A new UN report indicates that the average person today consumes roughly six times more chicken and double the amount of pork compared to their grandparents’ generation. Globally, the demand for meat has quadrupled over the past six decades and is projected to continue rising.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), per capita poultry supply jumped from under three kilograms in 1961 to 17 kilograms in 2022. In the same time frame, pork consumption doubled to 15 kilograms per person. Beef, which is considered particularly harmful to the climate, remained stable at nine kilograms.
Globally, the agricultural sector ranks as the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the energy sector. The FAO predicts a further 7.6 percent increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade, largely attributed to livestock farming, which accounts for about 80 percent of this anticipated rise.
The report established that while average global meat supply rose from 25 kilograms per person in 1961 to 47 kilograms in 2022, approximately 14 percent of the produced meat and milk was lost during production or subsequently discarded after reaching supermarkets and restaurants.
