Meat, Might, and Money: Let Them Eat Liver
And two actions you can take to make protein more sustainable
All my articles include actions you can take to make a difference. Scroll down to the bottom to find simple lifestyle changes and policy letters you can send to public officials. (Look for the green action symbol.)
Marianne Krasny
Beef prices skyrocketed 14% last year, with steak rising over $2 from $10.53 to $12.73 per pound. It’s hard to imagine that in 1986, consumers paid just over a dollar a pound for ground beef, when today we fork out nearly $7 per pound. The untold story is that beef inflation is largely the outcome of a decline in livestock numbers, caused by drought and wildfires linked to climate change. In February 2024, more than 10,000 livestock were killed in the largest wildfire in Texas history. And in drought-stricken Nebraska, where cattle outnumber humans 4:1, fast-moving fires killed or severely burned thousands of livestock this spring. The high risk of wildfire due to a record-breaking dry winter, along with the Iran conflict-induced spike in fertilizer costs, will likely lead to even more beef inflation this year.
In response to beef sticker shock at the grocery store, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK, Jr has shown a characteristic Trumpian insensitivity to our plight as everyday Americans. Kennedy buys grass-fed steak, which at $25 per pound, costs nearly twice as much as a conventional beef steak. His public statements are reminiscent of another wealthy public figure – Marie Antoinette – who, when asked about starving Parisians, allegedly said: “Let them eat cake.”
“If you buy, you know, a porterhouse steak, it’s going to, it is going to take you back. You can buy liver or the cheaper cuts of steak that are very, very affordable,” RFK, Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary
Despite beef inflation, Americans have not yet taken up RFK Jr’s suggestion and switched to liver. Most of us still consume a lot of beef – one to four servings per week. Average annual US meat consumption is about 55 lbs per person, over double the global average of less than 20 lbs.
For those of us concerned about climate, the “stick-to-it-ness” of beef consumption is a big problem. Globally, livestock is responsible for 40% of food and farm greenhouse gas emissions and 8% of total greenhouse gases. Science solutions to lowering beef emissions are coming online, such as new feed additives to reduce cows’ methane-emitting burps. But what we eat is also critical – if we all consumed no more than three portions of beef per week, we would reduce our food emissions by nearly a third. If we replaced 30% of our hamburger meat with mushrooms, we would save as much emissions as taking 2.3 million cars off the road. Although I gave up meat and hardly ever eat cheese for climate reasons, I don’t expect all of us to follow suit. But any reduction in beef and cheese consumption helps our climate.
And reducing red and processed meats is also good for our health. Despite RFK Jr’s touting of beef in the new US Dietary Guidelines, cutting down on steaks and hamburgers reduces our risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.
Money: Meat Inflation Not Bad Enough
While demand for meat tends to be relatively inelastic, who knows at what price point we might turn away from our beloved beef? In another beef-loving country, Argentina, consumption in 2024 was the lowest since record-keeping began in 1914, and down nearly 16% from 2023 (although still one of the highest in the world at nearly 100 lbs per person). The 2024 decline coincided with triple-digit inflation, a recession, and rising poverty and unemployment under President Javier Milei. Milei also ended the government’s freeze on beef prices.
“Things have become very expensive and when it’s so costly we just don’t buy. We’re seeing overall people doing fewer barbecues, which is a key part of the culture here in Argentina.”
Facundo Reinal, Argentine teacher
An EU study estimated that policies that raised beef prices by about 14% would reduce demand for beef by around 10%. However, the effect of the proposed policies varied widely across EU countries, suggesting that culture and other factors specific to each nation play a role.
Might: Beef is Part of American Cowboy Culture
In an interview with CattleCon, RFK Jr claimed he eats beef every day, usually twice a day. He presents himself as a leader of the rebellion against Obama-era healthy Mediterranean diets that feature fresh vegetables and fruits. With his tanned abs, minimal visceral fat, and manosphere-signaling airport pull-ups, the Health and Human Services Secretary connects meat eating to an American ideal of strength and might.
RFK Jr is not alone in associating eating meat – and eschewing vegetables – with Old West-style masculinity and patriotism. George H W Bush famously loathed broccoli, banning it from the menu on Air Force One after partaking of a T-bone steak on the campaign trail. And Trump considers any greens found alongside his well-done steak or McDonald’s hamburger to be “garbage.”
“…prominent male influencers have stepped into the void to define masculinity for young men — and for some, like Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, and Joe Rogan, high-meat diets are part of it.”
Kenny Torrella, Vox
Yet plenty of strong men eschew meat – including bodybuilders like Patrik Baboumian and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Beef Consumption in the US is a Mixed Bag
Even though US beef consumption remains high, in 2024 70% reported eating less beef than the previous year. Health concerns top the list of reasons we report eating less meat, cited by 64% of those surveyed. Price ranks second at 32%. I am among the mere 6% who reduce meat consumption for environmental or climate reasons.
According to the USDA, Americans’ annual beef consumption fell slightly over the last six years, from around 58 to 55 lbs per person. Beef consumption declined more rapidly earlier – by 40% from 2013-2018 – as we grew concerned about the risk of heart disease from eating fatty meats. In place of beef, Americans are eating more chicken. Because poultry does not emit methane, this is good for the climate. But animal welfare advocates worry that a lot more chickens are killed to produce the same amount of meat.
In short, American beef consumption is declining slightly although we still consume more beef than is good for our health, our climate, and our environment. But as prices increase and health concerns persist – and maybe even as Americans learn more about the environmental impacts of beef and beef alternatives – RFK Jr’s bromance with red meat may go against the grain.
The future of beef consumption in the US is unclear. Although 25-34 year-olds report eating more red meat than older generations, they are also more concerned about environmental and health impacts of consuming meat and more likely to consider meat alternatives. Most of us who reduce beef consumption do not necessarily think of ourselves as adopting a new lifestyle, or “flexitarian” or even vegetarian identity. Instead of reinventing our entire cooking traditions, we simply swap out protein sources, such as using beans instead of beef in tacos. Taste tests show that consumers like hamburger meat mixed with 30% mushroom proteins, or even with 20% apple pomace (apple cores and skin). Such mixed proteins have a much lower environmental impact than beef. They offer a promising solution since they can easily be served at restaurants, where nearly half our beef consumption occurs, and nearly two-thirds of that consumption is ground beef. We should also keep an eye out for other “alt-proteins,” such as Beyond Burgers, as the price comes down relative to beef. Unfortunately, whether eating at home or at restaurants, Americans throw out 20% of the beef we purchase; reducing this waste will avoid significant beef and landfill emissions.
YOU CAN TAKE ACTION
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*Congress Can Support the Burgeoning Beef-Alternatives Industry**
Tell Congress to pass the PROTEIN ACT, which would support alternative protein research and development, and thus make America more competitive with other countries who have invested in protein innovation.
**Invite Friends and Family to Enjoy a Tasty Plant-based Meal**
As I documented in my book, In This Together: Connecting with Community to Combat the Climate Crisis, friends and family often copy what we do – whether it’s going on a diet, installing solar panels, or cooking new recipes. So if you are experimenting with low- or no-beef meals – whether at home or at a restaurant – invite friends, family, and colleagues to join you.
Earth 🌍 Day webinar from IATP.org this morning and this article resonate with actions and broad-hearted 💚 frameworks that will carry us forward in ways that help as time runs out… 🫶🏼 Thank you for your ongoing work, Dr. Krasny.
It was the senior Bush, George H.W. Bush, who was famous for not liking broccoli, but don’t let my nitpick suggest I didn’t enjoy the article overall.