Greenhouse gases

Food production causes a lot of CO2 emissions, which contribute to climate change. Animal products in particular have a big impact. Plant-based food is much more sustainable. For example, 1 kg of beef causes 30.6 kg of CO2, while 1 kg of Vivera burgers emits only 2.5 kg of CO2 (source: MDPI). This is why we sold our meat processing business in 2019 and are focusing entirely on plant-based production. If everyone stopped eating meat, global greenhouse gases could be reduced by 14.5% (source: DW).

Land use

To eat 1 kg of meat, a cow has to eat as much as 7 kg of soy. And that soy also needs to be grown which requires a lot of land and water. We can process soy directly into plant-based burgers or tofu. For 1 kg of tofu, we only need half a kg of soybeans. Animals are an inefficient link that we are better off skipping. In this way, we can give back to nature a lot of land now used for animal feed production. (source: Verduurzaming Nederland).

Water

Plant-based products use much less water than meat. According to ProVeg, meat production requires five times more water than our products. This is due to the fact that animals drink a lot of water, but a lot of water is also needed to grow the crops that animals eat. And clean drinking water is becoming increasingly scarce due to the effects of climate change.

Health

The ‘Planetary Health Diet’ recommends less animal and more vegetable proteins. This is not only better for the climate, but also for your health. This is because plant-based products contain less saturated fat, no cholesterol and more fibre than many meat varieties. Vivera products are high in protein and extra vitamin B12 and iron, ideal for a balanced plant-based diet.