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Monday, September 4th, 2023

Just 12% of People in the U.S. Consume Over 50% of the Country’s Beef, Study Finds

Author:     Paige Bennett
Source:     Eco Watch
Publication Date:     September 1, 2023
 Link: Just 12% of People in the U.S. Consume Over 50% of the Country’s Beef, Study Finds
Stephan:  

I was quite surprised by this study. A tiny proportion of Americans, mostly older White men, consume a disproportionate percentage of the beef eaten. This not only has significant implications about the poor health of these men, it also says something important about global warming. Beef herds are a significant factor in climate change, not only because beef farming often involves cutting down forests, but also the animals themselves.

If you wish to read the research study upon which this article is based see: Demographic and Socioeconomic Correlates of Disproportionate Beef Consumption among US Adults in an Age of Global Warming

A new study found that more than half of the beef consumption in the U.S. is done by less than one-eighth of the population. Credit: Westend61 / Getty

A new study has found that only about 12% of people in the U.S. consume more than half of the beef eaten in the country on any given day. According to the researchers, the highest consumption was more likely to occur with men or people aged 50 to 65.

The researchers used the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as the baseline. These latest guidelines suggest 4 ounces combined of meat, poultry, and eggs for people consuming 2,200 calories per day, so they reviewed people consuming more than this.

Researchers analyzed data collected by the CDC in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and focused on beef consumption, noting that the beef industry in particular had major environmental impacts. The beef industry produces up to 10 times more emissions than chicken and over 50 times more emissions than beans.

The survey collected information of what more than 10,000 adults ate within a 24-hour […]

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1 Comment

  1. Mark on Monday, September 4, 2023 at 6:12 am

    Not too surprising especially if you spend much time with older white males.

    But I’m not sure I’m jumping on the ‘beef is bad’ bandwagon quite yet. As a nutritionist I’m convinced a lot of the anti-beef movement is cloaked in health-speak when in reality it’s more psychologically based. Plus, if raising beef is so hard on the environment how did we survive the period when millions of buffalo covered the Great Plains? And roamed the plains for who knows how many years. Looking for a major source of damage to the climate – gotta consider the contributions of heating and cooling of our homes and buildings! We can do better!