China plans to cut meat consumption with awareness campaigns and the introduction of plant-based alternatives.

Meat consumption is a key driver of human transgression of planetary boundaries, notably climate change, biogeochemical flows and land-system change. Production of animal feed contributes to 70% of global deforestation, while livestock farming contributes to 14.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If the world shifted to a plant-based diet, this would reduce the use of global agricultural land by 75%. Meat consumption is also connected with chronic ailments, such as heart diseases, diabetes and cancer, which are a growing public health concern. In 2017, meat consumption per capita was the highest in Hong Kong (137 kilograms per year), followed by the United States and Australia. The lowest average per capita consumption can be found in India (less than four kilograms per year), Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

In many countries, economic growth is paralleled by an increase in meat consumption. This is also the case in China where per capita meat consumption increased from three to 60 kilograms per year between 1961 and 2017. The country consumes 28% of global meat production. If nothing is done to curb this increase, the average Chinese person would consume 93 kilograms by 2030. In 2016, The Guardian reported that China consumed 28% of the world’s meat, including half of its pork. However, on a per capita basis, the United States and Australia consume twice as much.

The new guidelines would effectively reduce per capita meat consumption in China from 27 kilograms to 14 kilograms annually. The guidelines will not only reduce meat consumption but also set a powerful global precedent to regulate and shift dietary changes worldwide. In 2022, China listed alternatives to livestock rearing as a source of protein in its five-year plan, referring to cultivated meats and other plant-based ‘future foods’.

India is also an interesting case since it has the lowest per capita meat consumption. On religious grounds, the country prohibits the sale of livestock including cows, buffaloes and camels for slaughter and entertainment. Meat consumption and regulation has been an ongoing public debate in the country, dividing religious groups and left- and right-wing politics. Still, the country has a rich tradition of vegetarian cuisine, with a healthy dose of meat on the side. 

Awareness campaigns are an important part of Chinese efforts to change people’s diets, along with the introduction of plant-based alternatives. A survey conducted by the  New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research in 2018 indicated that 70% of Chinese respondents have become more aware of the health and environmental implications of meat consumption, while 39% reduced their meat consumption. It is unclear whether this decline persisted into 2022; and whether it has also led to a nation-wide reduction in meat consumption.

Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash.