Sainsbury's plans to rearrange its supermarket aisles in an attempt to persuade shoppers to eat less meat.

The grocer is teaming up with Oxford University scientists who say that reducing meat consumption would improve people's health and fight climate change.

Sainsbury's could start giving vouchers to customers who buy vegetable products and putting vegetarian alternatives next to packets of meat.

Sainsbury's plans to rearrange its supermarket aisles in an attempt to persuade shoppers to eat less meat

The supermarket also plans to give out leaflets with meat-free recipes, reported The Observer.

The project will begin next week and is funded as part of Our Planet, Our Health, a £5m Wellcome Trust initiative.

Marco Springmann, who leads the Oxford scientists who will work with Sainsbury's, said: 'Imbalanced diets, such as diets low in fruits and vegetables, and high in red and processed meat, are responsible for the greatest health burden globally and in most regions.

'At the same time the food system is also responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore a major driver of climate change.'

Animals farmed for meat are responsible for huge amounts of greenhouse gases.

At the same time, large tracts of land are used to grow crops to feed these cattle, pigs and chickens.

The grocer is teaming up with Oxford University scientists who say that reducing meat consumption would improve people's health and fight climate change

Britain is already seeing a sharp increase in the number of vegetarians and vegans amid health reports linking red meat to cancer and concerns for animal welfare.

Supermarkets and high street food chains, from Pret a Manger to Zizzi and Leon, are also now offering vegan dishes.

The Oxford researchers found adopting vegetarian diets could avoid 7.3 million deaths globally per year by 2050.

The study projected that by 2050, food-related greenhouse gas emissions could account for half of the emissions the world can afford if global warming is to be limited to less than 2°C.

Dr Springmann added: 'We do not expect everybody to become vegan.

'But climate change impacts of the food system will be hard to tackle and likely require more than just technological changes.

Britain is already seeing a sharp increase in the number of vegetarians and vegans amid health reports linking red meat to cancer and concerns for animal welfare

'Adopting healthier and more environmentally sustainable diets can be a large step in the right direction.'

The head of Our Planet, Our Health, Sarah Molton, said: 'Nutritionists, political economists and epidemiologists at Oxford will study how animal foods affect health and the environment and they will then work with Sainsbury's to present those findings in ways people can understand.'

Britain is already seeing a sharp increase in the number of vegetarians and vegans amid health reports linking red meat to cancer and concerns for animal welfare.

Initiatives such as Meat Free Mondays, in which people do not eat meat on the first day of the week, have been eagerly promoted by campaigners.

A Sainsbury's spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are seeing an increasing number of customers choose to have meat free days as part of a 'flexitarian' diet, and choose dairy alternatives. But for many this will be a short term trend.

'Through this research with Oxford University, we are looking at how we can help customers make more informed choices and encourage long-term sustainable and healthy diets.'