How diets vary across London’s 32 boroughs: Fascinating interactive maps reveal capital’s biggest meat-eaters and dairy-dodgers (as well as where is buying the most fruit and veg…)

Shoppers in Newham eat the least meat, according to fascinating data mapping London’s eating habits.

Only 10.2 per cent of food purchases in the borough, which includes Stratford and West Ham, consist of red meat, poultry or fish.

By comparison, in Enfield, in the north of the capital, the figure is closer to 14.9 percent.

Figures per borough – which MailOnline has collected in a set of eleven interactive maps – are based on purchases made by London residents who shop at Tesco.

It is based on the weight percentage of the food purchased.

For example, if someone were to buy one kilo of food and 500 grams of red meat, half of their purchases would consist of red meat.

The NHS has warned for years that eating too much red or processed meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer.

It urges Britons to eat a maximum of 70 grams per day, which equates to around 490 grams per week. This equates to 16 bacon strips or about two pork chops per week.

In addition to the red meat gap, dairy intake varies quite drastically across the city.

The one-off data, based on 420 million purchases by Clubcard users across 411 stores in 2015, showed dairy represented just 5.7 per cent in Enfield and 5.8 per cent in Barking and Dagenham and Havering respectively.

But in the City of London the rate was as high as 8.3 percent.

It comes against a backdrop of health-conscious consumers ditching dairy due to environmental concerns and health fears, including digestive or skin problems.

Yet the data, published in the journal, CABI Agriculture and Life Sciencesdoes not reflect trends over time.

Newham was also among the lowest poultry eaters (4.1 per cent), followed only by Sutton and the City of London (both 4.3 per cent).

At the other end of the scale were Enfield (6.1 percent) and Lambeth (5.8 percent).

Kensington and Chelsea were also responsible for the highest purchasing region for animal products at 24.7 percent.

It was followed by Hammersmith and Fulham and Lambeth (both 24 percent).

Just under a fifth, or 19.5 per cent, of purchases in Newham were animal products, the data showed.

An animal-heavy diet endangers the health of our planet, experts say, because livestock farming extensively destroys habitats and generates greenhouse gases.

However, some experts argue that the impact of livestock farming on climate change has been exaggerated and that it is a ‘fantasy’ to get people to stop eating meat.

The north London borough of Barnet and the City of London were the biggest consumers of fruit and vegetables (both above 40 percent).

At the other end of the scale were Newham (31.9 percent) and Croydon (33.6 percent).

Researchers noted that older residents are likely to eat less meat, contrary to previous research suggesting vegetables are more likely to be eaten when younger.

‘This can be explained by the fact that older people generally eat less. It may also be a case where people who eat less meat – as opposed to strict vegetarians – are more likely to be older or middle-aged,” they said.

“Advocates should consider this when planning which groups to reach for meat reduction advocacy.”

But residents with fewer educational qualifications and more conservative political views also bought less meat, researchers found.

“It was also somewhat surprising to see that higher consumption of meat products was associated with higher average levels of education and a lower share of council seats belonging to the Conservative party,” they noted.

‘Again, these associations are contrary to existing research, which generally shows that vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters are more likely to be better educated and more left-wing.’

Spring and summer saw the highest sales of animal products in the capital, while May recorded the highest total food sales.

November, meanwhile, recorded the lowest consumption of meat (1.44 thousand kg) and animal products (2.49 thousand kg) by Londoners.

Data on Britons’ weekly food purchasing habits, collected annually by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, also showed last month that Britons are eating less meat, potatoes and bread than ever before. Meanwhile, rice and pasta have experienced a boom. Alcohol consumption has also increased over time, but this data only goes back to 1992

DEFRA data shows that red meat consumption has fallen by a whopping 81 percent since the 1970s, while sales of poultry and fish have doubled. This graph shows how much meat Britons have bought on average each week. Latest data for 2022 shows a huge decline compared to historical levels (data does not include fish)

But researchers acknowledged they only chose to use Tesco Clubcard data. Millions of Londoners also shop at other supermarkets and food stores.

Other limitations also related to the time frame analyzed, with trends in meat and animal product consumption likely declining since 2015.

Geographically, Consumption of meat and animal products is likely to be lower in London than in other regions of Britain, experts believe.

A 2021 survey of British diets found that almost a quarter (24 percent) of Londoners were meat-free, compared to just 14 percent of the country as a whole.

Tesco’s ‘ready to eat’ categories, sweets, fats, oils and sauces may or may not also contain animal products, researchers acknowledged.

By not counting them as either, it is possible that a particular animal product has been overlooked, especially in the ‘ready-to-eat’ category, which includes both meat-based and plant-based foods.

Data on Britons’ weekly food purchasing habits, collected annually by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, also showed last month that Brits are eating less meat, potatoes and bread than ever before.

Red meat consumption has fallen by a whopping 81 percent since the 1970s, while sales of poultry and fish have doubled.