The average person now eats about six times more chicken and twice as much pork than their grandparents' generation, according to a UN report. Global meat supply has quadrupled over the past 60 years and is expected to continue rising.
Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows poultry supply rose from under 3kg per person in 1961 to 17kg in 2022. Pork supply doubled to 15kg per person, while beef remained steady at 9kg. The total average meat supply increased from 25kg to 47kg per person over the same period.
Agriculture is the second most polluting sector globally, with livestock responsible for an estimated 80% of the sector's rising emissions. The FAO forecasts a 7.6% increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade. About 14% of meat and milk is lost or wasted during production and distribution.
The report highlights stark inequalities: animal foods are far more expensive relative to incomes in low- and middle-income countries than in wealthy nations. Daniela Battaglia, an FAO livestock officer and co-author, noted that while high-income countries maintain high consumption, low-income countries struggle with affordability.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified shifting to plant-rich diets as a key way to cut emissions. However, critics say the FAO report stops short of recommending meat reduction in wealthy nations. Cleo Verkuijl of the Stockholm Environment Institute said the report 'documents the problem clearly but stops well short of that conclusion.'
The FAO says the report is evidence-based and will be followed by a more detailed environmental sustainability assessment later this year.
