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Public health implications of meat production and consumption

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Polly Walker ,
Pamela Rhubart-Berg ,
Shawn McKenzie ,
Kristin Kelling  and
Robert S Lawrence
Polly Walker
Affiliation:
Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, W1033, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Pamela Rhubart-Berg
Affiliation:
Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, W1033, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Shawn McKenzie
Affiliation:
Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, W1033, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Kristin Kelling
Affiliation:
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Robert S Lawrence*
Affiliation:
Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, W1033, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: Email rlawrenc@jhsph.edu
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Abstract

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The high level of meat and saturated fat consumption in the USA and other high-income countries exceeds nutritional needs and contributes to high rates of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and some cancers. Affluent citizens in middle- and low-income countries are adopting similar high-meat diets and experiencing increased rates of these same chronic diseases. The industrial agricultural system, now the predominant form of agriculture in the USA and increasingly world-wide, has consequences for public health owing to its extensive use of fertilisers and pesticides, unsustainable use of resources and environmental pollution. In industrial animal production there are public health concerns surrounding feed formulations that include animal tissues, arsenic and antibiotics as well as occupational health risks and risks for nearby communities. It is of paramount importance for public health professionals to become aware of and involved in how our food is produced.

Keywords

DietEnvironmentHealthNutritionIndustrial agricultureIndustrial animal productionSustainabilitySustainable agricultureAquacultureMeat
Type
Invited Paper
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , June 2005 , pp. 348 - 356
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2005

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