Meat Consumption News - vegconomist: the vegan business magazine

Backlash From Animal Ag Groups Forces EPA Ireland to Remove Meat Reduction Tweet

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023

The Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deleted a tweet encouraging consumers to reduce meat consumption following the adverse reaction of animal agriculture groups. The tweet advised consumers to cut down on meat by exploring vegetarian recipes and participating in meat-free Mondays. It also highlighted that 10% of purchased meat goes to waste. Accompanying the message was a meme of Samantha Jones from the television show Sex and the City, depicted with a smile and the caption “the planet when you reduce your red meat intake.” According to reports, the Irish Farmers’ Association said the tweet caused anger among farmers and asked for its immediate removal, pressuring the EPA to discuss the rationale behind its tweet and how it aligns with the EPA’s responsibilities. Dermot Kelleher, the president of …

Simpliigood unveils high quality chicken analog made with spirulina

Studies & Numbers

43% of German Consumers Have Reduced Their Meat Consumption in the Past Year

August 22, 2023

A new Mintel consumer study, Global Outlook on Sustainability, has provided some encouraging insights into the habits and attitudes of German consumers regarding meat consumption. Just 22% of Germans said they ate meat at almost every meal, compared to 47% of French consumers and 51% of Brits. 43% said they had reduced their meat consumption in the past year, compared to an international average of 28%. Furthermore, 37% of Germans believed that eating less meat was the most effective personal measure they could take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the highest proportion worldwide to hold this viewpoint (the international average was 21%). However, the number of consumers avoiding meat altogether remains low, with 2% identifying as vegan, 4% as vegetarian, and 18% as flexitarian. This …

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Mintel

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Market & Trends

Germany: Meat Consumption Drops to Record Low, Plant-Based Sales at Record High

June 12, 2023April 5, 2023

Data published this week by Germany’s Federal Information Centre for Agriculture reveals that, in 2022, per capita meat consumption fell by around 4.2 kg to 52 kilograms per person compared with 2021, lower than at any point since calculations began in 1989. The report states that Germans consumed about 2.8 kg less pork, 900 grams less beef and veal, and 400 grams less poultry last year. Encouragingly, this translates to net production of animal meat: 9.8% less pork and 8.2% less beef and veal were produced domestically compared to 2021, while net production of poultry meat was down 2.9%. Why Germany? Germany’s meat consumption has been steadily in decline over recent years, with the country’s interest in meat-free living further bolstered by Health Minister Karl …

Organisations and brands:

The Good Food Institute (GFI)

Edinburgh Becomes First European Capital to Join the Plant Based Treaty in Response to the Climate Emergency

January 18, 2023

Edinburgh becomes the first Scottish city and the first European capital to join the Plant Based Treaty initiative in response to the climate emergency. Haywards Heath in the UK, Boynton Beach in Florida, Los Angeles, Rosario in Argentina, one city in Turkey, and fourteen cities in India have joined The Plant Based Treaty. Since its launch in August 2021, the initiative has received support from 70,000 individual endorsers, 5 Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, more than 1000 NGOs, and 1000 businesses. Green Councillor Steve Burgess presented the Plant Based Treaty to The City Council of Edinburgh, which voted unanimously to produce an impact assessment on the implications of endorsing The Treaty. The finalized report shows that “meat and dairy consumption must reduce to achieve climate targets” because food-related emissions and …

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The Plant Based Treaty

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Sustainability / Environment

Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown Responds to Idea of Pigouvian Taxes

August 2, 2021August 2, 2021

In a conversation with the BBC yesterday, Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown stated that consumers are already interested in alt meat: “If you look at shopper data that we have, 93% of the people that are putting the Beyond burger in their cart are also putting animal protein in.” When asked as to whether he agrees on the idea of taxation on meat consumption, Brown said to the BBC: “I think the whole notion of a pigovian tax, which is to tax negative things that are high in externalities, I think is an interesting one. I’m not an economist but overall intuitively that type of thing does appeal to me, not just for meat. I think taxing things we want more of such as income …

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Beyond Meat

Market & Trends

Federal Statistical Office: Germans Opting for Vegan Alternatives, Meat Consumption Decreasing Significantly

May 17, 2021May 14, 2021

Pork or tofu sausage, neck steak or seitan schnitzel? This question is apparently being answered by more and more consumers in favour of the vegetarian or vegan alternative.

Society

Germans Believe They Eat Less Meat

September 11, 2023April 15, 2021

If you ask Germans how much meat they believe they consume, they estimate around 92 grams of sausage and meat a day end up on the plate, or 644 grams a week. This is the result of a survey by the Donato Foundation. In fact, however, it is considerably more. 160 grams, to be exact, which is about 72% more than what is believed. This means that the average German eats 1,120 grams of meat a week. The difference is shown in a comparison with the meat balance of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Americans also eat more meat than they think and were 49% off their actual figure in the survey, consuming around 280 grams of meat a day – …

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Market & Trends

Meat Consumption Continues to Decline, Now Averaging 57.3 Kg Per Person in Germany

March 23, 2021

According to provisional data from Germany’s Federal Agricultural Information Centre (BZL), the per capita consumption of animal meat last year was lower than at any time since consumption was first calculated in 1989, at 57.3 kilograms per person – meaning an average of 750 grams less than was consumed in Germany than in the previous year.

