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submitted 6 hours ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

UN report says global meat supply has risen fourfold in last 60 years and is expected to keep rising

The average person eats about six times as much chicken and twice as much pork as their grandparents’ generation did, data from a UN report suggests, with global meat supply having risen fourfold in the last 60 years and expected to keep rising.

The supply of poultry rose from below 3kg a person in 1961 to 17kg in 2022, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Pork supply doubled to 15kg a person over the same period, while beef, the most polluting food, stayed steady at 9kg.

Agriculture is the second most polluting sector of the global economy. Its planet-heating emissions are forecast to rise by 7.6% over the next decade, according to the FAO’s review of the science on the drivers of meat supply and demand, with livestock responsible for an estimated 80% of the increase.

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[-] manuremy@sopuli.xyz 9 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

I grew up eating chicken (broiler) about 2-3 times a week. Once at home, once or twice at school lunch. That adds up. In my country, the amount of chicken (broiler) people eat keeps raising, where as pork and beef lowers. This is mainly because of price, and bit of because people are starting to learn about the pollution and also because people here still think that birds or fish don't feel pain, where pigs and cows do.

But few years ago, when I worked in a elder home's kitchen, I learned that the elders Did Not Eat Chicken. Like really, didn't eat it. They would eat it, but if someone, me or the nurses, said that it's chicken, they would stop and only eat the veggies and potatoes/rice around the meal. Some nurses told me to just call it pork or fish, but it felt unethical to lie.. They really should have just served other protein..

[-] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 4 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Lately chicken is starting to get more expensive than pork here. Chicken on discount vs pork on discount, pork is 2x cheaper per kilo.

Beef is still way more expensive though

[-] manuremy@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

I eat meat so rarely I haven't checked the prices recently, but sounds very possible here too since they're importing cheap pork from neighboring country while chicken is still grown here..

[-] 0x0@infosec.pub 8 points 5 hours ago

Did we replace something or are we just eating more?

[-] Arcanepotato@crazypeople.online 3 points 2 hours ago

The "we" here is global, so I don't think your question has a neat answer that can be applied in all regions.

From the report:

The global supply of terrestrial animal source food (TASF), namely milk and dairy products, eggs and meat, has rapidly increased between 1961 and 2022. The increase in per capita supply of TASF was driven by three commodities: eggs, poultry meat and pig meat.

This chart is not talking about causes but it is interesting:

More protein is consumed overall in higher income countries but less is coming from plants and more from animals.

Poultry is projected to account for about half of the global growth in meat production (see Figure B39 and Figure B40) due to sustained profitability and favourable meat-to-feed price ratios.

About two-thirds of all meat is expected to be consumed by one-third of the world’s population in 2032, which is only a slight improvement from the base period (see Figure B42).

Increases in meat consumption have raised concerns about long-term sustainability, given the pressure that this consumption exerts on global resources, as well as the meat production sector’s contributions to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These mounting environmental and health concerns are expected to continue to shift consumer preferences away from red and processed meat, notably beef, towards leaner and allegedly more environmentally friendly alternatives, notably poultry and fish. These shifts are especially pronounced in consumers in Europe and Northern America. In sub-Saharan Africa, demand for poultry will primarily be driven by the greater affordability of poultry compared to beef, rather than by long-term sustainability concerns.

So:

  1. Greater overall global consumption of protein
  2. As protein consumption increases more it comes from animal flesh and excretions vs plants
  3. Cost is a large factor in how much animal flesh is consumed
  4. Production of foods from poultry flesh is profitable
  5. Foods from poultry flesh are more affordable than foods from other animal bodies, driving up the consumption of poultry flesh.
[-] faltryka@lemmy.world 9 points 4 hours ago

It’s my understanding that it’s cheaper, healthier, and more environmentally friendly than beef, and I’d bet its growth is inversely correlated to beef consumption.

Also it’s the staple protein for people who are trying to be more fit because of how lean parts like the breast can be.

[-] FatVegan@leminal.space 9 points 4 hours ago

Wait until they figure out about mushrooms, seitan, tofu etc. Nevermind, suddenly it's not about health and protein anymore.

[-] ChexMax@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

This is a narrow take. You can switch from beef to chicken to be healthier. You're not saying i want to eat the healthiest version regardless of when I enjoy, you're saying between these two meats I enjoy, chicken is the healthier protein. It's not a lie that it's about health just because they're not following your standards

[-] faltryka@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

Taste, convenience and local availability all matter too. In fact there’s a whole massive ecosystem of influences creating the observable change that we are talking about.

There’s also a whole massive ecosystem of changes that haven’t created the change you want here.

[-] BarneyPiccolo@lemmings.world 1 points 3 hours ago

I once saw a historian say that when future archeologists hit our layer of history, it's going to be notable for the enormous amount of chicken bones they'll find. We'll be known as the Chicken Era.

[-] manuremy@sopuli.xyz 2 points 3 hours ago

I don't think broiler bones last a week in ground. I have accidentally even eaten a few (don't ask, was stoned) and didn't get any issues. Still don't recommend anyone trying.

[-] wasabi_noir@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago
[-] manuremy@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 hour ago

Not sure, but at least I am sober!

this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2026
43 points (100.0% liked)

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