Increasing numbers of New Zealanders are cutting meat out of their diet for environmental and health reasons, but one of Europe's leading food scientists says the view is not backed up.
Professor Frederic Leroy of Belgium is visiting New Zealand as a guest of Beef and Lamb NZ but said his research was not industry funded.
"I do this as an academic and because I feel I have to do it," he told TVNZ1's Q+A.
He said the way meat is framed "is a very binary discourse".
"It's almost a moral discourse...Meat is the bad boy and the plants are the good ones," he said.
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"The reason why all these vegan movies are so effective is because they show the worst kind of images, the worst part of animal production.
"They would state all kinds of spectacular numbers, saying the impact of your diet is the biggest possible point you'd have to address to reduce your footprint."
He said the messaging suggests meat would cause disease, "but it's mostly lifestyle effects".
Watch the full interview in the video above.
Q+A is on TVNZ1 Mondays at 9.30pm, and the episode is then available on TVNZ OnDemand and as a podcast in all the usual places.
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