles to the UK from countries where the water table is under severe pressure.
“Eating out of season should come at a cost. I'm calling for a UFL to be an effective and alternative way to reduce imports of this produce - and the export of environmental damage for a fuller fruit and vegetable aisle.
In his new year message, Mr Pallagi invited the public to join him in eating better – putting seasonality first and preferably British produce with minimal food miles.
“Not only does eating seasonally mean produce tastes better, but it’s also far more sustainable - keeping food miles low, reducing waste and supporting local farmers,” he said.
“As the British climate warms, we risk losing the seasons that make our food culture so vibrant. Plant-based diets that rely on tropical imports threaten our seasons with their contribution to carbon emissions.”
