Consumers


Diets are arguably the centre of the entire food system. The choices individuals make determine which products are produced and in what quantities.

Household diets have shifted radically over the last 60 years; foods are no longer restricted to seasonal harvests, new cuisines have spread across the world, and there has been a rise in processed foods. This has impacted on our health and the health of the planet and, globally, more people are now obese than underweight.

It is now increasingly being recognised that healthy diets are almost inherently sustainable.

The area of alignment that most intersects the nexus of a healthy and sustainable diet concerns the growing consumption of red meat in our diets. And yet our consumption of red meat is forecast to grow substantially over the next thirty years.

2016 (80.5 million tonnes)
2020 (93 million tonnes)
2030 (107 million tonnes)
2040 (119 million tonnes)
2050 (130 million tonnes)

Data from: OECD (2017), Meat consumption (indicator). doi: 10.1787/fa290fd0-en (Accessed on 07 February 2017); FAO. 2011. World Livestock 2011 – Livestock in food security. Rome, FAO.

See also…