|
Although meat has enjoyed sustained popularity as a foodstuff,
in recent years consumers have expressed growing concern over
some consequences of meat consumption and production. These
include:
Nutrition-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease
and diabetes, associated with the over-consumption of animal
fats.1 These
diseases are now responsible for a third of global mortality.2
Over-consumption of meat may be responsible for a quarter
of all ischemic heart disease, or 1.8 million deaths, annually.3,2
Foodborne pathogens found in meats, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter,
pathogenic E. coli, Avian influenza, and Bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE). In the United States, foodborne diseases
— the most common causes of which are contaminated meats
— are responsible for over 76 million episodes of illness,
325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year.4
In the United States, alone, the annual medical costs related
to over-consumption of meat are believed to be between $30
and 60 billion.5
Inefficient use of resources. Obtaining nutrients from meat,
rather than directly from plants, uses considerably more cropland,
water, fertilizer, pesticides, and energy. Given the inputs
required to house, transport, and slaughter animals; transport
and process feed grains; and transport and process meat, intensive
meat production is only 25 percent as energy efficient as
soybean production.6 Obtaining our food exclusively
from plants would make it possible to feed substantially more
people using available resources.7
Pollution. Annually, 1.4 billion tons of farm animal wastes
are produced in the United States.8
Together with animal feed production, meat production is responsible
for the emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus, pesticide contamination
of water, heavy metal contamination of soil, and acid rain
from ammonia emissions.9
In addition, in the United States, a quarter of all the human-induced
production of the greenhouse gas, methane, comes from farm
animals and their waste products.10
Depletion of fishing stocks. 75 percent of existing fishing
stocks are either fully- or over-exploited.11
Use of farm animals. 9 billion farm animals are killed each
year in the United States to produce meat.12
The conditions in which these animals are raised and killed
raise serious concerns about their welfare.
While per capita meat consumption in the United States and
other developed countries has plateaued in recent years, meat
consumption in developing countries continues to increase,
having doubled over the last 20 years.13
It is not clear what the consequences of this increase will
be, particularly when coupled with a growing global population.
Conventional meat production may be capable of feeding a population
of 9 billion, but may do so at a high cost. We may increasingly
be pushed to reduce our consumption of meat or to adopt alternative
animal farming systems.
|
