June 7, 2008
· Filed under Meat consumption · Tagged beef, food shortage, Meat consumption, vegetarian
The New York Times ran an article today on the UN’s food conference, which ended with a call for “urgent action” to address increasing food prices and food shortages. One of their suggestions was to raise food production. Let me give you a couple of facts…
- More than one third of the world’s grain is used to feed livestock
- 70-80% of the grain produced in the United States is used as feed
- By the time a steer is ready to be slaughtered, it has consumed 2,700 pounds of grain and weighs about 1,050 pounds
- That means that 157 million tons of grain and vegetable matter is used to produce 28 tons of beef
HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD THAT AMOUNT OF GRAIN FEED?
In short, beef (not to mention other livestock) is a very inefficient source of food. There wouldn’t be such an “urgent” call for action if the world cut back on their meat consumption
Sources: Globalissues.org
New York Times “UN Food Meeting Ends With Call for Urgent Action” June 6 2008
June 6, 2008
· Filed under Health benefits, Seafood consumption · Tagged babies, infants, mercury, seafood
“When the non-profit Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (HMHB) Coalition released a report recommending that pregnant and nursing women eat more seafood, their claims smelled more than a little fishy. Government health agencies have long warned expectant mothers and new mothers to limit their seafood intake to avoid the dangerously high mercury levels found in the flesh of many aquatic animals, which can impede babies’ brain development. A little investigation digging by reporters revealed that HMHB’s report was actually commissioned by the seafood industry and funded by $74,000 from the National Fisheries Institute. Some of the group’s 150 “members” (such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the March of Dimes, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) didn’t even know about the report prior to publication, and strongly disagreed with its recommendations.”
- VegNews March and April 2008
June 5, 2008
· Filed under Meat consumption · Tagged energy, Meat
If American’s cut back their meat consumption by 20 percent, it would be like switching from a family sedan-type car to an “ultra-efficient Prius” in terms of energy use.
-The New York Times (Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler)
