A Brief History of American Beef Consumption
By Kate Cimino
With summer in full swing, so too is the backyard barbeque. The smell of food fills the air as families and friends indulge in thick hamburgers and juicy hot dogs. Each year, Americans eat about 219 pounds of meat per person, more than any other country (McCarthy, 2020). That’s over ten pounds more than Australia (203 pounds of meat per person) and over twenty pounds more than Argentina (198 pounds of meat per person), which rank second and third respectively (McCarthy, 2020).
Americans consume the most amount of meat with each person eating around 219 pounds per year. Source: (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Why is it that Americans eat so much more meat and, more importantly, why is it something we should take notice of moving forward?
Reasons for High Meat Consumption
The first reason that may come to mind is economics. As a whole, compared to other countries, Americans have higher incomes, allowing them to afford more meat (Charles, 2012). Additionally, meat in the US is cheaper than other places with comparable income levels, such as Europe (Charles, 2012). In 2018, a pound of beef in the US would have cost $3.73 (Shahbandeh, 2021a). In Europe, however, a pound of beef in the United Kingdom would have cost $4.90 (Shahbandeh, 2021b). One reason meat prices are lower is due to the work of lobbyists who fight to influence government policies, which help the meat industry and keep the prices at unnaturally low levels (The Humane League, 2021).
However, there are historical forces at work as well that contribute to the high rates of meat consumption in the US. Across various points in history, meat has typically been food for those in the upper classes (The Humane League, 2021). For instance, in the past, the agricultural system in Europe was set up so that the land would be owned either by the king or the wealthy landowners, and then the meat produced on the land would be for the upper class, not the people who worked the land (Charles, 2012; Cummins, 2019). When Europeans immigrated to the US- or the land that would become the US- they found that meat was readily available to everyone, not just the upper classes (Charles, 2012; Cummins, 2019). Prior to the founding of the US, the colonists took advantage of the open land they found- though it did belong to the Natives- and used that land to grow livestock (Cummins, 2019). They were able to fatten the livestock they brought with them, such as pigs, or hunt animals naturally found in the environment (Cummins, 2019). By the time of the Revolutionary War, as much as 200 pounds of meat per person per year was being eaten in the colonies (Cummins, 2019). This trend of meat consumption and immgration continued into the 1800s (Cummins, 2019). When the potato famine struck Ireland, many immigrated to the US and were surprised by how readily available meat was, especially at a cheap price (Cummins, 2019). For many immigrants, this shift in being able to attain meat daily led to the association of eating meat with being American (Cummins, 2019). As time went on, the price of meat continued to decline as new technology- such as refrigeration and railroads- increased the efficiency of how the meat could be produced and shipped, leading to a further increase in popularity (Charles, 2012). Additionally, since meat was a profitable market, butchers would set up businesses that made the acquisition of meat even more attainable (Charles, 2012; Cummins, 2019). Therefore, not only do economics play a role in our high meat consumption, but meat consumption has historically been ingrained into our culture.
Reasons for High Beef Consumption
Now that the history of meat consumption in the US has been established, let’s look one step closer into the story. There is one meat that has reigned supreme in the US: beef. In 2018, the US accounted for about 21% of the world’s beef consumption (Cook, 2021). That amounts to about 66 pounds per person per year (Ritchie, 2019). Why does the US have such a love for beef? According to Richard H. Robbins, author of Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, three main reasons are the role of Britain, the role of the US government, and the rise of suburbs (Robbins, 2010). In the early 1800s, Britain consumed large quantities of beef, and in order to sustain this diet, Britain began looking at current and former colonies to supply its beef (Robbins, 2010). One place that stood out was the Great Plains of the US, which contained a large Texas Longhorn population and large areas of land for cattle to graze (Robbins, 2010). The Texas Longhorns were well suited for the Great Plains, as they were able to survive in both the heat and cold and could eat a variety of food (Robbins, 2010). They were so well suited to the environment that their population increased by thirty five times from the 1830s to the 1860s (Robbins, 2010). Cowboys began rounding up the wild cattle to sell, but faced some challenges including the cost to move the cattle to the cities, the need for land which belonged to the Natives, and the cattle not fitting into the preferred fatty tastes of the British consumers (Robbins, 2010). The advancements in railroad technology solved the first problem, and in order to take control of the land the Natives were forced to move to reservations (Robbins, 2010). To solve the third problem of the beef being too tough, the cattle would be fattened with corn to create a fattier tasting beef, before being shipped to Britain (Robbins, 2010). The preference for fatty meat and feeding cattle corn was a practice adopted by the Americans (Robbins, 2010). The dominance of the cattle trade was solidified when British banks invested $45 million in the lands of the Great Plains, and throughout the 1880s the US made up about 90% of British beef imports (Robbins, 2010; Policy Tensor, 2018). The US government eventually cracked down on British investments and landownership in the West, but the impact was solidified (Robbins, 2010). Britain’s control over the cattle industry had shaped the taste Americans would have for beef.
