"Firing up the Barbie": As Meat Consumption Rises, More Consumers Demanding Organic, Grass-fed and Humanely-Raised Products

By 2020, people in industrialized countries will consume 90 kilograms of meat a year—the equivalent of a side of beef, 50 chickens, and one pig. Worldwide meat production continues to grow, with an estimated 258 million tons produced in 2004, a two-percent increase from 2003. Since the 1970s, meat production has more than doubled because of higher demand and the introduction of large-scale production processes.

Meanwhile, as environmental and public health concerns about meat production and consumption grow, both sellers and buyers are rethinking their food choices. McDonalds—the largest U.S. purchaser of beef and one of the largest buyers of chicken and pork—has asked some suppliers to stop using antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed. Whole Foods Market, a Texas-based supermarket chain, has committed $500,000 to establishing a foundation to study humane animal farming methods. And consumers are also demanding more grass-fed meat, milk, and eggs for their higher Omega 3 fatty acid contents, which have shown immense health benefits.

Vital Signs
Purchase a print version or electronic PDF of Vital Signs 2005.

References
"Meat Production and Consumption Rise," in Vital Signs 2005, pp. 24-25

Links
International Food Policy Research Institute http://www.ifpri.org/
Food and Agriculture Organization http://www.fao.org/