Vegetarian school dinners

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2023

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if all schools offered only plant-based options for 3 out of 5 lunches a week? Would that be enough to trigger a broader societal shift to eating less meat, and allow us to meet our sustainability commitments? We’re not talking about making school dinners entirely vegetarian — just 3 lunches a week. We discuss the benefits and practicalities of such a shift with : Tim Lenton, Professor of Climate change at the University of Exeter. Economist Marco Springmann Senior Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford. Nutritionist Collete Fox from Proveg international an organisation working directly with schools in the UK to encourage the provision of healthier school meals. And Henry Dimbleby founder of the Leon fast food chain is now an advisor to government, responsible for drawing up national rules on school dinners. We also visit Barrowford primary in Lancashire, which has successfully rolled out more vegetarian school dinners. BBC Inside Science is produced is partnership with the Open University.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself.
0:03.7	My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a Load of Sport Podcasts.
0:08.4	I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced
0:12.2	pundits and the biggest sport stars.
0:14.3	Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players'
0:18.5	mouths.
0:19.5	But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport in world.
0:25.0	What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to
0:28.8	dedicated sports fans across the UK.
0:31.2	So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more.
0:35.6	Hello, this is the podcast version of BBC Inside Science, first broadcast on Radio 4,
0:42.1	26th of January, 2023.
0:45.6	In today's programme, we're going to explore a thought experiment to test one scenario that
0:51.0	could help us reach our sustainability goals.
0:54.5	Today's food system is responsible for as much as one third of greenhouse gas emissions
0:59.8	and is also a major contributor to biodiversity loss.
1:03.5	Livestock farming is responsible for much of the problem.
1:07.1	A large proportion of farmland is used to grow crops to feed animals or for the animals themselves,
1:13.8	some 85% in the UK.
1:16.8	Emissions from cow burps, slurry and fertilizers are also adding to climate change.
1:23.8	The UK government has committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050
1:28.8	and also to the international commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030.
	...

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