Offering vegetarian and/or vegan menus

Why offer vegetarian and/or vegan menus? It is important to offer a vegetarian or vegan menu for various reasons: • Intensive livestock farming emits a significant amount of CO₂: according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), livestock farming is said to be responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions (transport emits 14% of greenhouse gases). These gas emissions are due to the production and preparation of animal feed, the methane produced by animals, the storage and use of manure and slurry, and the transport and processing of animals into consumable products. • The areas used for raising animals are too large: 3% of the world’s land surface is devoted to crops or livestock farming (IPBES, 2019) • Protecting the Amazon rainforest: indeed, in livestock farms, animals are very often fed with cereals and soy derivatives. A significant part of the stock of this crop is grown in the Amazon, which is being deforested to turn it into arable land. 80% of deforestation is due to agriculture (FAO, 2015). Moreover, cereal monoculture is not beneficial for soil life, compared with polyculture that includes legumes. We have never produced or consumed so much meat. In France, even though the consumption of unprocessed meat is decreasing among households, meat products continue to play a central role in the composition of dishes, notably because they remain synonymous with protein richness and therefore “good health”. A French person thus consumes an average of 60 kg of meat per year. And the United Nations forecasts that in 2050, when the population is expected to reach almost 10 billion people, meat consumption is expected to increase by more than 75% worldwide. Already today, 65 billion animals are killed every year, almost 2,000 animals… per second, intended for human meals. Of course, this massive production is not without consequences for our environment. In France, between 25 and 30% of our carbon footprint is linked to our food, with a strong contribution from the livestock sector. Meat production is water-intensive, and land-intensive too. How to adopt this eco-friendly habit? It is perfectly possible to enjoy a meal without meat. Plant proteins are numerous and just as nutritious and balanced. In restaurants, it is important to offer at least one vegetarian and/or vegan menu (without meat or animal substitutes such as milk and egg).

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France