Nutri-Net Santé : higher readiness to reduce to meat consumption is associated with a reduction of up to 10% in GHG emissions
Our team studied the readiness to reduce meat consumption among 13,635 non-vegetarian French adults from the NutriNet-Santé cohort between 2014 and 2018.
The results, published in Nature Food, show that people who reported a willingness to reduce their meat consumption in 2014 actually reduced their diet-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 10%.
This reduction in meat consumption is associated with an increase in the consumption and variety of plant-based products, resulting in a more balanced diet. The results also show notable differences between women and men: women’s diets emit on average 10% fewer GHGs than men’s, and they reduce their emissions more significantly than men when they are committed to reducing their meat consumption.
To assess changes in dietary behaviour and their impact on greenhouse gas emissions, we analysed the diets of 13,635 non-vegetarian adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort (over the period 2014–2018).
Assessing changes in dietary behaviour
Data on food consumption were collected in 2014 and again in 2018 using a food frequency questionnaire covering 264 foods and drinks. Participants indicated portion sizes and frequency of consumption (per day, week, month or year), enabling an estimate of their daily and weekly consumption over the year in question. For this study, participants also completed a supplementary questionnaire to assess their level of wilingness to reduce their meat consumption, particularly meat from ruminants (beef, sheep, goats). Based on this questionnaire, five groups emerged:
– People who do not wish to reduce their meat consumption.
– People who are considering reducing their meat consumption but have not yet taken action.
– People committing to reducing their meat consumption
– People already committed to reducing their meat consumption
– People who already identify themselves as having low meat consumption (573 g per week in 2014 and 538 g per week in 2018).
GHG emissions from daily food consumption were then assessed using life-cycle analysis on 60 agricultural products, based on environmental data from over 2,000 farms produced by the Solagro association.
Participants comitted to reduce their meat intake cut down their diet-related emissions by 10%
The results show a link between intentions to change one’s diet and an actual reduction in meat consumption. Those in the group who did not wish to reduce their meat consumption ate an average of 878 g of meat per week, and their diet-related GHG emissions remained stable or even increased slightly (4.96 kg CO2 per day for women and 5.59 kg CO2 per day for men in 2018). Those who reported in 2014 that they were committed to reducing their meat consumption went from consuming 756 g per week in 2014 to 643 g per week in 2018, a 14% decrease, and reduced their diet-related GHG emissions by nearly 10%. Those already committed to reducing their meat consumption continued to cut back, from 592 g per week to 532 g per week, and reduced their diet-related GHG emissions from 4.11 to 3.95 kg CO2 per day for men and from 3.85 to 3.58 kg CO2 per day for women.
Furthermore, dietary analyses show that the group of people who committed to reduce their meat consumption in 2014 increased their consumption of plant-based products by around 10% (from 4.7 kg per week in 2014 to 5.2 kg per week in 2018), and that these products have also become more varied. Reducing meat consumption is generally part of an approach to rebalancing and making one’s diet more sustainable, aligning with the public health recommendations of the French dietary guidelines PNNS 4) for a consumption of 500 g of meat per person per week.
Significant differences between men and women
The study also highlights that women achieved greater reductions in their diet-related GHG emissions between 2014 and 2018, whether they had been reducing their meat consumption since 2014 or before, and taking into account differences in calorie intake between women and men. This finding corroborates a previous study, which observed that women and people with higher levels of education reduced their consumption of animal products more significantly and were more likely to be at the most advanced stages of reducing meat consumption. Furthermore, regardless of their level of meat consumption, women consistently had diets with lower GHG emissions, on average 10% lower than those of men.
- Reuzé, A., Baudry, J., Brunin, J., Péneau, S., Méjean, C., Touvier, M., Pointereau, P., Lairon, D., Hercberg, S., Kesse-Guyot, E., & Allès, B. (2026). Greater readiness to reduce meat consumption is associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Nature Food, 1 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01332-1
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-026-01332-1?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nonoa_20260406&utm_content=10.1038/s43016-026-01332-1
- Reuzé A, Méjean C, Carrère M, et al. Rebalancing meat and legume consumption: change-inducing food choice motives and associated individual characteristics in non-vegetarian adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2022;19(1):112. doi:10.1186/s12966-022-01317-w
- Reuzé A, Méjean C, Sirieix L, et al. Stages of change toward meat reduction: Associations with motives and longitudinal dietary data on animal-based and plant-based food intakes in French adults. The Journal of Nutrition. Published online September 28, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.09.017
By Benjamin Allès
