Why Not 100%?
Let’s get this out of the way: going fully vegan is great. If you can do it, more power to you. But most people can’t. Or won’t. And shaming them hasn’t worked.
Here’s what the numbers actually say.
The Environmental Math
The average person in the UK eats about 80kg of meat per year. If everyone went fully vegan overnight, we’d reduce food-related carbon emissions by roughly 70%.
But “everyone going vegan overnight” is a fantasy. It’s not happening. So what happens if we’re realistic?
If everyone reduced meat consumption by 75%:
- That 80kg drops to 20kg per person
- Food-related emissions drop by approximately 50-55%
- Agricultural land use drops by 60%
- Water usage from food drops by 45%
That’s not as good as 100%. But it’s infinitely better than 0%. And it’s actually achievable.
The Adoption Math
Here’s the bit nobody talks about.
| Scenario | Adoption Rate | Net Meat Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| 100% vegan | ~3% of population | 3% total |
| 75% plant-based | ~30% of population (estimated) | 22.5% total |
| 50% plant-based | ~50% of population | 25% total |
Read that again. A 75% reduction adopted by 30% of people achieves more than full veganism adopted by 3%.
This is the fundamental insight: a moderate change that millions adopt beats a radical change that almost nobody does.
The Health Math
You don’t need to eliminate meat to be healthy. You need to eat less of it and more plants. Every major health organization agrees:
- WHO: Recommends limiting red meat to 1-2 portions per week
- NHS: Suggests no more than 70g of red/processed meat per day
- Harvard: Their “Healthy Eating Plate” is naturally about 75% plant-based
At 75% plant-based, you’re hitting all of these guidelines comfortably. You’re getting more fiber, more antioxidants, more variety. And you’re still getting the iron, B12, and complete proteins from the 25% that includes meat.
No supplements required. No careful meal planning. No deficiency anxiety.
The Budget Math
Plant protein is cheap. Like, dramatically cheap.
| Protein Source | Cost per 100g protein (UK) |
|---|---|
| Dried lentils | ~£0.60 |
| Canned beans | ~£0.80 |
| TVP | ~£0.70 |
| Tofu | ~£1.20 |
| Beef mince | ~£2.50 |
| Chicken breast | ~£2.00 |
| Salmon | ~£4.00 |
When you replace 75% of your meat with plants, your grocery bill drops. Not by a little — by a lot. Our recipes average £2-3 per serving. A fully meat-based equivalent would be £4-6.
A family of four switching to 75% plant-based saves roughly £30-50 per week. That’s £1,500-2,500 per year.
The Taste Math
This is the one people actually care about.
Here’s our secret: when you keep 25% meat in a recipe, you keep nearly 100% of the flavor. Meat contributes:
- Fat (carries flavor) — 25% still provides this
- Umami (savory depth) — concentrated in even small amounts
- Maillard reaction (brown, crispy bits) — works the same at 25%
- Familiarity (comfort, nostalgia) — still present
The plant-based 75% contributes:
- Texture variety (beans, lentils, mushrooms)
- Nutrition (fiber, vitamins, minerals)
- Bulk (more food for less money)
In blind taste tests — and we’ve done plenty at dinner parties — people genuinely cannot tell that our 75% Bolognaise is mostly plants. The 25% beef carries the entire flavor profile.
The Psychological Math
This might be the most important number.
Sticking with it: 84% of people who try going fully vegan quit within a year. The number one reason? It’s too restrictive.
75% doesn’t feel restrictive. You’re still having a Sunday roast. Still ordering a steak on your birthday. Still eating your nan’s shepherd’s pie at Christmas (just the updated version).
The 25% flexibility isn’t a compromise — it’s a strategy. It’s what makes this sustainable for decades, not weeks.
So Why 75?
Not 50 (too easy, not enough impact). Not 90 (too hard, too close to “just go vegan”). Not some round number for marketing.
75% is where the math converges:
- Maximum environmental impact per person willing to change
- Maximum adoption potential in the general population
- Minimum disruption to existing food habits
- Zero sacrifice on taste when done right
It’s the sweet spot. The Goldilocks zone. The point where doing less isn’t enough and doing more starts pushing people away.
The Only Math That Matters
One person eating 75% plant-based for a year:
- Saves approximately 1,100 kg of CO2 equivalent
- Uses 340,000 fewer liters of water
- Spares roughly 25 animals
- Saves about £1,500 on groceries
Multiply that by millions of people, and you’ve got a revolution that actually sticks.
Progress over perfection. That’s the math.
Ready to start? Pick any recipe from our collection and make your next meal 75% plant-based. One meal at a time.