Four years after the publication of the first report on the sustainability of the Italian livestock sector, the Sustainable Meat Association has taken a step forward spreading the latest version, expanded and updated, not only on the Web, but also in bookstores. The book "Sustainability of meat and cured meats in Italy", published by Franco Angeli, presented today in Bologna in collaboration with ANA - National Academy of Agriculture, is proposed as a reference point in the Italian media landscape in the debate on production and consumption of meat and sausages.
Present at the presentation event were Giorgio Cantelli Forti, ANA President, National Academy of Agriculture; Giuseppe Pulina, Agronomist, Full Professor of Special Zootechnics, University of Sassari, President of Sustainable Meat; Elisabetta Bernardi, Nutritionist, Biologist with specialization in Food Science, Lecturer of the University of Bari; Ettore Capri, Full Professor of Agricultural Chemistry, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart; Massimo Marino, Environmental Engineer and Director of LCE. The meeting was moderated by Carlo Alberto Pratesi, Professor of Marketing, Innovation and Sustainability, Roma Tre University.
Analyzing the sustainability of meat and cured meats means in fact studying in the most objective way possible different topics concerning both the consumer and the livestock production. This volume presents an interdisciplinary study to describe the "5 faces" of meat sustainability, represented by as many chapters: nutrition, environmental impacts and the circular economy applied to farms and industry, food safety and animal welfare, the economic aspects of the supply chains and the fight against food waste.
An easy to read text, despite the complexity of some of the topics covered, in which some issues very dear to public opinion are rigorously addressed, often trivialized in clichés if not transformed into real fake news.
Some examples? Meat and diet in Mediterranean countries, real consumption of meat in Italy and in the world, the use of antibiotics on animals, the relationship between meat and certain diseases; or again, given all the misinformation circulating on the issue, what did IARC and WHO really say about red and processed meat? and, of course, the environmental impact of farms.
It turns out that animal husbandry is not the main cause of emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: for example, a single return flight from Rome to Brussels generates higher emissions than the annual consumption of meat and sausages of a single individual who feed according to nutritionists' indications (500kg vs 400kg of CO2equivalent).
"We will not save the planet by not eating meat" - comments Ettore Capri, Full Professor of Agricultural Chemistry, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. "Emissions of greenhouse gases related to livestock production (meat, milk and eggs) weigh for 14% of all emissions, of which only 10% attributable to beef, pork and poultry (FAO). Generally it is omitted to say that the 65-70% derives from fossil fuels used for transport and to produce energy. It is important to underline that Italy boasts one of the most sustainable zootechnical models on the planet thanks to its commitment to promoting good practices. "
"The challenge of livestock production has become that of" producing more with less resources "- commented Giuseppe Pulina, Agronomist, Professor of Special Zootechnics, University of Sassari, President of Sustainable Meat. "The objective that the meat sector must face today is that of a greater" sustainable "offer that can guarantee an efficient production, attentive to the environment and to the wellbeing of animals, breeders and all those who participate in the creation of the value of Italian supply chains. "
The debate in Bologna also confirmed the turnaround of vegans (from 3% 2017 to 0,9% 2018 - Eurispes Data Source): the choice to give up meat in fact creates nutritional imbalances, especially in the most fragile categories of the population, children and the elderly.
"With regard to the vegan turnaround - continues Professor Pulina - whose percentage is constantly decreasing among consumers, it is enough to make an excursus of the history of human nutrition since the dawn of human history to understand how much meat is fundamental and indispensable nutrient. The evolution of diet and food cooking are in fact two fundamental elements of human evolution. After the discovery of fire it was precisely the carnivorous diet that confirmed the primacy of our species over others, allowing us an unparalleled physical and cerebral development, compared to other mammals. "
"The role of meat and animal proteins, in a healthy and balanced diet, is essential in every phase of life: from the pregnancy of the woman, to the growth of children up to the elderly to keep herself strong and active" - adds Elisabetta Bernardi, Nutritionist, Biologist with specialization in Food Science, University of Bari Teacher. "Italian consumption per capita is below the risk threshold of the famous 500 grams of meat per week. In this regard, the monograph published by IARC last June, three years after the alarmist announcements published by the Lancet in 2015, has shown that 800 studies only 14 have been judged reliable and of these only 7 have related an excessive consumption of red meat with colon cancer. The epidemiological studies considered by the IARC, take into consideration, as mentioned, a daily consumption of red meat in doses much higher than those that we usually consume: we talk about 500 grams of cooked meat a week, the equivalent of 800 grams of raw meat. A threshold that makes us feel comfortable, because in Italy between pasta and vegetables it is impossible to reach such high portions of meat. "
Within the book, the perspective to assess the impacts of the sector in our country is guided by objective parameters and on which there is an expanded scientific consensus. This is the case of the "Environmental Hourglass", which evaluates the impacts of food lifestyles from a sustainability point of view. The Environmental Hourglass, obtained by multiplying the environmental impact of food (for simplicity the Carbon Footprint) for the weekly quantities suggested by the nutritional guidelines INRAN, now CREA, graphically shows that if you follow the consumption advice suggested by the diet model of the Diet Mediterranean, the average weekly impact of meat is aligned with that of other foods, for which the unitary impacts are lower, but the quantities consumed are generally higher. "The Environmental Hourglass represents the carbon footprint of food consumed in a week," says Massimo Marino, Environmental Engineer and Director of LCE, "and shows that a balanced diet is beneficial for both health and the environment."