UK supermarkets in drive to push vegetarian foods

Supermarkets in the UK are to be redesigned in a bid to get meat eaters to consume more vegetables.

The scheme is being launched this week by scientists from Oxford University and will see vegetarian alternatives stocked on the same shelves as meat products and customers who choose vegetarian products rewarded with loyalty points.

The project, in which Sainsbury's is a key collaborator, is being funded as part of a £5million Wellcome Trust programme, 'Our Planet, Our Health'.

Sarah Molton, head of Our Planet, Our Health, said, ''Nutritionists, political economists and epidemiologists at Oxford will study how animal foods affect health and the environment and they will then work with Sainsbury's to present those findings in ways people can understand.''

The move comes after a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found eating less meat could reduce global mortality by 6-10 per cent and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30-70 per cent.

Oxford researcher Marco Springmann said, ''The food system is responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, of which up to 80 per cent are associated with livestock production.''

Judith Batchelar, director of brand at Sainsbury's, said, ''Shoppers can now choose from a much greater variety of produce than they did in the past, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables.

''That gives them a greater opportunity to make meat-free choices, which is what we are seeing today. The question is: how can we take that further.''