29 Aug '17
Meat consumption not only dependent on GDP, shows KU Leuven
Summary
As a country’s GDP rises, meat consumption increases, but only to a certain point before declining again, researchers at KU Leuven have determined
Trade determines much
Some surprising findings have come out of a research project on global meat consumption carried out by the University of Leuven’s department of health and technology. The project has confirmed that when a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rises, meat consumption also increases, as people can afford more meat products. However, as GDP continues to rise, meat consumption starts to decline again.
The research concludes that whether people can or want to consume meat is not always related to income. Cultural beliefs, religion, gender and environmental and health concerns also play a role.
In addition, how the country drives trade determines which meat is available. Trade barriers such as geographic isolation, conflicts or choices in trade policy can result in less meat coming onto the local or national market.
The research was published in the journal Environmental Science & Policy.
Photo: Ingimage
