This Christmas, we can all make a few tweaks to our festive food choices to make them more animal and climate friendly.

With the impacts of climate change already felt in our food system, these simple, science-backed swaps can help ensure we can continue to enjoy traditional feasts in Christmases to come.

The worst culprits

Studies show that some of the season’s most popular foods are amongst the worst culprits for driving climate change. But eating less, higher-welfare animal sourced foods, or swapping them entirely for plant-based alternatives, is a better gift for animals and the planet.

Globally, the livestock sector emits more greenhouse gases (GHGs) than the direct emissions of all the world’s planes, trains and cars, combined. Billions of animals suffer cruelty every year in cramped and barren indoor conditions, rarely or never going outside. And factory farms – where most meat is produced – are also a significant source of air, soil and water pollution.

The billions of farmed fish in our food system can emit more than double the GHGs (per 100g protein) of plant-based alternatives, and it can take 350 wild-caught fish to raise just one salmon, making it inefficient and wasteful. Whether your festive fish is farmed in cramped conditions, or taken directly from the river or sea, it’s likely to have suffered from a painful slaughter, as well as having contributed to ecosystem collapse.

For future food security and better animal, human and planetary health, our More Money, More Meat report urged people in the UK to reduce their consumption of meat by 71%, eggs by 57% and dairy by 56%, based on data from the EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet.

Simple swaps

For a kinder, more planet-friendly festive season, following our simple tips:

Eat less and better meat or try a plant-based alternative. When buying festive favourites such as pigs in blankets and turkey, choose a high-welfare option from a free-range or organic farm. Or instead, consider trying a meat substitute or plant-based option such as lentil loaf or nut roast, as these emit less than half the greenhouse gases of meat.
Choose higher welfare certified fish products or instead opt for plant-based alternatives, or pick a much smaller portion of wild-caught fish.
Choose higher welfare dairy options or consider swapping for plant-based creams, cheeses and butters, which can be just as indulgent. Cheese can emit around five times the greenhouse gases of tofu, while dairy milk can emit three times more than a soya alternative. Intensive dairy farms are also cruel, separating calves from their mothers within days, and while a dairy cow naturally lives to the age of 20, on intensive farms they are killed after around just 5 years.
Ensure eggs are from cage-free farms. Many seasonal classics such as Christmas cake contain eggs, so either make your own with free-range or organic eggs or opt for a plant-based alternative. Unless the ingredients label specifies that the eggs were from a cage-free system, it’s likely they come from hens reared in cruel cramped cages. Some retailers, such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose ensure that their own label products only contain cage-free eggs as ingredients.

Kinder food choices

Anthony Field, Head of our UK Office, said: “We are urging everyone to make kinder food choices for both animals and our planet this Christmas.

“Unfortunately, some of the most popular foods we eat at this time of the year are the worst for driving climate change, but with a few small tweaks, like eating less but higher-welfare meats, or choosing plant-based alternatives, we can all still enjoy delicious festive foods which are better for animals, people, and our planet.”

End.It

A switch away from factory farming to a fairer and kinder global food system visit is vital. Sign our End.It petition to help put an end to factory farming globally.

How to have a compassionate Christmas