BEWARE: Meat consumption in low- and middle-income countries is ACCELERATING
In 1980, China’s annual meat production was around half that of the US’s. However, by 2018, it had quadrupled, to become the largest meat producer in the world.
CHLOE DEMPSEY: In the global north, the rise of plant-based meat, alongside disruptions in meat supply chains caused by Covid-19, has left some asking if the world is close to reaching “peak meat”… The slowdown in meat-eating in developed countries can be partly attributed to a popularisation of “plant-based” lifestyles…
However,… these trends are not necessarily likely to catch on in in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)… In other parts of the world, meat consumption is accelerating like never before. Meat consumption in LMICs is continuing to rise as middle classes expand, with consequences for health, the climate and economies, both locally and globally…
Rising meat consumption is a major driver of global emissions. All food production currently accounts for a quarter of global emissions – with animal-based products responsible for the majority of these emissions… The impact of this trend, if it continues in its current form, could dwarf the impact of falling meat consumption in North America and Europe.
Theory dictates that growth in meat consumption in coming decades will be driven by LMICs… Such consumption is driven by beliefs about the added nutritional value of meat, as well as other complex socio-cultural factors, such as the importance of meat as a historical indicator of status. (In many low-income countries, farm animals are not considered as a direct food source, but as a form of wealth. From capital in de-facto loans to dowry gifts, farmed animals serve a value outside of just arriving on a plate as meat.)
The link between economic development and meat consumption appears to hold true for China. In 1980, China’s annual meat production was around half that of the US’s. However, by 2018, it had quadrupled – far surpassing the US to become the largest meat producer in the world. Evidence shows that much of this meat is being consumed within China rather than being exported.
In addition, rapid economic development in other Asian countries has seen the region become the world’s largest meat producer. In 2018, Asia accounted for around 40-45% of total meat production. (Meat production in Asia has increased 15-fold since 1961.) Meat consumption has also increased in central and South America in recent decades…
In many of these countries, increased meat consumption is still aspirational, diets are more grounded in traditional culinary traditions and “alternative protein” is already a staple of the diet… In addition, some national pundits have argued against efforts to reduce meat-eating in China on the basis that meat should not be an “exclusive privilege” reserved for western countries. SOURCE…
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