Researchers created estimates based on everything from the national feed supply and land allocation to how much livestock-based food people consume each year. If you, like me, envision American farming as acres of open green fields and perfect rows of planted seed, you’re in for a disappointment: Turns out 40% of US land is dedicated to animal-based products (and the conditions much of the livestock is subjected to are anything but pretty or humane). Plus, the effects of livestock production stretch beyond our borders, accounting for one-fifth of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. Why care? “Our health is strongly correlated with the health of the environment,” says study author Alon Shepon of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He didn’t publish the paper to encourage us all to become vegans, either. “What was surprising to us is that the environmental costs per consumed calorie of dairy, pork, poultry, and eggs, were mutually comparable,” he says. In other words, beef isn’t just a little bad. It’s bad by a longshot. And for 3 main reasons:
It takes a long time to reach slaughter weight, requiring resources over a longer period of time.We eat less than half of its live weight, investing a lot but reaping very little per calorie.It’s 4 times less efficient in converting feed to edible substance than any other livestock.
Wondering where fish is on the list? Fish only accounted for 2% of all animal-based energy in what Shepon examined, though he adds that he had limited and incomplete data from fisheries. So tell us: Is this the nail in the coffin for red meat in your diet? Keep the conversation going on Facebook or tweet us @PreventionMag. MORE: The 8 Cruelest Foods You Eat
