A Diet The French Are Being Encouraged To Stick To

A bold new report by WWF France is urging French people to adopt a “flexitarian” diet. This means drastically cutting down on their Magret de Canard and other favorite meat-rich dishes to benefit the well-being of both people and the planet.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in France is asking the nation to adopt a flexitarian diet, which is sometimes described as being “semi-vegetarian.” While no foods are forbidden, they say that the consumption of meat should be significantly reduced.

This is a bold request for a country that takes such pride in gastronomic excellence, its capital city boasting the best restaurant in the world the second year running. France’s reputation for culinary excellence is centered around meat, which is at the heart of famous dishes of boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, and magret de canard.

World famous French dish magret de canard

Nonetheless, WWF France insists that reducing our intake of meat is a necessary step towards “reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food production.” At the same time, they also hope to reduce the pressure on fisheries and other resources.

In order to help implement these changes, they have devised a sample food basket plan that can be easily adopted by a family of four. The basket would typically cost 187 euros a week and see a 31% cut in meat, 40% cut in fish and 69% cut in factory processed food, compared to traditional French eating habits.

The report details further changes that include only eating factory based products once every three days as opposed to the current trend of once a day. In its place, they propose increasing the use of protein-rich foods like eggs.

This study shows that it is possible to find a balance between healthy eating and sustainability concerns. WWF France is also keen to point out that “the cost of the flex basket does not exceed that of the INCA3 basket,” reassuring any fears about this diet’s additional expense.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.