14 DAY TRIAL // Courtesy of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, the world's meat eaters might be ready to give greener dishes a try, IKEA seems to think.
Thus, during a recent interview with the press, Joanna Yarrow, the current head of sustainability for IKEA, announced that the furniture retailer was looking into ways to make its Swedish meatballs a tad more environmentally friendly.
Specifically, Joanna Yarrow explained that, should things go as planned, it will not be long until IKEA's iconic meatballs are less carbon intensive than they currently are.
What's more, other treats that now find themselves on IKEA menus are bound to also undergo some chances intended to make them a tad greener in the near future, Business Green reports.
“We are aware of the meat issue with greenhouse gases. We are looking at all our food products from a sustainability perspective, but specifically meatballs. They are very popular and they are also our most carbon-intensive food item on our menu,” Joanna Yarrow said.
What Joanna Yarrow meant to say that, as shown by several studies, growing animals for meat and dairy consumption puts tremendous strain on the environment, and also released loads of greenhouse gas emissions.
Given the urgency to limit climate change and global warming, several specialists have argued that it might not be such a bad idea if people worldwide were to start eating less meat, or at least opt for meat whose ecological footprint is not all that startling.
IKEA says that, up until now, it has trialed chicken meatballs as opposed to pork and beef ones. Besides, the furniture retailer is looking into the possibility to add vegan meatballs to its menu. Needless to say, IKEA promises that it will not compromise taste while attempting to make its dishes greener.
As Joanna Yarrow put it, “We have been working with WWF looking at meatballs and various other food items that we sell and looking at how we can tweak our recipes to give great taste but also perhaps less of an environmental impact. I can assure you getting that recipe adjusted, will have a real cumulative impact.”
It is estimated that, for the time being, IKEA sells about 150 million meatballs on a yearly basis. Should the company manage to alter its recipe in such ways that its carbon intensity will be reduced to a considerable extent, there is no doubt that this will help the furniture retailer greatly improve on its ecological footprint.