Beef also rose in popularity due to the policies of the US government. The fatty taste introduced by the British was backed by the USDA in 1927 when it introduced its system of ranking beef quality (Robbins, 2010; Williams 2020). This system listed prime beef, which is the highest rank, as having the most fat (Robbins, 2010). This encouraged herders to keep feeding the cattle grain in order to make them as fat as possible (Robbins, 2010). Government land policies helped to drive down the price of beef, which increased its popularity (Robbins, 2010). Beef was subsidized through the government’s policy of letting herders graze their cattle on public lands, as opposed to more expensive private lands (Robbins, 2010). By 1990 as many as 30,000 ranchers were grazing their cattle on 300 million acres of public land, which was anywhere from a third to a quarter less than the cost to use private lands (Robbins, 2010).
Around 1901, Britain imported about 300 million pounds of beef from the US. Source: Critchell and Raymond 1912.
The rise of suburbs also contributed to the rise in popularity of beef. As suburbs became more popular, so too did fast food restaurants (Robbins, 2010). A staple to fast food menus is the hamburger, which just further deepened the role beef had in American culture (Robbins, 2010). Additionally, suburbs increased the number of backyard barbecues and grills, in which beef cooked better since the patties would not fall apart compared to its pork counterparts (Robbins, 2010). It is important to note though that while beef has been on top for the last 40 to 50 years, that has not always been the case (USDA, 2021). As the three reasons above were playing out, beef was competing with pork for the top spot up until the 1960s when beef officially became the clear favorite (USDA, 2021). Similarly, since the mid 1900s, chicken has seen a rise in popularity and since the early 2000s has rivaled beef for the top spot (USDA, 2021).
Environmental Impacts
Why does all this matter? Because the US needs to recognize the impacts this culture of meat eating is having on the environment. When looking at US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2019, 10% of the emissions came from agriculture (EPA, 2021). Breaking that down further, 65% of the livestock GHG emissions came from cattle (PennState, 2020). In fact, methane, which is a GHG about 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, saw 25% of its source come from livestock (Benison Media, 2019; Borunda, 2019). Cattle specifically are a major producer of methane (Benison Media, 2019). It’s not just GHG emissions that are the problem. In order to produce one pound of chicken, over 500 gallons of water are needed (EcoPeanut, 2021). To acquire just one pound of beef, 1,850 gallons of water have to be used, or about 44 standard bathtubs (EcoPeanut, 2021). The average size of a hamburger from a fast food establishment is 12 ounces (.75 pounds), which means one burger requires 1,387.5 gallons of water (EcoPeanut, 2021; Torrisi, 2012).
Standard American “fast-food” Cheeseburger. Source: Evan Amos.
Coupled with soil degradation from these agricultural practices, as well as the cruel conditions the livestock animals endure, it is time Americans start looking at the deep cultural ties described above and realize that that culture needs to change (Cardello, 2019; WWF, 2021).
Conclusion
While American society as a whole needs to shift away from the cultural ties to meat and beef to help fight climate change, change starts with each person. It may sound hard, but by taking it in smaller steps, change is possible. Start out by choosing at least one day a week to be meat free. Once you feel comfortable with that, up it to two. If you are still craving the taste of beef, try plant-based meat products, such as Impossible Meat, instead. Finally, when trying to decide what to cook for lunch or dinner, do not be afraid to try some plant-based recipes. There is an abundance of recipes online to check out to get started. While the cultural and historical ties to meat have been planted into American culture, it is possible to plant new cultural ties. This time though, let’s create ties to food that will benefit our planet.
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