The Vegan Society commends the government for its new focus on sickness prevention, rather than just treatment, but the neglect of diet change – specifically the benefits of plant-based living – in this announcement means the 10 Year Plan is missing a key ingredient
Emily Angus, Senior Dietitian at The Vegan Society, said:
“Plant-based foods have a major contribution to make to a proactive and cost-effective public health strategy but there is no mention of this in today’s plan – and barely an acknowledgement at all of the vital importance of diet and nutrition in overall public health.
“100% plant-based diets reduce the risk of developing numerous serious conditions, such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, kidney disease and of getting some cancers (especially colorectal) by an average of 20%.
“For those already diagnosed with such conditions, a plant-based diet is effective at managing their symptoms, achieving better blood glucose control in diabetes and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol in heart disease. These are clear and proven benefits for people that will also save the NHS £6.7 billion per year - enough to pay for 185,000 nurses.
“The recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey showed that too many people are not getting their ‘5-a-day’ or enough fibre, while consuming too much saturated fat, much of which comes from meat and dairy.
“Therefore, if the government is focusing on disease prevention it should acknowledge that plant-based diets are a key ingredient on its health menu.
“It’s vital that our government joins the dots on the health, sustainability and animal protection benefits of plant-based foods – and, unfortunately, it has not done this with its NHS 10 Year Plan.
“The government can still put that right with its forthcoming food strategy, where plant-based foods can help meet all its stated goals, including healthier food, UK food security, environmental protection and economic growth. “The Danish government has already done this and is even pushing for an EU-wide plant-based plan in its Presidency of the European Council. For the moment, though, our government has missed a significant opportunity to improve the health of the nation.
