World Wildlife Fund Urges Finland to Eat Less Meat

As part of the Eat Clean Baltic Sea Project, the Finnish arm of animal conservation organization World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently launched a guide urging Finnish citizens to make more environmentally friendly food choices. The guide is divided into various subsections with accompanying information for each category of meat (cattle, sheep, pig, and chicken), dairy (cheese and eggs), and plant-based proteins—which the guide categorizes under the “best choices” option. While the tool advocates making “better” choices within animal product categories, every portion of the guide advises to at least replace some meat with vegetables. The “best choices” category lists plant proteins such as legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and Quorn products as more environmentally friendly replacements for animal products. “Vegetables imported from abroad are almost always a better choice for the environment compared to products of animal origin,” the guide advises, before pointing out that store shelves in Finland are increasingly being stocked with innovative plant-based products. A notion proven by Finnish company Gold & Green Foods—makers of an oat- and broad bean- based pulled pork alternative—which reported annual sales of more than $2 million last year. This guide serves as a clear connection that wildlife conservation—the main concern of WWF—is inextricably tied with moving away from animal agriculture.