Socioeconomic and demographic drivers of red and processed meat consumption: implications for health and environmental sustainability

Abstract

Red and processed meat (RPM) intake varies widely globally. In some high-income countries (HIC) the last decade has witnessed an overall decline or stabilisation in the consumption of RPM, in contrast to emerging economies where its consumption continues to increase with rising income and rapid urbanisation. The production and consumption of RPM have become major concerns regarding the environmental impacts of livestock in particular, but also because of associations between high RPM consumption and diet-related non-communicable disease. Therefore, it is important to identify socioeconomic and demographic drivers of the consumption of RPM. This paper explores how consumption of RPM differs with age, gender, socioeconomic status and in different global contexts. There are some key socioeconomic and demographic patterns in RPM consumption. Men tend to consume RPM more often and in higher quantities, and there is evidence of a social gradient in HIC, with lower socioeconomic groups consuming RPM more often and in larger quantities. Patterns for consumption with age are less clear cut. It is apparent that consumers in HIC are still consuming high levels of RPM, although the downward shifts in some socioeconomic and demographic groups is encouraging and suggests that strategies could be developed to engage those consumers identified as high RPM consumers. In low- and middle-income countries, RPM consumption is rising, especially in China and Brazil, and in urban areas. Ways of encouraging populations to maintain their traditional healthy eating patterns need to be found in low- and middle-income countries, which will have health, environmental and economic co-benefits.

Keywords: Demographic factors; Environmental impact; GHGE greenhouse gas emissions; HIC high-income countries; Health; NDNS National Diet and Nutrition Survey; RPM red and processed meat; Red meat; SES socioeconomic status; Socioeconomic factors.

Fig. 1.

Global consumption trends of animal produce. Source: McMichael et al., Lancet, using data from the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Fig. 2.

Mean processed meat and total meat consumed (g per 4184 kJ (1000 kcal)) in the UK by occupational group (data from UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2008–2011; n 1959).