Finland's new dietary guidelines advise people to eat less meat, more vegetables and to cut down on the consumption of coffee and alcohol.
The Finnish Food Authority's national nutritional guidelines recommend consuming a maximum of about 350 grams of red meat per person per week — but the agency hopes people would eat much less — both for their health and the planet's sake.
The recommendation to eat less meat has sparked a lively debate in recent weeks, but experts say the advice also applies to poultry, which has previously been considered a healthier alternative to red meat.
Poultry production is a major cause of biodiversity loss, while cattle farming is linked to climate emissions, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Finland's previous nutrition guidelines, from 2014, highlighted poultry as a healthier alternative to red meat because of its lower fat content and better quality fats.
While this led many to believe that poultry was a better alternative to red meat, this is not the case, according to the latest recommendations.
"When it comes to unprocessed meat, poultry is better healthwise than red meat," said Jelena Meinilä, a nutrition sciences professor at the University of Helsinki.
However, according to Meinilä, people should not consume more poultry, primarily due to environmental reasons which the new guidelines take into account. As long as total meat consumption — whether red or white — is kept to a maximum of 350 grams per week, it makes little difference to one's health what kind of meat it is, according to Meinilä.
Luke's study has found that poultry is problematic from the standpoint of biodiversity loss caused by land use.
This is because chickens feed on soybean meal, often cultivated on land cleared from South American rainforests. But this position has not gained traction with the Finnish Poultry Association, which said Finnish poultry mainly feeds on domestic grain. Luke, however, argues that this does not matter in the scheme of things since domestic poultry production drives global demand for feed soy.
According to Luke, chicken accounts for more than 90 percent of the poultry meat consumed in Finland. In 2023, nearly 135 million kilograms of chicken were produced domestically, while more than 27 million kilograms of poultry were imported.
The new guidelines suggest that adopting a meatless diet is the most environmentally friendly option and is nutritionally safe when properly balanced. Legumes, such as peas, beans, and lentils, are viable alternatives to animal-based protein.
Sustainably caught or farmed fish is also a good alternative to red meat and poultry.
Edited for clarity.
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