As a planet, we’re producing and eating more meat than we used to. But just what does that look like in terms of our plates 40 years ago versus today? This chart shows us exactly.
The chart, via the FAO’s statistics office, shows how much meat is in the world supply per capita, today versus the last four decades.
The most stunning change, of course, is the sheer amount of meats that we’re eating per capita, which have risen well over 150% by weight.
But just as intriguing are the kinds of meats that are growing — and the ones that are falling. Aquaculture, while barely visible at the end of the ’60s, quickly grows so that today it rivals beef for position. Poultry also went from a supplemental meat to one of the stars of the table, an ascent that can be attributed primarily to chicken. Beef, however, has been remarkably consistent throughout the years, as have mutton and goat.
Top image: Ad Meskens, Chart: FAO.
