Dunkel 1

Alex Dunkel
Professor Rosenfeld
English 115
11-12-16
The Negative Effects of Consuming Meat
Today in the United States of America the meat industry alone generates
roughly $860 billion a year and is responsible for 6 percent of Americas GDP. The
amount of meat we consume in America has a massive impact on our society, and
many aspects of meat production as a society are unfortunately overlooked. As
humans we have eaten meat since the beginning of our existence and our bodies
are specifically designed to be able to consume meat without any problems. In
todays society however, meat production has increased immensely and there are
not only possible health concerns but environmental concerns arising as well
because of the large amount of meat being produced. Seeing as the meat industry
in America is so large and as a country we eat about 270 pounds of meat per person
per year, which is more than almost any other country, the meat industry as a
whole will never disappear. Instead, a solution to the vast amount of health and
environmental concerns regarding meat production is to limit the amount of meat
that we product in the United States by a substantial amount. Getting rid of meat
entirely and promoting only vegetarian diets is improbable for many reasons, but
that isnt to say that we should not lower the amount of meat we produce. There
are benefits to eating meat and some people go as far as to say that there are no
environmental problems because of livestock and that meat causes no health
problems what so ever. Some even argue that we dont produce enough meat and
that environmentalists are wrong and vegetarians are insane. However, there are

Dunkel 2
many bad things about the amount of meat we produce as a country which means
we need to limit our meat production in order to better the lives of individual
Americans around the country. Critics of limiting meat production are usually
uniformed on the matter and dont realize the consequences of mass meat
production. There should be no doubt that we consume too much meat, seeing how
the advantages of doing so greatly outweigh the disadvantages.
While we do need to limit the amount of meat we produce, it is important
that we not undermine the role that meat itself plays in our society. Meat does have
essential attributes that we can all benefit from and seeing as the human body is
designed to eat both meats as well as vegetation and we have been doing so for
millions of years, a limited dosage of meat consumption will not lead to any
degenerative diseases by itself. Eating meat is the best way to absorb proteins and
amino acids which are essential for muscle growth and brain function. There is also
a reason as to why all countries produce meat, whether large or small amounts. We
simply cannot feed the amount of people who live in our country be only providing a
diet solely based on vegetation. Meat is an efficient way of feeding people and as
long as we eat meat as a part of a well-balanced diet, the health concerns will be
non-existent. In our society we simply eat too much meat which in return created
health hazards, which are becoming more apparent as society progresses. There is
also an economic aspect when it comes to meat production which will never be
ignored in our capitalistic society. In the United States, all companies involved in
meat production provide jobs to a total of 6.2 million people with about $200 billion
paid in wages. In 2013 these companies also provided $81.2 billion in revenue to
federal, state, and local government by way of taxes (meatinstitute.org). Also,
there is no doubt that meat production is the driving force behind the $200 billion

Dunkel 3
dollar fast food industry which also employs many people, but at the same time is a
huge detriment to Americans health. There are multiple reasons as to why our
country produces such a vast amount of meat and there are not many regards as to
what the effect will on the health of Americans. Of course the proteins found in
meat can also be obtained through less convenient sources that offer smaller
amounts per serving, and the decision to take on a vegetarians or vegan diet will
always be up to the individuals goals and needs. As a society we cannot eliminate
meat production entirely and there may not be a reason to, however, it is vital to
decrease the amount of meat we produce as a society for a variety of more
important reasons.
A major reason for why we need to decrease meat production is the negative
impact on the environment that comes with producing massive amounts of meat.
The meat industry has grown consistently as our population has increased, but
faster than necessary and not at the same rate as the increase in population. This is
because the industry is able to use hormones to promote growth in the animals
which is faster than the normal growth rate of a chicken or cow. This lets them sell
more meat to more Americans who already waste about 26.2 percent of all meat
produced at retail and consumer levels (countinganimals.com). The importance of
this lies in the fact that animals such as cows and chickens give off a variety of
gases, known as greenhouse gasses, which play a major role in pollution and global
warming. These greenhouse gasses have negative impacts on sustainability and
51% of their emissions are caused by agriculture (peta.org). The graph above shows
the meat industry growth developed and undeveloped countries as well as
projections for the future. To the right are also displays which sources are
responsible for one of the greenhouse gasses which are emitted. Basically, this

Dunkel 4
graph supports the fact that if we will continue to product large quantities of meat
which in return will harm
our environment with the
emission of greenhouse
gasses. In Vaclav Smils
book Should we eat meat:
Evolution and
consequences of Modern
Carnivory he addresses a
different issue when he says, The most obvious effects include changes ranging
from conversions of natural ecosystem (mainly deforestation driven by the quest for
expanded grazing, and conversion of forests and grasslands to arable land used for
cultivation of feed crops) to degradation of pastures and to offensive smells and
pollute waters adjacent to some massive feedlots (Smil 115). The author addresses
the industrial aspect and questioning why we go to such extreme measure to feed,
maintain, and then produce meat for sale. We are harming natural environments by
implementing industrial facilities in order to produce large quantities of meat which
harm the environment as well via greenhouse gasses just to boost the meat
industry and stimulate the economy a little bit more than we could be. In the long
term it is more important to focus on producing what is necessary instead of more
than we actually need, which a portion of gets wasted anyway, just for the
economic benefits. The environmental issues cannot be overlooked and more
conscious efforts must be made if we are serious about sustainability.
Another main issue regarding the topic of meat consumption is the impact it
has on our health. We know that humans are designed to be omnivores and we

