meat consumption
Would a meat tax bring better health and environmental benefits?
An investment network, Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return, says in a report that countries could begin taxing meat to drive down consumption and meet their goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reports Civil Eats.
Big Canada meat distributor buys Field Roast, a U.S. vegan meat producer
Maple Leaf Foods, Canada's largest distributor of packaged meats, says it will buy Field Roast Grain Meat Co. in an expansion of its role in the North American market for alternative proteins. Based in Seattle, Field Roast produces grain-based "meat" and vegan cheese products, such as plant-based roasts, sausages, burgers and sliced cheese. It also makes a frozen vegan mac-and-cheese.
More meat: It’s what’s for dinner
Americans are going to eat a lot of meat in 2018 — 222.2 pounds per person, according to USDA projections that are based on the expectation of a comparatively strong economy that will give people more disposable income.
Plant-based meats sizzle during U.S. grilling season
It's still a small part of the market, yet "burgers made from plants instead of animals are capturing more space on U.S barbecue grills this summer," says Reuters, pointing to estimates of global sales of $5 billion by 2020. Consumer research firm Technomic says alternative meat products are targeted at millennials and Generation X, people aged 18-50 years.
Tyson Foods buys share of company specializing in plant proteins
One of the biggest meatpackers in the world, Tyson Foods, "appears to be the first big meat company to invest in a business that, among other things, aims to reduce consumption of chicken, beef and pork by replacing it with plant proteins, says the New York Times. Tyson purchased a 5-percent share of Beyond Meat, based in California.
Americans are (finally) eating more fish
In a rare bit of positive news about the U.S. diet, Americans upped their seafood intake by a pound last year to 15.5 pounds, according to the annual Fisheries of the United States Report released by NOAA last week. Even though that only amounts to about four extra seafood meals per person per year, it constitutes the “biggest biggest leap in seafood consumption in 20 years," says NPR.
Farm groups keep up pressure for TPP vote
Congressional leaders have said repeatedly that they won't call the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement for a vote in the post-election session, but farm groups are undeterred in pushing for action, said Feedstuffs. "The TPP has huge potential benefits for soybean farmers," said Richard Wilkins, president of the American Soybean Association, both in exports and in higher domestic demand for livestock feed to satisfy the growing foreign demand for meat.
Time is short for USDA to flex its antitrust muscle with meat industry
In the closing months of his tenure as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is making one last stab at being a trustbuster. Late last week, the USDA quietly moved forward with an effort to strengthen its antitrust authority over the handful of companies that dominate America’s meat system. The action raised hopes for advocates who have pushed for years to toughen antitrust laws, and it already has met resistance from meat companies and their lobbyists. What’s less clear is whether the action will have any meaningful impact.
FAO offers a helping hand in preventing antibiotic misuse
Antibiotics play a crucial role in treating disease in farm animals and plants, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in releasing an "action plan" to promote prudent use of antimicrobials. "Their use is essential to food security, to our well-being and to animal welfare," said the FAO, but the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics is a threat to human health.
Americans eating the most meat per capita since recession hit
The United States is a meat-eating nation — one of the biggest consumers in the world — and is chewing its way toward its highest per-capita consumption since the recession of 2008-09. The USDA estimates Americans will consume an average 214.7 pounds per person of red meat and poultry this year, an increase of 3.8 pounds per person from last year due to larger livestock production.
As China’s waistline balloons, new guidelines urge half as much meat in diet
With 42 percent of Chinese citizens overweight or obese, new dietary guidelines issued by the government recommend eating less meat and fat while consuming more vegetables and dairy — advice being heard in many nations. The suggestion for meat, 58 grams or 2 ounces a day, is half of current consumption levels.
Dietary Guidelines, a tug-of-war between science and self-interest
The original edition of the Dietary Guidelines, issued in 1980, was a three-fold pamphlet "with seven easy-to-comprehend rules, such as avoid sugar and saturated fat," says Eating Well magazine. The 2015-2020 edition is 53,000 words covering 211 pages.
Netherlands says eat less meat – a lot less
The government-funded Netherlands Nutrition Center "is recommending people eat just two servings of meat a week, setting an explicit limit on meat consumption for the first time," says National Geographic.
Beef prices take a breather
After two years of dramatic increases, the grocery store price of beef is stabilizing, says the Food Price Outlook.
US meat consumption rate is down 9 pct in a decade
Americans are consuming 9 pct less red meat and poultry per person than a decade ago, the result of rising prices and lower production. The 2007/08 recession also was a factor. Per capita consumption is estimated for 200.6 lbs this year, compared to 222 lbs in 2004, according to the Agriculture Department.