- Table 1 Most commonly reported meat-containing food items within the top five contributing sub food groups to meat consumption among children and young people aged 2 to 15 years living in Scotland, 2024 (% frequency among consumers).
- Table 2 Most commonly reported meat-containing food items within the 'Other beef and veal including homemade recipe dishes' sub food group contributing to meat consumption among children and young people aged 2 to 15 years living in Scotland, 2024 (% frequency among consumers)
- Table 3 Table 3. Most commonly reported meat-containing food items within the 'Sandwiches' sub food group contributing to meat consumption among children and young people aged 2 to 15 years living in Scotland, 2024 (% frequency among consumers)
- Table 4 Most commonly reported meat-containing food items within the 'Coated chicken and turkey manufactured' sub food group contributing to meat consumption among children and young people aged 2 to 15 years living in Scotland, 2024 (% frequency among consumers)
- Table 5 Most commonly reported meat-containing food items within the 'Other sausages including homemade recipe dishes' sub food group contributing to meat consumption among children and young people aged 2 to 15 years living in Scotland, 2024 (% frequency among consumers)
- Table 6 Summary of the percentage of the population below the LRNI for key nutrients among children and young people age 2 to 15 years living in Scotland at baseline (2024) and following a reduction in red and red processed meat to achieve a 35% reduction in “total meat” together with a 20% reduction in dairy and no replacement
- Table 7 Summary of percentage of the population below the LRNI for key nutrients among children and young people aged 2 to 15 years living in Scotland at baseline (2024) and following a reduction in red and red processed meat to achieve a 20% or 35% reduction in “total meat” together with a 20% reduction in dairy and no replacement
Methodology
Data sources
Modelling of diet and greenhouse gas emissions of meat and dairy reductions were carried out on dietary intake data collected in 2024 from 1,700 children and young people (aged 2 to 15 years) living in Scotland, who completed at 1-4 days of diet recall using Intake24 as part of the Dietary Intake in Scotland’s Children Survey (DISH). DISH data is available on the UK Data Archive.
Dairy disaggregation
Data on the total dairy content of foods had not previously been disaggregated from the Scottish Health Survey data. As part of this work, the University of Edinburgh disaggregated dairy from all dairy-containing food products using the Food Standards Agency Standard Recipes Database, such as homemade recipes and manufactured products, to estimate the dairy including milk, cheese, yogurt, cream and butter in 100g of product.
With the disaggregated data, the research assessed:
The contribution of dairy foods and drinks to total dairy intake, including discretionary foods e.g. confectionery, cakes, biscuits, pastries and savoury snacks and sugary drinks.
Further analysis of the 2024 DISH survey was completed to assess consumption patterns of red and red processed meat, and dairy. This included exploring differences in takes by demographic characteristics, as well as assessing how meal occasions contributed to total intake, how consumption varied across different days of the week and identified key food group contributors and locations where these were being purchased and consumed.
Modelling impacts of reducing meat and dairy
The research modelled the impact of CCC targets for all meat and dairy, and 27 reduction scenarios for red and red processed meat and dairy intakes of energy, protein, iron, zinc, calcium, selenium, iodine and vitamin B12. Their selection reflects the role of meat and dairy as important sources of these nutrients.
- Firstly, a 20% reduction in all meat and dairy, and a 35% reduction in all meat and 20% reduction in dairy were simulated, including various replacement scenarios.
- Subsequently, reductions in red and red processed meat among high consumers[1] were modelled to meet the 20% or 25% reduction in “all meat,” alongside a 20% reduction in dairy, also incorporating various replacement scenarios.
- Finally, a 20% reduction in dairy with no reduction in meat was simulated, including replacement scenarios.
[1] In order to define high consumers, the maximum red and red processed meat intake required to achieve the CCC recommendation for a 20% reduction in “all meat”, overall and by age group was calculated.
Modelling impacts on greenhouse gas emissions
Environmental impact data was obtained by mapping items in the DISH survey to appropriate matches in foodDB. foodDB contains standardised environmental impacts data per 100g of approximately 70,000 items available in UK based supermarkets, derived by combining data from a large meta-analysis (Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers) of life cycle assessments with an ingredient decomposition analysis. The environmental impact of each item in DISH was calculated as the average of the environmental impact of the matched items in foodDB. The total environmental impact was calculated by multiplying the environmental impact per gram by the gram weight of each consumed item, before summing over all items and dividing by the number of days of recall.
Out of scope
The research did not consider issues related to supply and demand, implications for sectors, or climate change mitigation activity taking place in meat and dairy production. Additionally, socio-economic, cultural and financial challenges which individuals face in making healthy changes to their diets were not addressed by this research.