SCOTLAND — A modeling study released by the University of Edinburgh in 2026 indicates that replacing meat with specific alternative foods can improve health and environmental outcomes without increasing diet costs. The research, published in Nature Food, assessed 33 different methods for meeting the UK Climate Change Committee's recommendations for sustainable diets.

The study examined various impacts of dietary changes, including greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, nutrient intake, diet costs, and health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that reductions in both meat and dairy consumption correlated with improvements in health and environmental indicators across all scenarios modeled.

The findings showed that substituting processed and unprocessed meat and dairy with vegetables, beans, and eggs could yield environmental and health benefits without raising the total expense of diets. This replacement of some meat with alternative foods did not negatively affect nutrient intake, according to the study.

The study also predicted that assisting high consumers of processed and unprocessed red meat to reduce their intake could prevent nearly 60,000 cases of type 2 diabetes over a 10-year period. All dietary pathways modeled resulted in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, as well as decreases in land and water use.

One finding indicated that lower dairy consumption might reduce iodine intake among some groups. The study noted that this issue could be addressed through iodine fortification in plant-based dairy alternatives. Additionally, the study noted that emissions linked to food consumption by adults in Scotland, including those from imported food, surpassed emissions from agricultural production within Scotland.

Joe Kennedy, a researcher in the University of Edinburgh's Division of Global Agriculture and Food Systems, commented on implementing these changes. "Making healthier, sustainable options more available and convenient will be key to enabling such change," Kennedy said. The University of Edinburgh conducted this study in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Oxford and Food Standards Scotland.