Meat Consumption In The United States

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There is no doubt that Americans love their meat. Out of the entire population, the Pew Research Center claims that only three percent of the civilians say they follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. In total, meat consumption in the United States can be measured in billions of pounds. Although meat consumption in the U.S. has slightly decreased in recent years, Americans still eat more meat per person than in any other country, with the average person annually consuming at least two-hundred-seventy pounds of meat. This is not a surprise considering that, according to the North American Meat Industry, the United States meat industry is the largest segment of the United States agriculture, and the total meat and poultry production in 2012 …show more content…
However, there is some skepticism on the success of the meat industry in terms of how far the government has intervened to ensure food safety and the preliminary assessment of how beneficial meat is to one’s health. First of all, it is speculated that the meat industry will continue to live as pork, poultry, and beef consumption is “expected to rise significantly over the next 10 years”, according to Jonathan (para. 8). Recent reports have quantified the positive effects the U.S. animal agriculture has on the economy by directly contributing to the United States’ total economic output, income, and taxes. For instance, igrow.org highlights the positive impacts from the United States’ animal agriculture to the domestic economy, which includes: 1,851,000 jobs, $346 billion in total economic output, $60 billion in household income, $15 billion in income taxes paid, and $6 billion in property taxes paid (Economic Benefits of the Livestock Industry). The meat industry’s contribution to, especially the beef industry, the economy is …show more content…
would save the most by curbing its taste for meat.” (para. 6). The U.S., when compared to other countries, has higher rates of obesity, diseases, and deaths due to higher amounts of meat consumption. The country could save one-hundred-eighty billion dollars on health insurance by cutting down its meat intake. Because of the high correlation between meat consumption and diet-related diseases, studies are predicting that by 2050 there will be a drastic shift globally to eating more fruits and vegetables. Even though it is a known fact that eating red meat daily increases the risks of various diseases, the BBC News report that British people, and possibly Americans as well, still consume a daily amount of seventy grams of red and processed meat. It can be concluded that vegetarians, vegans, and those who follow diet guidelines enjoy the advantages of healthcare savings due to the lowered risks of contracting diet-related diseases, based on Davis’s projection. Increasing healthcare savings isn’t an easy task though; the nation’s population has to cooperate in order to reduce meat consumption, especially red meat, and switch over to fruits and vegetables instead. Long-term effects are only noticeable once drastic changes are made to one’s diet. In addition to saving lives, plant-based diets or even a
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