Conversation with Noriko Shindo, co-founder and CEO of Veggino

How do you think a plant-based lifestyle can have a positive impact on the environment?

At this point, sadly I don’t think we are capable of creating positive impact – only minimizing the negative impact. Bearing that in mind, I do believe going plant-based is the single most effective way to minimize our impact on the environment.

First, even on a conservative level, as of 2005 overall greenhouse gases (GHG) released by the livestock industry accounted for 14.5% (see here for full report from FAO of the UN) with the biggest contributors being the beef and milk industries at 51% of GHG released from the livestock industry due to a) the amount of gases released from the animals, and b) the toxicity of these gases. Methane gas (21 times that of carbon dioxide), and Nitrous Oxide (296 time that of carbon dioxide!) stay a lot longer in the air and are more effective than carbon dioxide for trapping heat in the air. Some say livestock could be contributing to as much as a quarter of all GHG in the world.

Then, there is water (more than 70% of freshwater withdrawal) and land (40% of Earth’s land surface) consumption associated with the livestock industry (See here for full report by Clark and Tilman).

By not consuming such products, we can do a lot more than by cutting our air-flight, eating local produce, or taking more public transport. 

What are the health benefits of moving to a plant-based lifestyle?

Lower cholesterol (only animal products have cholesterol), lower chance of coronary diseases or cancer, better gut health (and stronger immune system), and almost no hormonal imbalances. There is the caveat that this is all if you are on a whole-foods plant-based diet (a diet that is 100% plant-based, using only whole-foods that are not processed).

If you decide to go plant-based, but eat refined and/or processed foods, not all these benefits will apply. It’s still marginally better than refined animal-based foods though!

How do you think moving to a plant-based diet can help with the COVID-19 crisis?

It won’t help much with COVID-19 I am afraid, but it can potentially mitigate the onset of the next pandemic. Diseases that have impacted our world significantly in the past few decades are all animal-derived and while none have (yet) originated from farmed animals, farm animals have played a significant role in being the main carrier between the origin (e.g., bats) and humans.

Many scientists including Dr. Greger, the author of the great book How not to die, are vocally stating that unless actions are taken to a) change the current factory farming ways, and/or b) change our diets away from an animal-dependent one, we are looking at the next pandemic to (possibly) rise directly from livestock farms. Even well-established media such as the Guardian in the U.K recently published an article that calls for a serious rethink on factory farming; “Individually, we must stop eating animal products. Collectively, we must transform the global food system and work toward ending animal agriculture and rewilding much of the world.” If you acknowledge there is a climate crisis, there is no excuse to talk yourself out of consuming less/zero animal products.

In your opinion, what are the main issues with today’s global meat and dairy industry? What about fishing?

As mentioned before, the environmental issues for the global meat and dairy industries are the most un-debatable (and serious) ones – where if no action is taken, it will definitely cause a rapid deterioration of our only planet, and taking action will cause a definite reversal or slow-down of the climate issue we face today.

There is also the aspect that science is uncovering more about the animals themselves – where it is now clear that farmed species are capable of feeling fear, stress, pain, and loss. However, today’s factory farming conditions mean that these sentient beings are being treated as “commodities”; living in cramped, dark, unhygienic spaces with little or zero consideration for their wellbeing. As sentient beings ourselves, ignoring animal welfare is also fast becoming one of the main issues of these industries (by the way, the egg industry is also no different).

As for the fishing industry, while it is not directly the biggest culprit for global warming, it is a direct culprit for the destruction of the marine ecosystem. As more companies and fisheries go after higher efficiency, the fishing methods of today result in over-fishing of certain species, un-necessary killing of by-catch (ones caught by accident), both of which destroy the marine ecosystem’s balance of biodiversity.

The other main issue with fishing is that a lot of the fishing nets are often left behind in the seas, killing fish and other marine life (turtles, gulls, dolphins), as well as the corals on the sea-bed. While you may be switching your plastic straws and bags for cleaner oceans, the effort will only save a few % of the total plastic waste in the sea. Cut eating fish, and you could save up to 40% of the total plastic waste in our seas!

Is plant-based diet becoming more and more popular in Japan?

Yes! Happily so. Now there are a few celebrities who are sharing their plant-based diets (Asami Mizukawa, Rola, Chiemi Blouson, to name a few) which may have also helped.

What is the best thing about having a plant-based diet?

Aside from feeling great, I take great solace in the fact that I am making better choices than I used to for our only planet.

I also love to cook and eat, which means more opportunities to get creative in the kitchen! Who would have thought my gyoza and melty cheese pizzas would be a staple in the house 3 years ago. Yes, melty cheese, you read that right.

There are various reasons why I turned plant-based, and stay that way – some of which we touched upon today – but day to day, I enjoy it so much that I can’t think of an alternative choice any more.

What resources would you recommend?

Documentaries:

• Cowspiracy: For a comprehensive overview of the impacts of animal consumption on our planet.
• Forks Over Knives: For the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Books (available in English and Japanese):

• How Not To Die: For a healthy, practical guide to starting a plant-based diet.
• The China Study : More on the implications to health backed with science and studies.

For more hard-core science / studies:

• Tilman and Clark’s study on a comparison of GHG emissions of a series of diets that differed in their animal-sourced food content (includes environmental impact of some plant-based foods): https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa6cd5/pdf

People:

• Earthling Ed: While he is a vegan activist, I find that his talks, debates, and messages are factual, logical, and clear. He often talks of the environmental impacts as well as the animal welfare aspects of eating animal-based products.