EATING TOFU is worse for the planet than eating meat, new research has revealed.

With the environmental lens increasingly focussed on the farming community, individuals attending the National Farming Union event in London last week welcomed the findings of a study which argued that a meat-free diet created more emissions and damage to the ecosystem than a balanced diet.

Dr Graham McAuliffe, from the Rothamsted Institute, showcased his findings that tofu – which is a protein solid manufactured from soya – has a worse impact on the environment than lamb, pork or chicken.

Dr McAuliffe told delegates: “Without a doubt, peas and ground nuts always have a lower environmental impact than any livestock products. But if you look at tofu, which is processed so there is more energy going into its production, when you correct for the fact that the protein in it is not as digestible compared to the meat-based products, you can see that it could actually have a higher global warming potential than any of the monogastric animals. To get the same amount of protein, tofu is worse,” he claimed.

In recent times, meat and dairy have been labelled as the biggest climate culprits and many media headlines have gone as far as to encourage people to avoid them in an effort to ‘save the planet’.

However, tofu hit the headlines due to its carbon footprint in 2010, a fact which has been swept under the carpet of late.

The World Wide Fund for Nature conducted a report at the time, warning of the dangers of thinking that soya-based products were guaranteed to have lower carbon emissions. It stated: “Our analysis shows that direct substitution of livestock products in the diet with analogue high protein products based on, for example, soya involves increased dependence on imported crop commodities.

“Such a strategy is likely to increase the total soya intake of the UK food chain.”

The WWF advised people making a switch to meat-free to do so through choosing sustainable crops as alternatives and to not export their carbon footprint elsewhere by increasing demand for imports.

With the recent rise in demand for avocado brunches and almond 'milk' coffees – the UK’s carbon footprint is on the increase, as well as leading to the depletion of natural resources which are heavily utilised in the production of these products.

It is suggested that 130 pints of water is needed to produce one glass of almond milk and in drought-stricken places like California, this is adding huge pressures to the region’s water table.

Avocado production demands huge amounts of water, but they also present another challenge which is the increasing amounts of land which is being cleared to plant avocado trees to meet heightened demand. Added to this are reports of rising gang warfare as cartels in Mexico have attempted to capitalise on the growing trend and pressurise farmers in the process to hand over some of their profits.

As consumers become increasingly aware of their food choices and their subsequent impact on the climate, the ‘buy local’ movement is likely to increase in momentum – but it may take time till there is a significant shift in buying habits.