Sustainability / Environment

Plant-Based Leaders Demand Change, Signing Collective Call to Action as COP29 Neglects Food’s Role in Climate Crisis

At this year’s COP29 hosted by the Azerbaijan capital Baku, the conversation around the climate impact of our global food system was once again stifled, despite various non-profits and groups calling on world leaders to reform food and agricultural policies.

Amid the ongoing natural disasters taking place with regularity around the planet, notably absent from the majority of political and media debates is the impact of food production, which accounts for 34% of global greenhouse gas emissions, over half of which stem from animal agriculture (19.7% total), exceeding the emissions from the transport sector (16.2%).

Not only was there an overwhelming lack of vegan options at the event, but reportedly, several menu items were mislabeled; Indian climate activist Shreya Ghodawat and Plant Based Treaty’s scientific health advisor Kimmy Cushman brought attention to the fact that a supposedly vegan salad contained cheese, a “vegan” toast was served with cream cheese, and items labelled as vegetarian included a chicken caesar salad, a salmon salad, and in one case even included beef.

cop 29 plant based reactions
© Heura Foods

A step back from progress

According to several reports, there was only one vegan and vegetarian outlet at the summit’s food court — which is astonishing, considering that there were 50,000 attendees, gathering to discuss the climate — prompting vegan campaigners to hand out free sandwiches at the event’s entrance.

Lana Weidgenant, Senior UN Policy Manager at ProVeg, who was in attendance, noted: “People were upset because some foods containing meat and dairy were mislabelled as vegetarian or vegan, which makes it more difficult for people to make the more sustainable choice.

“Whilst improvements have since been made by the COP29 team, following consultation with ProVeg, the catering at the event is very much a step back from the progress that had been made at previous COPs and we’re left disappointed. “Based on what we were told, we also expected the vegetarian and vegan options to make up at least two thirds of the catering at COP29, as it did at COP28 in Dubai. This is not the case,” laments Weidgenant.

In response to this failure to provide suitable menu choices that reflect the issue at hand, and not least address the issue as a whole, European plant-based brands Heura Foods, La Vie, HappyVore, and Planted have together co-signed a collective statement which reads in full as below.

Climate Change Sign No Planet B
© ink drop – stock.adobe.com

A call to action: making the food system a climate priority

Heura Foods, La Vie, HappyVore, and Planted urge for food systems to take centre stage in climate discussions. While the summit in Baku addressed climate financing and industries like fossil fuels, it neglected one of the most significant structural issues: the colossal impact of the food industry.

Meanwhile, global temperatures are on track to breach the critical threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Each year, we normalize the exceptional and dismiss scientific warnings. Industrial animal farming remains a stark example of inefficiency. It occupies 83% of global agricultural land, yet contributes only 18% of global calorie intake. Moreover, it is a leading driver of deforestation, biodiversity loss, species extinction, and water pollution. Ignoring this inefficiency undermines effective climate action.

Solutions exist and must be prioritized.

  1. Introduce subsidies for plant-based innovation: Scaling up sustainable food solutions is key to making them accessible and competitive. As mission-driven companies, we are already reducing emissions through innovation in our production processes.
  2. Mandatory environmental labelling: Forty years ago, nutritional labels on food weren’t obligatory. Today, it’s hard to imagine buying a product without knowing its composition. It’s time to apply the same standard to environmental impact. Clear carbon footprint labelling would empower consumers to make informed choices.
  3. Implement fiscal policies: Taxes and incentives should encourage healthier, more sustainable consumption patterns.

Extraordinary challenges require equally extraordinary decisions. Informing citizens about the environmental impacts of their choices is crucial to accelerating the food transition. Adopting plant-based diets isn’t just a powerful individual action—it’s also a solution aligned with health and climate goals. Replacing animal-based foods with plant-based alternatives can significantly reduce CO emissions. For example, swapping one animal-based product for a plant-based equivalent can save emissions equivalent to a 15 km car journey or turning off household lights for several days.

By developing and embracing plant-based solutions, we can continue to enjoy the foods we love while addressing the pressing health and climate challenges. While institutions must take their share of responsibility, individual choices—like prioritizing plant-based meals—allow us to act immediately and be drivers of change.

This isn’t a message of despair—it’s a vision for the future. It’s a reminder that our daily decisions can reshape the world. What we put on our plates has far-reaching implications: for the environment, our planet’s resources, and the future of generations to come.

Heather Mills leads protest chants at Bonn Climate Conference urging diners to choose vegan for lunch
© Plant Based Treaty

Glimmer of hope for COP 30 in Brazil?

A statement was made by the Director of Operations of the Extraordinary Secretariat for COP30, Nilza de Oliveira, stressing that sustainable food will be central to the Brazilian event in 2025.

Head of Policy and External Affairs, Jen Elford of the Vegetarian Society reasons that several commentators had previously agreed it was unlikely that this year’s COP would focus on food systems since it was known by many to be the “finance COP”. She notes, “It is said that many in food campaigning were actually gearing up for what is seen as the bigger opportunity of COP30 next year in Brazil. Recognising that food system solutions are climate solutions is one thing. Figuring out what form global agreements on food systems should ultimately take clearly appears to be another.

“Progress on COP negotiations may seem slow, if not patently geological, and there’s definitely a tendency to kick the proverbial food and climate can down the road. But let’s not forget that the issue was kept out of the debate at COP for valuable lost decades. In concrete terms, our global food system is a relative newcomer at the climate negotiations.”

“We hope that Brazil can regard the attention paid to food by delegates at COP30 as an opportunity to present themselves well to the international community attending the conference next year. Delegates are aware of the connection between food and the climate crisis, so governments can no longer ignore this,” Lana Weidgenant, Senior UN Policy Manager at ProVeg, commented.

“We are delighted that Brazil has committed to providing healthy, sustainable food, including vegetarian and vegan options, that is locally produced and sold at fair prices, at next year’s COP30,” she added.

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