Get ready for the much-anticipated 6th edition of Malta Meat Free Week, an annual event that celebrates the joy of plant-based living! Malta Meat Free Week is organised by VeggieMalta and will be running from the 16th to the 22nd of October. The festivities kick off even earlier, with participating supermarkets offering an array of plant-based brands starting from the 9th of October, setting the stage for a week of delicious and sustainable dining experiences.
Seven facts why you should care about the challenge:
#1: 6 million animals are killed for food every hour. In just one day, over 150 million animals are killed for food around the world.
#2: The production of beef is the single biggest cause of deforestation in the Amazon and other rain forests.
#3: By eating a hamburger, you are essentially chopping off part of a rain-forest, which is not only a natural carbon sink, but also an irreplaceable home for biodiversity.
#4: If everyone in Malta skipped eating a burger each Monday for a year, we’d save enough gas to drive around the world 7000 times.
#5: 10 bathtubs of water can be saved if you choose a veggie burger just once.
#6: 45 trees can be saved if you replace 500 grams of beef with veggies.
#7: 5,500,000 kilometres driven – that’s the amount of emissions we can save if everyone in Malta chose to eat just one less beef burger this Monday.
How can a meat-free diet benefit your health and well-being?
Besides environmental benefits, a balanced meat-free diet can positively impact your health. For example, Vegetarians and vegans typically have a lower risk of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes obesity, and certain cancers compared to meat-eaters. A meat-free diet can lead to lower levels of harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood.
Plant-based diets are rich in essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins (such as C and E), minerals (like potassium and magnesium), and antioxidants. These can help boost overall health and improve digestion.
If you’d like to save some money, you can also consider meat-free diet as plant-based foods tend to be more affordable than animal products, making it a budget-friendly option for many. And you can’t even imagine how many interesting and unusual recipes are possible to try out and include in your eating routine!
I need help in planning my meat-free week!
As already mentioned, Friends of the Earth took this challenge also as an initiative to inform about the benefits of locally grown veggies and fruits. Buying local produce also supports our farmers and preserves our rural landscape. Moreover, the carbon footprint is small, since they are not being imported from all over the globe. In addition to that, fruits and vegetables are packed with more flavour and nutrients as they are picked fresh during the season.
The Agro Katina Report is the product of Friends of the Earth Malta’s research into the local vegetable and fruit supply chain and the agricultural sector in Malta. We strongly believe in shorter supply chains as these have a positive impact on local farmers, strengthen local economies and small businesses, and bring the public closer to their food sources at the same time.
The report can be downloaded on our website following this link.
To be informed about the seasons of locally grown fruits and vegetables in Malta, we have created an Agro Katina pocket guide, which can be found on our website as well following this link.
Check out our Malta Farm Map to see where you can buy directly from a local farmer.
Take part in Malta Meat Free Week 2023 and win prizes
This year you can join the challenge oranised by VeggyMalta and win a spa treatment for 2 at Myoka Lotus Spa. What is more, this year numerous supermarkets and many online and health shops are supporting Malta Meat Free Week with offers. Lear more about the challenge and participating supermarkets on the website https://maltameatfreeweek.com/.
Cutting out meat for just one day a week makes a considerable change. The impact can be even bigger if it’s a week, or even a month. Acting as a collective, of course, will lead to a greater change and make a significant difference.
Challenges like this are a good way to get started as people are supported throughout by the initiator, and also by a community that undergoes the same experience. Exchanging knowledge, progress and feelings with each other can be very supportive and inspirational.