©Tobias Arhelger-adobe.stock.com

Society

Study Shows Meat Consumption in Germany is Declining

September 11, 2023May 26, 2020

A recent representative study by Forsa on the eating habits of Germans, commissioned by Federal Minister of Food Julia Klöckner, shows that meat consumption in the country continues to decline and this decline is increasingly taking place amongst males. Only 26% of those surveyed eat meat every day, whereas this was the case for 34% surveyed in 2015.

Global meat industry and world beef production food concept

Market & Trends

Consumption of Meat to Plateau in Europe and US in Next Decade, China to Eventually Follow

January 15, 2020

The US, which is still the biggest consumer of meat per capita, is forecast to hit the high point in 2020 at just over 100kg per year, according to OECD data. This is then predicted to plateau over the next decade. The trend is estimated to be similar for the EU, where consumers ate 71kg of meat per person last year.

Studies & Numbers

56% of Americans Are Likely Reducing Meat as a New Year Resolution

January 3, 2020

Independent research firm Dynata gauged US consumers’ attitudes toward eating meat-free meals in a study commissioned by The Meatless Farm. The researchers concluded, amongst other things, that there is a direct relationship between self-improvement and eating less meat.

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Meatless Farm

Society

74% of UK Households Have Reduced Consumption of Red Meat

September 11, 2023October 1, 2019

A recent survey by Leatherhead Food Research investigated 999 adults in the UK, revealing that 74% of households have consciously decided to reduce their consumption of red meat products, with 40% consuming ‘a bit less red meat’ and over a third (35%) of UK families introducing at least one weekly dedicated meat-free day this year.

Studies & Numbers

Study Shows Consumers Want to Remove Meat From Their Plates

August 2, 2019

Across the globe, consumers are either looking to abstain from meat consumption or moderate their intake. This is leading to the rise of consumers adopting meat-free and flexitarian style diets, with this trend primarily being driven by younger adults, according to research by FMCG Gurus.

Landscape of meadow field with the changing environment

Studies & Numbers

Study Reveals Americans Must Consume 90% Less Meat for Planet to Survive

May 3, 2019

A study published by The International Journal of Science shows that the food industry is a major driver of climate change, changes in land use, depletion of freshwater resources, and pollution of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The study shows that as a result of population growth between 2010 and 2050, the effects of the food system could reach “levels that are beyond the planetary boundaries that define a safe operating space for humanity.”

Quelle: Pixabay

Health

Red and Processed Meat Consumption Declines in the UK

February 18, 2019

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), which is a rolling programme assessing trends for diet, nutrient intake, and nutritional status for the UK, has released its results for the period of 2008-2017.

Society

Netherlands: Two Out of Five Dutch People are Eating Less Meat

September 11, 2023February 1, 2019

A recent study by the website Nu.nl on the eating habits of the Dutch population shows that a large proportion of Dutch people have significantly reduced their meat consumption. For example, a good two out of five respondents indicated that they consumed much less steak and far fewer burgers last year than they did previously.

health nutrition study medicine research

Society

Veganism and Masculinity

September 11, 2023January 10, 2019

Meat has long been considered a symbol of masculinity. Tanja Paulitz, sociology professor at TU Darmstadt (Germany), and her research assistant Martin Winter, recently investigated the link between gender and diet in the age of the “veggie boom”. As part of the “Dietary Cultures and Gender” project funded by the Hessian Ministry of Science, the research team analysed vegan cookbooks, carried out field studies at trade fairs in the areas of food, butchery, livestock rearing and agricultural technology, and conducted interviews with NGOs and experts in the nutritional sciences.

Meat Consumption in the EU Set to Fall by 2030, EU Report Says

January 2, 2019

According to a new EU agricultural report, people in Europe will be consuming less meat by 2030. The report says meat consumption per capita will fall from 69.3 kg to 68.6 kg over the next 12 years.

Health

This is What Meat Should Really Cost, According to Study

November 21, 2018

A study from Oxford published in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) calculated how much meat products should cost in order to cover the resulting health system costs for 149 countries. The scientists’ assessment shows that in countries with high income levels, processed meat products would have to be taxed at 167%.

Laborant untersucht invitro-Fleisch im Labor

Market & Trends

Report by Adam Smith Institute: Does Laboratory Meat Have Potential to Prevent Food Crisis?

September 19, 2018

Humanity is currently using natural resources 1.7 times faster than the planet’s ecosystems can regenerate, and has already used up all the resources naturally available this year. A new Adam Smith Institute report suggests that laboratory meat has the potential to save lives and the environment, and to prevent a food crisis. Researcher Jamie Hollywood, and president of the Adam Smith Institute, Dr Madsen Pirie, have written a report on meat grown from cells in the laboratory, also known as cultured meat or clean meat. This cellular agriculture has the potential to greatly benefit the environment. Dr. Madsen Pirie says, “This will free up millions of acres of grazing land for other purposes. It will also solve all ethical questions related to the rearing and …

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Adam Smith Institute

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