I know this can be a divisive topic, but here's some more food for thought on the subject.<p>In the 'west' we are conditioned into thinking daily meat consumption is a natural state of affairs. But actually, we are eating more meat today than at any time in the past.<p>A 2011 report by the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency found that:<p>- average EU consumption of animal products was twice the global average<p>- per-capita consumption of animal products in Europe has increased by around 50% over the 1961-2007 period<p>- the energy intake and protein intake from animal and vegetable products in the EU are higher than recommended in WHO guidelines – for protein by as much as 70%<p>Source: <i>The protein puzzle: The consumption and production of meat, dairy and fish in the European Union</i>
<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-eu-unit-stateless/2018/08/dd8a16f3-dd8a16f3-protein_puzzle_web_1.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-eu-unit-stateless/201...</a><p>This more recent collection of data by <i>Our World in Data</i> (2017) shows the staggering rise in meat production and consumption worldwide. The mind simply boggles at the sheer scale of the animals killed for human consumption e.g. more than 1.4 <i>billion</i> pigs slaughtered globally in 2014 for meat. (I'm a meat eater in case you're wondering.)<p>In the 'west', the cheap meat prices and abundant supply at the supermarket are impossible to resist. Changing our diet doesn't mean giving up meat but it does mean reducing consumption substantially. How many of us are willing to make that change?<p><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-eu-unit-stateless/2018/08/dd8a16f3-dd8a16f3-protein_puzzle_web_1.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-eu-unit-stateless/201...</a>