The question of whether you should eat meat or not is a complex one. However, people typically answer the question only within the confines of a specific context, or from one perspective, perhaps through the lenses of fitness, longevity, climate change, animal welfare, food waste, or even the lenses of fair trade and social equality.
Answering this question and then taking action based only on what you’ve seen through that lens is like selecting a page at random from a book, reading it, then thinking you completely understand that book. Instead, we must take a holistic, broad view, and then make an informed, conscious decision.
I hope the following ramble explains how answering this question is a little more complex than it seems on the surface and may inspire you to make more healthy, sustainable, and ethical choices.
Is meat really that bad?
Grazing animals such as cows and sheep have existed for millennia in a perfect balance with their environment, playing important roles in a variety of ecosystems. Grassland, heathland, wood pasture, floodplain and coastal marshes all require some grazing to maintain the structure and composition upon which a variety of plants and animals depend for their survival. Well-managed grazing can be used to control invasive plant species, benefit nesting for grassland bird species, and play a key role in maintaining a diverse balanced ecosystem.
In parallel, birds contribute to a balanced ecosystem, and even farm birds often compliment other agricultural practices. Birds on pasture or cropland act as miniature manure spreaders that fertilize the soil. They turn and mix soil and manure as they scratch for insects and worms, increasing organic matter and improving fertility. They also eat general food waste produced by humans, meaning our scraps can be literally transformed into edible protein. Farm animals play other important economic, cultural, and social roles and provide multiple functions and services. They are an essential part of agro-ecosystems.
Furthermore, meat is a valuable source of macro- and micro-nutrients, particularly of bioavailable (meaning easy to absorb & assimilate) iron and zinc, vitamins B1, B12, B3, and vitamins A, D. Meat also contains high biological value protein with all essential amino acids. Essentially, meat has a very high nutritional value.
So no, meat itself isn’t “bad”.
In the context of industrialised meat production, however, animal agriculture is incredibly environmentally damaging. It is this style of meat production that is responsible for the environmental degradation, pollution and loss of biodiversity associated with meat production.
Climate change. As a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, livestock farming contributes 14.5% of global human related GHG production. Cattle are the greatest contributors to this, representing about 65% of the livestock sector’s emissions. Furthermore, meat and dairy production uses over 70% of agricultural land, yet provides 17% of our calories. The reason for this staggering proportion of land use is the enormous amount of land designated for crops which are grown solely to feed the livestock we eat – it is this concept that people aren’t clear on, and therefore overlook the scale of livestock’s impact.
Water waste. Consumption of meat and animal products makes up 27 percent of humanity’s total water footprint. According to the FAO, global livestock is probably the largest sectoral source of water use. You may not be aware of the global water shortage – but it’s a serious issue – please take a read if you are not aware of virtual water. It takes 15000 litres to make one kg of beef. That’s 15000 bottles of Evian for two big packets of minced meat.
Deforestation. Impacts of meat and dairy consumption stretch far and wide. We’re all aware the devastating impact cattle grazing is having on the amazon rainforest but it often seems that since we are over here in the UK we aren’t contributing towards it. However, when you consider the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of soy grown in south America that is imported to feed livestock in the UK, which we then eat, our direct contribution to the amazon’s deforestation becomes clear.
Species decline. There are other far reaching consequences of our meat consumption. Penguins and other species are facing extinction as the fish they feed on are harvested to make fishmeal to feed farmed salmon, chickens, pigs, and other human livestock. The South African penguin population has fallen by 70% since 2004 as fishing fleets have targeted sardines, anchovies and other marine animals used to make feed. Furthermore, the need for grazing land (and therefore land to grow feed for these grazers…) is threatening the habitats of species such as the African Elephant and Lion, contributing to their increased threat of extinction.
Human health. There are also a number of health impacts implicated with the consumption of red meat. In particular, red meat may have a negative influence on the risk of various chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and bowel cancer (although a lack of conclusive and reliable results mean it is difficult to truly understand the extent of these risks, and how lifestyle/genetic differences would affect this). More notably however, are the health impacts of processed meats, which have a greater influence on the risks of CVD, diabetes mellitus and some types of cancer. Taking this one step further, we arrive at what I call the hyper-processed meats such as Fridge Raiders, Peperamis (and other lunch snacks we feed to children…) or the fried chicken or undefined kebab ‘meat’ from your post-night-out-take-away. And because most scientific studies looking at meat only distinguish processed and non-processed meats, there is a frustrating lack of studies quantifying the risks associated with hyper-processed foods. However, it would come as a great shock to find out that these benefited our health.
Plastic. Another commonly overlooked consequence of meat consumption is the plastic that its transport, processing, and storing demands. Especially with raw meat, the hygiene safety requirements demand fully sealed packaging – making plastic a perfect container, thus meaning typically high plastic production and contribution.
So, should you eat meat?
Well, it depends. There are a number of questions you should consider, your answers to which will inform you as to whether you should be eating meat, and if so, how much.
What are your fitness goals? Are you trying to gain muscle mass and therefore need to ensure you’re consuming sufficient healthy protein? If so, then meat may offer a valuable source of protein, among other nutrients, that may facilitate the gains (but remember, it's possible to achieve this with plant-based protein).
Have you been diagnosed with low iron or zinc? If so, red meat and poultry are naturally high in bioavailable iron & zinc which can help contribute to managing or treating the deficiency.
