More Australians turning off meat as inflation rises

More Australians are choosing to make one huge lifestyle change just to make ends meet amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Some Australians are being forced to make huge dietary changes as a result of soaring food costs that are impacting their purchasing power at the supermarket.

New data shows that “famously carnivorous” Australia is turning to vegetarian and plant-based options in order to bring down the cost of their weekly shop.

Around 37 per cent of surveyed consumers are already buying fewer meat products in an effort to save money, according to research conducted by Perspectus Global and the No Meat May campaign.

With the cost of the weekly shop rising, many are opting for less meat or vegetarian options. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

On top of that, 61 per cent are considering increasing their plant-based intake as the cost of living continues to rise.

The results were “no surprise” to No Meat May founders Ryan Alexander and Guy James Whitworth, who say that even more people would make the switch if they knew it would save them money.

“Eighty-one per cent of consumers say they would consider a shift to more plant-rich eating if they could shave a third off their shopping bill, but only 37% are doing so,” the pair said.

“This tells us that many Aussies are not aware of the huge upside at the checkout by simply swapping their source of protein.”

The survey was commissioned as a part of the No Meat May campaign which urges people to switch to plant-based eating for the entire month.

When asked how they’d feed their family with only $20, 35% per cent of the 2,000 Australians surveyed said they would cook up a plant-based meal. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Since 2013, more than 160,00 people have taken part in the challenge with estimates that 9.9 million land and sea animals have not been killed as a result.

“When you consider that we feed sea animals to land animals to produce meat, and factor in bycatch, the numbers add up fast,” Mr Alezander said.

“If half the population of Australia took part in No Meat May we would spare more than 400 million land and sea animal lives in May alone.

“While our sobering new data demonstrates the ongoing impact of cost of living, we are encouraging all Aussies to consider how upping their consumption of fruits, veggies and healthy plant proteins can have a wider positive effect; both for them personally and the world that we share.”