Food Production and Consumption Patterns

Nine Food Production Patterns

1. Global meat production has increased almost five-fold in the last 60 years, reaching 341 million tonnes in 2018 compared to 71 million tonnes in 1961 (1). However, due to the increasing shift towards chicken production, latest figures indicate the number of animals reared for meat during this period has increased almost ten-fold to a staggering 77 billion animals (2)
2. The largest growth in meat production has occurred in Asia, which now represents 40-45 percent of total global production, largely driven by China (1)
3. Poultry meat has almost tripled its share of global production (12 to 36 percent) in this time period, whilst pig meat has remained constant at 35 percent and beef has halved (from 40 to 20 percent) (1)
4. In terms of number of animals, global meat production has increased from 7.7 billion animals in 1961 to over 72 billion animals in 2018 (1), with most recent estimates of 77 billion animals
5. By far the most animals reared are chicken at over 69 billion compared to 1.5 billion pigs and 302 million cattle – see Figure below
6. In addition, there are 7.5 billion laying hens producing 1.4 trillion eggs, and 280 million dairy cows producing 660 billion litres of milk (2)
7. It is estimated that annual fish catches represent between 790 billion and 2.3 trillion individual fish and farmed fish is estimated to include 51-167 billion fish (3)
8. Animals and fish are sentient beings. We have a moral duty therefore to reduce the number of lives used for food and ensure waste is minimised throughout the supply chain.
9. Reducing meat consumption would also benefit the planet and our health. A clear majority of credible scientific papers such as:
   • the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), https://www.ipcc.ch/
   • the Intergovernmental Science Platform on Biodiversity (IPBES) https://ipbes.net/globalassessment and
   • the EAT-Lancet Commission https://eatforum.org/content/uploads/2019/07/EAT-Lancet_Commission_Summary_Report.pdf
   conclude that meat and dairy must begin to play a much smaller role in our daily diets.

Seven Food Consumption Patterns

1. As populations rise, so does urbanisation and with it the demand for meat and animal protein. There is a strong correlation between increased incomes and a rise in the amount of animal protein consumed (1)
2. Per capita meat consumption increased from 23kg/capita/annum in 1961 to43kg/capita/annum in 2014 – see figure 1 (2)
3. Meat consumption is highest in high-income countries, such as the USA and Australia where consumption is greater than 120kg/capita/year. Average European consumption is around80kg/capita/year and around 60kg/capita/year in China. Meat consumption varies widely across Africa with higher-income countries consuming between 60-70 kgs per capita to as low as 10 kg per capita in others (2)
4. The growth in meat consumption is particularly evident in China, which has seen anapproximate 15-fold increase per capita consumption since 1961. Other countries, Brazil forexample have nearly quadrupled. India, where a lactovegetarian diet dominates, hasremained at around 4kg of meat per person throughout this time frame. (2)
5. Global meat consumption ranges from 4 to >120g/capita/annum, or 11 to 328g/d and 77 to2,296g/week; dairy, egg and fish consumption are additive to this. Whilst there are a varietyof global and national dietary guidelines, the main consensus is that for most countriespeople consume too much animal protein.
6. The Eat-Lancet planetary health diet (3) and the Livewell plate (4) are two examples where health and environmental sustainability have been combined to produce a planetary health diet. The allowance per day is given below and compared against a typical UK serving. Both diets recommend just 500 g of meat and fish combined per week or three average portions of meat or fish.
   A significant reduction is required if we are to address the climate, nature and health emergency we face today and align to the recommended diets.
7. Most adults in developed countries consume substantially more protein than they require and therefore a reduction in animal-based protein is realistic. (5) especially if combined with the consumption of a range of plant-based proteins.