The potential for reducing environmental footprints by substituting meat for alternatives in the German diet: the German National Nutrition Survey II

This research evaluated the environmental impact of food consumption in Germany, using data
from the German National Nutrition Survey II (2005-2007). In this sample of 12,915 German
adults, the average meat consumption was 127.7 grams/day. On days when individuals
consumed meat, their diets had higher greenhouse gas emissions at 6.3 kg CO2-eq/day,
compared with 4.1 kg CO2-eq/day on days without meat. Similarly, land use was higher on days
with meat consumption, reaching 7.6 m2·year/day, compared to 4.2 m2·year/day on days without
meat.
If individuals replaced meat with alternatives such as legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meat
analogues in their daily diets, their dietary greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 1.6
kg CO2-eq/day (a 23.9% decrease), while land use could be reduced by 2.1 m2·year/day (a
23.4% decrease). Therefore, lowering meat consumption in Germany has the potential to
reduce the environmental impact of food consumption.