Global Production And Consumption Of Animal Source Foods

Although there is a great rise in global livestock production, the pattern of consumption is very uneven. The countries that consume the least amount of meat are in Africa and South Asia. The main determinant of per capita meat consumption appears to be wealth. Overall, there has been a rise in the production of livestock products and this is expected to continue in the future. This is particularly the case in developing countries. The greatest increase is in the production of poultry and pigs, as well as eggs and milk. However, this overall increase obscures the fact that the increased supply is restricted to certain countries and regions, and is not occurring in the poorer African countries. Consumption of ASF is declining in these countries, from an already low level, as population increases. [Excerpted from article]

The FAO data show that livestock production is growing rapidly, which is interpreted to be the result of the increasing demand for animal products. Since 1960, global meat production has more than trebled, milk production has nearly doubled and egg production has increased by nearly four times. This is attributed partly to the rise in population, as well as to the increase in affluence in many countries.

Consumption of meat in the U.S. is 124 kg/capita/year, compared with the global average of 38 kg. The countries that consume the least amount of meat are in Africa and South Asia; the lowest ten are Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, India, Malawi, Guinea, Burundi and Bangladesh. Consumption in these countries is between 3 and 5 kg/capita/year. This is compensated to some extent in Bangladesh by higher fish consumption (17.5 kg) and in India and Sri Lanka by higher milk consumption (47.5 kg and 35.9 kg, respectively). Milk consumption in the U.S. is 118 kg/capita/year.

The main determinant of per capita meat consumption appears to be wealth. Traditional herding countries have very low meat consumption. Latin American countries have high meat consumption in relation to their gross domestic product (GDP). Middle East countries have an average level of consumption, whereas in Japan meat consumption is well below the line but fish consumption is high. Scandinavian counties tend to have lower meat consumption than, for example, France, Germany and the U.S.

Data by country is providing in the full article.