Beef is one of America’s favourite obsessions. It is everywhere and part of almost everything. It is the first choice on the plate and a friend to almost all multi-national companies. It has become synonymous with the staple American diet. The biggest question in all of this is why? There must be something about this protein that is fuelling the country’s love affair with it.
The US is the world’s leading producer of beef, producing 12.5 million metric tonnes of beef and veal in 2023, equivalent to 20% of the world’s total production. The beef industry also contributes to 17% of the total US meat production. This puts them in a unique position and makes them susceptible to a very different agricultural structure to many other western nations.
The problem is that the reliance on beef in the US has tipped into a dependence on it. America’s major fast food conglomerate’s control the country’s tastebuds. Companies like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King have millions of cows under their domain just to sell hamburgers to the American consumer. McDonalds alone rear 5.5 million cows annually to produce 1 billion pounds of beef for their hamburgers. This an astonishing length gone to by just one company to feed America’s appetite for beef.
These have become American institutions, speaking to how endemic the beef industry is to the country at the moment. This is in spite of the fact that the meat industry contributes to 14.5% of global emissions in an age where the climate crisis poses more immediate danger than ever. Global temperatures have risen by 2 degrees since 1850, with the methane release due to inefficient agricultural practices having a definitive effect on this.
Consumption of beef and other red meats also contain definitive health concerns attached. The National Institute of Health have linked this to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Hearing this, a stark question comes to mind: What will it take for people to let go of meat? The problem is of course not one that occurs on the palette but instead in the endemic pushing of a meat-focused diet.
If you go to any dining hall on the UConn Storrs campus you will be sure to find at least one beef option, every day, without fail. Both beef and meat more broadly has become an expectation for the American consumer at meal times. This is coupled with a false assumption that beef must be an integral part of the US diet, in order to maintain or increase protein intake. In the majority of cases, you may be able to get more protein and essential nutrients from fish, eggs, poultry and nuts.
Only approximately 2% of all children aged 6-17 in the United States are vegetarian. That is a worryingly small number. It also means that these children are made to feel that they are outside of mainstream, heterodox view of what constitutes a healthy diet. It feeds into an idea in the US that eating meat is somehow an integral feature of healthy growth and development, one that does not support current science or health guidance from professionals around the world.
Seeing as the reliance on beef is so ingrained in the United States, the immediate narrative is that it is difficult to enable a switch. However, whether conscientious or provoked, the reality is that a change should be made. There have been many attempts to ease people off of meat in a way that does not create a complete overhaul in their food preferences. One of the most popular is the meat alternative industry, which has seen an exponential increase in recent years. In 2022, the global sale of plant-based alternatives hit a high of $6.1 billion, up 8% from the year before. This corresponded with a 1% decline in sales in the United States.
This example indicates a need for the country to move with the rest of the world and annex its relationship with beef. The reasons to continue the consumption of beef and other red meats do not have the same strength as they did before. They are continuing to grow weaker. The future of the American diet does not have room for a meat which is currently doing more harm than good.
A 2023 study showed that just 12% of the American population, mainly older men, contributed to 50% of the nation’s beef consumption. As the next generation of American consumers, this generation is at a crossroads. Either continue the dominance of the beef industry in the United States or chart a new course that gives less importance to one meat. Changing old habits is never easy. However, for the health of both yourself and the planet it may be time to do away with what is easy in light of what is needed.