Meat production and consumption from the viewpoint of sustainable development

Abstract

Out of all animal products, the most controversial is consumption of meat and its role in human diet. This is in spite of the fact that from times immemorial meat is treated as prestigious food reflecting the condition of the society. Due to the contents of valuable proteins, with proportions of amine acids beneficial for the human organism, meat, just like milk and eggs, plays an important role in food economy. The global economic development leads to increased affluence, higher demand for food and changes in models of food consumption, with growing intake of meat and its products. The necessity to satisfy the demand for meat in the dynamically growing human population is a driving factor for intensifying livestock production, which consequently leads to increasing livestock populations and related environmental pressure. Excessive and unsustainable consumption of meat does not only pose hazard for effective sustainable development, but also carries risks to people’s well-being, as one of the potential causes for diseases of affluence.