Thursday, 01 May 2014 15:18

Helping consumers make better food choices

Written by 

MOVE ASIDE vegetarians, here come ‘bettertarians’ – Australian livestock farmers with a concept for helping consumers make better-informed food choices.

 

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) says ‘bettertarianism’ is a new food philosophy designed to raise awareness of the effects consumers’ food choices can have on their health, the environment and animal welfare.

MLA marketing manager Lachlan Bowtell says the campaign seeks to address growing consumer confusion about responsible food choices. “We are helping people to navigate the confusion and the guilt some groups are trying to put on them about their food choices.

“Through our Target 100 program and the bettertarian campaign, the industry [wants] to build people’s trust in the Australian beef and lamb industry to sustainably manage the environment and care for animals while producing nutritious food.”

The bettertarian philosophy arose during a trip by a chef and television personality, Darren Robertson, and a sustainable food advocate, Rebecca Sullivan, with three urban Australians to a cattle and sheep farm in Tasmania to see firsthand how animals were raised and meat produced.

Bettertarianism seeks to keep the food message simple, Robertson says. “Eating today can seem complicated – endless food ideologies and confusing messages, rules and restrictions for achieving optimal health and nutrition and minimising impact on the planet. 

“There had to be a simpler way, [hence] bettertarian, a person who is a conscious consumer who wants to feel better about what they eat and the impact their food choices have on the environment.”

They visited Bangor Farm, Tasmania, owned and run by fifth-generation cattle and sheep producer Matt Dunbabin, an industry advocate through Target 100.

“For city visitors, experiencing a cattle and sheep farm firsthand gave them a new perspective on the way they approach food.

“Once they saw how we worked with the environment and put the welfare of our animals at the top of our priority list, it set them on a new path of finding better ways to eat.”

Out of the farm visit came a television documentary – The journey of a bettertarian.

Everyone can get behind this, says Bowtell. “We are encouraging producers, the wider industry and all beef and lamb lovers to help spread the word through their social media networks.”

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter