The USDA forecasts Americans will eat a record amount of red meat and poultry this year — an average of 222.8 pounds per person. At the same time, “the mix of meats … has shifted dramatically, with the share of beef declining” by one-third since peaking in the 1970s, while chicken consumption has doubled and pork has held steady, says a World Resources Institute blog.
A variety of factors are behind the shift, according to the researchers, including rising concerns about fat in the diet, lower retail prices for chicken compared to beef, and the increase in two-income households (since beef takes longer to prepare than chicken). Beef made a bit of a comeback following the recovery from the 2008-09 recession.
One effect of the shift toward poultry, which now accounts for roughly half of meat consumption, is less pressure on the environment, says WRI. Chickens grow to maturity much faster than cattle. “Between this beef-to-chicken trend and steady improvement in American farming efficiency, U.S. individual dietary footprints are likely lower now than they were 50 years ago,” says the blog. “More efforts are necessary to accelerate the shift to a more sustainable American diet, with a greater share of plant-based foods. … If the next wave of plant-based foods and plant-forward meals can compete with all meats like chicken did with beef — on important consumer attributes like taste, price, convenience, and nutrition — we could be at the start of a very important dietary transition.”