Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 May; 59(5 Suppl): 1099S-1102S.

An opinion on the global impact of meat consumption.

Lewis S.

Stephen Lewis Associates, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The topic of vegetarian nutrition can be approached from several angles, perhaps one of the most important being the impact that meat production is having on the under-developed world, where ancient rain forests are being cleared to provide land for cattle grazing. Debt-burdened countries are turning over agricultural land to raise cattle and grains for feeding the cattle. These practices have resulted in less available land for the production of food, global warming because of the practices used for deforestation, exhaustion of the world's water supply, and other adverse effects on the health of the world. The consumption of meat for food is taking a toll on the consumer and the health of the world's poorest people. It is also contributing to an expanding need for foreign aid and growing world hunger.