Canadians are consuming less and less red meat due to falling household incomes and soaring meat prices, according to a report released last Tuesday.
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“As incomes fall or prices rise (which happened after the first months of the pandemic), we expect meat consumption to decline as households cut back on more expensive meals,” analyzed Farm Credit Canada (FCC) study. Recurring lockdowns and food service closures have also reportedly reduced meat consumption.
After peaking in late 2020, demand for beef has started to steadily decline, but the population hasn’t turned vegetarian. Since 2021, Canadians seem to be compensating by buying more chicken.
Livestock has a strong environmental impact, the animals generating a lot of methane emissions, a less persistent greenhouse gas than CO2, but much more warming. Producing meat is also synonymous with water consumption: to produce 500 g of beef, you need almost 7000 liters of water.
According to other studies, developed countries in particular should reduce their meat consumption by 90% to preserve the planet and feed the estimated 10 billion people by 2050.