Climate friendly farming, sustainable agriculture, net zero green house emission food processing; the list goes on and on about how the food industry needs to adjust its practises in the coming years in order to reduce the damage it causes to the environment and subsequently our lives.

The question is not whether to eat meat or not. British beef is produced to some of the highest welfare and environmentally sustainable standards in the world. The key consideration must be where the livestock was farmed and the environmental and welfare standards of where it was produced.

The UK climate is ideal for growing grass for animals to eat. Around 65% of farmland in the UK is best suited to growing grass rather than other crops. If it wasn't used to graze livestock on it, it could not be used to produce food. Grazing livestock on this land enables them to turn inedible grass into high quality, nutrient-rich beef and lamb. This land also provides a valuable habitat for many native wildlife species that need open grassland to forage, such as hedgehogs and lapwings.

How about the other side of the argument; Plant-based diet. Alpro is a European company based in Ghent, Belgium that markets organic and non-organic, non-genetically modified, plant-based products, such as foods and drinks made from soy, almonds, hazelnuts, cashew, rice, oats or coconut.

The company's mission statement of sustainability is “Live comfortably within the natural capacity of our planet”. Alpro and plant-based eating can be part of the solution to make the food system more sustainable. Plant-based foods use less natural resources such as land, water and energy compared to animal-based products.

In order to further improve the performance of its' product line, their key focus points for 2020 are carbon reduction, sustainable sourcing of ingredients and making the most of water.