Dunkel 5
have been omnivores since our existence, therefore meat itself cannot be the cause
of major health issues. However, when you eat too much meat your body will have a
difficult time adjusting and health problems can easily arise. Since the meat
industry puts out so much meat every year regardless of environmental
consequences, it is easily accessible for people to eat meat, and in a large quantity.
This eventually leads to health imbalances and general problems with health
because our bodies become overloaded and cant handle that much meat. In Laura
Wellesleys article, We need to eat less meat. Should the government step in?, she
writes The average American eats three times as much meat as experts deem
healthy, the average European around twice as much. And the emerging economies
are quickly catching up: by 2050, global consumption is expected to rise a further
76 percent (Wellesley). In the United States we eat more meat than nutritional
experts say we should. This could be a reason for rising health issues in America
such as obesity and why some studies link meat consumption to cancer, diabetes,
and heart disease. There are conflicting studies of meat and the correlation of these
diseases of course, but perhaps it is the consumption of more meat than our bodies
can handle that causes these harmful diseases. Laura Fraser expresses a similar
point in her article Why I Stopped Being A Vegetarian, when she writes, But the
problem really isnt meat, but too much meat, over-grazing, over-fishing, and overconsumption. If Americans just ate less meat, like driving cars les often, the problem
could be alleviated without giving up meat entirely (Fraser 688). The evidence does
point to excess meat consumption being the primary cause in health problems, not
meat itself. There has also been evidence that points to longer life spans for
vegetarians and greater overall health benefits throughout life. This doesnt mean
that we all need to become vegetarians if we plan on expanding our life span or

Dunkel 6
being healthy, we just need to focus on only eating the amount of meat we require.
This way we duplicate the health benefits vegetarians have while still eating tasteful
meat without the risk of long term health problems.
The last important issue in the topic of meat consumption is the ethical
aspect of how we treat the animals we eventually eat. With traditional farms,
animals have always been treated humanely and they were raised properly until it
came time to use their meat for human purposes. As the industry grows however,
factory farms have become the main producer of meat and there treatment of the
animals is indeed cruel and possibly unjust. These factory farms contribute more to
harming the environment as well because of how the animals are being raised and
what they are being fed, and the larger percentages of greenhouse gasses emitted
because of it. In Laurel Gladdens article The Ethical Epicure; Another Look at Meat,
Hugh Fernley is quoted saying, The vast majority of our food animals are now
raised under methods that are systematically abusive. This isnt husbandry. Its
persecution. In the face of such abuse the moral defense of meat eating is left in
tatters (Gladden 697). It does seem quite obvious that the gigantic amounts of
animals that are being raised with growth hormones just to be slaughtered, do not
live a good life in their confined farm factories. It is not the traditional farms that we
are all familiar with that are responsible for the unjust treatment of animals. The
factory farms that belong to the major meat producing corporations think of every
animal as a potential profit instead of a living being. Fernley goes so far as to call
these factories abusive towards animals and says that there argument is
indefensible, which may be true. Regardless of this, many Americans either dont
care or are uninformed about the issues, therefore they continue to buy form these
major producers which promotes the vicious cycle of cruelty towards animals. We

Dunkel 7
can only hope to slow down the production of meat through inhumane measures
and it seems as though the best way to do so is through purchasing meat through
smaller organizations. This issue is one that is important to some and less important
to other, nevertheless it is being taken seriously and steps are being taken to treat
the problem.
As a society we cannot simply stop meat consumption and nobody can force
anybody else to become a vegetarian or a vegan. However, if we look at the facts
we can see that it is important to limit the amount of meat we are producing as a
county. Meat as its advantages and disadvantages and diet choices will always be
left to the individual. Having said that, there is no ignoring the fact that we can all
benefit from regulation of the meat industry, whether the government steps in or
we take action as a society and make educated decisions together. From
environmental problems to health hazards to abusive treatment of animals, those
points definitely outweigh the upsides of mass meat production which generally
revolve around economic principles. It will end up being a bigger investment to find
some sort of way to produce only the amount of meat we need, even if it means
shrinking the meat industry economically. Obviously meat itself isnt going
anywhere anytime soon and that could be a good thing, we just need to make sure
that we make an effort to limit the amount of meat produced by a wide margin.

Dunkel 8
Work Cited
Gladden, Laurel. "The Ethical Epicure; Another Look at Meat." Practical Argument: A Text
and Anthology. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Second ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin's, 2014. 696-98. Print.

Fraser, Laura. "Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian." Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. By
Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Second ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. N. pag.
Print.
Smil, Vaclav. Should We Eat Meat: Evolution and Consequences of Modern Carnivory. N.p.:
Wiley-Blackwell, n.d. Proquest Ebrary. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
<http://site.ebrary.com.libproxy.csun.edu/lib/csun/reader.action?docID=10674803&ppg=5>.
Wellesly, Laura. "We Need to Eat Less Meat. Should the Government Step In?" Washington
Post 15 July 2016: n. pag. Gale General Onfile. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
<http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.csun.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|
A459182884&v=2.1&u=csunorthridge&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&authCount=1>.
"The United States Meat Industry at a Glance." The United States Meat Industry at a Glance.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016. <https://www.meatinstitute.org/index.php?ht=d%2Fsp%2Fi
%2F47465%2Fpid%2F47465>.

Dunkel 9
Harish, By. "Animals We Use and Abuse for Food We Do Not Eat." Animals We Use and
Abuse for Food We Do Not Eat. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.countinganimals.com/animals-we-use-and-abuse-for-food-we-do-not-eat/>.