The Pros And Cons Of Livestock Meat Consumption

In the United States, an estimated 91% of Americans eat meat at least once a week as part of their daily diet, and the average American eats about 71 pounds of meat a year (Pimentel, 2002). What this means is as the United States population continues to grow at an exponential rate, so does our need to produce more and more meat, and it is predicted that in the coming 40 years our meat consumption is to double (Pimentel, 2002). Until recently, the only two ways of obtaining meat for human consumption were through hunting and livestock herding and slaughter. Livestock meat production has a firm grasp on how we obtain our meat in the United states (Post, 2012). However, problems with livestock meat production are becoming apparent as we grow

One common belief is that there is nothing wrong with livestock meat production, and the attitude of “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” is developed. What many people do not realize is that livestock meat production is far from perfect. Livestock meat production requires many of the same resources that the human population making it difficult to sustain, and as a result, an estimated 4 billion people in the world are forced to survive on a plant based diet (Pimentel, 2002). As an American who most likely eats meat every day, it is easy to be blind to this. It is important to understand that livestock meat production has many dire issues that, sooner or later, will be made very apparent to everyone. Along with failure to see the importance of finding a meat alternative, many people do not like the idea of their food being grown in a petri dish simply because it seems “unnatural”. While the idea of lab grown meat may not sit well with some people, getting over this may become important if we want to avoid a food crisis in the near future due to the lack of sustainability. If you want your great-great-great grandkids to enjoy a 4th of July barbeque the same way you have, getting over your weak stomach and supporting the search for meat alternatives is something that is a

Our absolute necessities are mostly consistent of food, water, and living space. Livestock meat production, for the United States, is one of our primary sources of food, and requires many of the same resources. With both populations growing together, there will be a point in which there is not enough resources to go around. It is for this reason that livestock meat production is something that we cannot sustain. With lab cultured meat production, we have the potential to cut down on the use of these resources, and with some almost