Meat Restricted Diets in Switzerland
ISBN
978-3-906057-42-2
Type
book
Date Issued
2023
Author(s)
Abstract
Background: Shifting from diets high in animal-sourced foods towards more plant-based eating patterns can potentially improve the health of people and the environment. Reducing meat and meat-derived products, whilst not completely omitting consumption of animal-sourced foods, is also referred to as a flexitarian diet. Previous assessments of the prevalence of flexitarian diets have predominantly relied on self-reported measures without objective dietary intake analyses.
Aim: The aim of the study was to leverage food purchase patterns to map the share of Swiss households that meet the criteria of a flexitarian diet pattern according to a self-developed classification scheme.
Method: Analyses were performed using the data of the Swiss Nutrition Atlas (371 Swiss households with a representative proportion of all three language regions, food purchase receipt collection from grocery stores, restaurants, and any other source over two weeks). The flexitarian classification algorithm was developed using the Eat-Lancet planetary health diet targets with adaptions to align with the Swiss dietary recommendations. The criteria for a flexitarian diet (2500kcal/day) entailed restriction of meat consumption to a maximum of 300 grams per week (43g/day), while the maximum for fish and seafood intake was set at 200 grams per week (28.6g/day). Flexitarian households which demonstrated additional animal-sourced foods restrictions for eggs of 175 grams per week (25g/day), dairy (625 calcium equivalents/day for age ≥ 18 years), and butter/cream (10g/day) per day were considered “ultra-flexitarian”. Households with complete omissions of meat were classified vegan, ovolactovegetarian, or pescovegetarian. With the egg and dietary cutoffs we also classified “ultra-ovolactovegetarians” and “ultra-pescovegetarians”. Remaining households were declared omnivorous.
Results: The share of flexitarian households was 18.3%, of which only 25% were considered ultra-flexitarian. The share of ovolactovegetarian and pescovegetarian diets was 7.8 and 2.7% (50% of each group met the planetary health target for all animal-sourced food categories). 0.5% were classified vegan. Total fat consumption did not discriminate flexitarian from omnivorous households, but the former showed greater energy shares from protein at the expense of carbohydrates. Recommended dietary fibre target (14g/1000kcal) was not met by any diet group. Salt consumption was highest among omnivorous households, with no differences among other groups.
Conclusions: Less than 20% of Swiss households follow a flexitarian diet, and only 5.1% meet additional planetary health targets for all animal-sourced foods. Despite the meat-restricted diets, dietary fibre targets were not achieved, while health benefits were seen for salt intake. Apart from underscoring unmet nutritional and sustainability goals, we hereby present the potential of commercial data as novel approach for assessing dietary patterns with greater objectivity and compositional details.
Aim: The aim of the study was to leverage food purchase patterns to map the share of Swiss households that meet the criteria of a flexitarian diet pattern according to a self-developed classification scheme.
Method: Analyses were performed using the data of the Swiss Nutrition Atlas (371 Swiss households with a representative proportion of all three language regions, food purchase receipt collection from grocery stores, restaurants, and any other source over two weeks). The flexitarian classification algorithm was developed using the Eat-Lancet planetary health diet targets with adaptions to align with the Swiss dietary recommendations. The criteria for a flexitarian diet (2500kcal/day) entailed restriction of meat consumption to a maximum of 300 grams per week (43g/day), while the maximum for fish and seafood intake was set at 200 grams per week (28.6g/day). Flexitarian households which demonstrated additional animal-sourced foods restrictions for eggs of 175 grams per week (25g/day), dairy (625 calcium equivalents/day for age ≥ 18 years), and butter/cream (10g/day) per day were considered “ultra-flexitarian”. Households with complete omissions of meat were classified vegan, ovolactovegetarian, or pescovegetarian. With the egg and dietary cutoffs we also classified “ultra-ovolactovegetarians” and “ultra-pescovegetarians”. Remaining households were declared omnivorous.
Results: The share of flexitarian households was 18.3%, of which only 25% were considered ultra-flexitarian. The share of ovolactovegetarian and pescovegetarian diets was 7.8 and 2.7% (50% of each group met the planetary health target for all animal-sourced food categories). 0.5% were classified vegan. Total fat consumption did not discriminate flexitarian from omnivorous households, but the former showed greater energy shares from protein at the expense of carbohydrates. Recommended dietary fibre target (14g/1000kcal) was not met by any diet group. Salt consumption was highest among omnivorous households, with no differences among other groups.
Conclusions: Less than 20% of Swiss households follow a flexitarian diet, and only 5.1% meet additional planetary health targets for all animal-sourced foods. Despite the meat-restricted diets, dietary fibre targets were not achieved, while health benefits were seen for salt intake. Apart from underscoring unmet nutritional and sustainability goals, we hereby present the potential of commercial data as novel approach for assessing dietary patterns with greater objectivity and compositional details.
Language
English
Publisher
Forschungszentrum für Handelsmanagement
Publisher place
St.Gallen
Subject(s)
Division(s)
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Name
2023-09-25-Flexitarian Diets_White Paper_final.pdf
Size
724.8 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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