THE boss of a Ripon-based online meat retailer is urging people to back 'Seasonuary' instead of 'Veganuary' this month.

In recent years January has been seen by some as 'Veganuary', meaning a commitment to eating a diet free of animal products for the whole month.

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It is argued that this is healthier and much better for the environment than eating meat and animal products.

However, John Pallagi, CEO and founder of Farmison & Co warns that Veganuary could have the opposite effect to the one intended by its proponents – pushing out much more sustainable ways of eating, in the pursuit of “simplistic narratives” on diet.

He instead urges people to embrace a 'Seasonuary' diet, eating home-grown food appropriate to the season.

He said: “The perseverance of the narrative that a plant-based diet is a magic bullet for the climate crisis is worrying.

"Vegan cookbooks full of almond and avocado recipes are a case in point and to me are far removed from the chilly landscape of Yorkshire.

“The idea of consuming foods grown thousands of miles away, often in a chemically intensive and water intensive manner, in the name of sustainability is beyond satire and undermines the very concept of our seasons.”

Mr Pallagi is also calling for consideration of a UFL – an Unseasonal Food Levy – to help change the ‘everything all-the-time’ mindset and foster lower-cost, lower-impact eating.

He said: “Eating out of season should come at a cost. I'm calling for a UFL to be an effective and alternative way to reduce imports of this produce - and the export of environmental damage for a fuller fruit and vegetable aisle."

He added: “Not only does eating seasonally mean produce tastes better, but it’s also far more sustainable - keeping food miles low, reducing waste and supporting local farmers.

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“As the British climate warms, we risk losing the seasons that make our food culture so vibrant.

"Plant-based diets that rely on tropical imports threaten our seasons with their contribution to carbon emissions.”

Compared to an avocado travelling 6,321 miles from Peru to the UK, a rib eye steak from a Farmison farm in Castle Bolton in North Yorkshire, would travel 75 miles to its Ripon HQ for packing – onward distribution to Penzance would see that steak travel a maximum of 490 miles.

 

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