Do you want to? Ultimately, it is your decision.
If you answered yes to one of these (which a lot of people will), there are some more critical questions to consider…
What meat are you going to eat? Is it red meat? Is it poultry? There is a big difference in the environmental impact of these types of meat. Beef production is a much less efficient use of food resources. On average chickens have edible weight feed conversion ratios (FCRs) of 4.5 to 1, meaning they need to consume 4.5 kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of edible meat. Pigs have an FCR of 9.4 to 1. For beef cattle (as opposed to dairy cattle) the ratio is 25 to 1.
What is the farm to fork story of that meat? Is it free-range livestock fed a natural diet, grown, processed, transported and stored in a way that benefits your health and the environment? Is it a lean cut of free-range chicken breast or is it chicken popcorn? There are many ways of sustainably raising and processing high quality meat which also contribute to improving human health. Beef which is 100% grass-fed and grain-free has lower total and saturated fat content, a better ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids and more vitamins and minerals. It is also typically raised, processed then transported in a way that fosters environmental protection rather than destruction.
Where are you buying it from? Tescos or your local butchers? Buying from local butchers is one of the simplest, biggest steps to making a more sustainable meat-agricultural system. Such outfits often partner with nearby farms raising free-range, grass-fed, and organic meats. Shopping this way, ensures you’re paying a fair price – not allowing supermarkets to take a hefty chunk, thus ensuring fair & ethical trade for producers. Supporting local producers also makes more sustainable agricultural practices viable and lowers your carbon/water footprint. It is also important to consider food miles, i.e. where the meat you're buying came from, was it raised in the UK? Or has it been shipped from overseas?
How are you cooking it? is it crispy fried chicken strips? or slow-cooked roast chicken? Cooking methods impact the quality of the meat. Generally, low and slow cooking, such as roasting meats at lower temperatures for longer, means the meat not only stays tender, it also prevents production of harmful reactants often associated with fast food, and also prevents nutrient loss, thus maintaining high vitamin B and C content. ‘Moist’ heat cooking also offers a low and slow solution, which includes poaching, stewing and simmering. Just make sure you serve your meat with the cooking juices/liquids (as you would with a stew) to avoid the loss of nutrients, again, namely the B vitamins. Finally, pressure cooking offers another healthy alternative due to the lower temperatures used.
What cut is it? Is it ribeye steak or a merlot steak? Is it a pork chop or a pork skirt? Local butchers often buy whole animals and therefore sell a wider range of cuts to get the most out of the animal and their money. “A farmer can’t just raise a pork chop”. Buying these less common cuts from your butchers is a great way to diversify your consumption, help limit food waste, and contribute to the local economy. Perhaps you may be put off the idea of eating intestine or tongue, but there is a large middle ground of cuts that are commonly sold, but are being less frequently bought. I think the reason for this is the popularisation of ‘normal’ cuts, combined with a lost art of cooking and preparing specialist cuts.
Finally, how often & how much? Do you need to be eating meat for lunch and dinner every day? Does cooking vegetable-focused dishes 3-4 times a week work for you? Can you consider meat alternatives such as Quorn, soya yoghurt? Paneer in your curry instead of chicken?
In my opinion, everyone should reduce their meat consumption. However, by reduce I do simply mean reduce, your actions need not be extreme – we don’t need to go vegan, we need to make smart informed choices about the food we eat. Just imagine the positive impact if everyone in the UK ate even one less meat-containing meal per week – and is this really that difficult? I do believe, however, that of even more critical importance is that our opinion, education, and perspectives on meat change too. Meat needs to be seen for what it is – a cut of biological tissue from a slaughtered animal that has taken time and resources to raise, then process. It should be seen as a commodity, valuable for our health and meals – and therefore have a price that reflects this quality. Since it will be seen as an expensive treat, it will be bought less frequently, and will be of high quality.
Open-minded consideration of the idea to potentially think about maybe reducing meat consumption is the first step – the next step is understanding the simple tips and tricks you can use to help you with this, making it a streamlined change that both benefits your health, your local farmers and producers, and the global environment. For these tips, I hope to be producing content on these soon. But for now, why not give meat-free Mondays a try?
So, there you have it – should you eat meat?
I give industrialised meat production 2/10
P.S. There is good news. The UK’s efficient production systems, combined with increasing consumer demand for better-produced meat, means that emissions from UK livestock are generally lower than EU and global livestock GHG emissions. Other related issues like water use, chemical/pollutant/antibiotic use is also reduced. This is also why I have not focused on issues regarding animal welfare since UK standards are high. However, we cannot consider only the statistics of an individual country when climate change and the other problems we face are global threats. Just because we're in a slightly better position doesn’t mean we can take our foot off the activism pedal. In fact, our advantage imbues us with responsibility to change the direction meat and dairy production is headed in before we reach a global rate of production that we cannot return from.
Key Sources:
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations - Key Facts & Findings
Brighter Green & Global Forest Coalition, Industrial Agriculture - Livestock Farming and Climate Change
FoodPrint - The Water Footprint of Food
Efeca - UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya: Baseline study 2018
Examine - Headline Whiplash: Red meat is good for you now?
A Well Fed World - Feed-To-Meat Conversion Inefficiency Ratios
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