03/19/22 Let's not prepare food reserves, rather eat grains instead of animals
On the occasion of MeatOut which is held annually on March 20, Animal Friends points to the sources of the crisis
- Tons of food are used as animal feed; the goal is to reduce eating meat, milk, and eggs
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in fears of food shortages, a major blow to the food supply chain, as well as the inevitable rise in prices of principal cereals. On the occasion of the World Meatless Day, the so-called MeatOut, which is celebrated around the world on March 20, Animal Friends highlights an easily applicable solution that could significantly help in the prevention of global food shortages: “The vast majority of cereals are not grown for human consumption but as animal feed. The problem of food shortages could primarily be solved by a significant reduction in the consumption of meat, milk and eggs, as well as increasing the consumption of plant foods.”
On the occasion of MeatOut, which Animal Friends has been celebrating for 20 years, they invite everyone to consider preserving natural resources by eating healthy plant foods in the making of which animals have not been killed, which does not affect world hunger and food shortages, and which does not destroy the environment. The celebration of this day, whose main goal is to encourage compassion for animals, began in 1985, symbolizes the arrival of spring, rebirth, and the renewal of nature.
Animal Friends points out that the numbers are relentless and certainly not on the side of Europeans’ current eating habits. Namely, tons of cereals and legumes are used as animal feed. The production of one kilocalorie of beef or lamb requires as much as 100 times more land compared to the production of cereals. Moreover, it takes almost 100 times more soil to produce a gram of protein from beef or lamb compared to a gram of peas.
"It is absurd that we would rather starve than change our eating habits, and it is devastating that this great world problem is hardly talked about. The problem of cereal shortages from Ukraine, which has been called the granary of Europe, cannot be solved by panicking, preparing food reserves, and emptying shops. Rather we should be more aware of the consequences that the meat industry has as well as stop eating meat. It is a matter of pure mathematics ", warns the Association.
They state that raising animals as a food source is an incredibly wasteful way of producing food: “15,000 litres of water are used in the making of a kilogram of meat, and 100 litres of water for a kilogram of cereals. If the vast areas where crops are grown for animal consumption were converted into crops intended for human consumption, we would have an abundance of food that could address the food shortages. Additionally, meat is the least economical food: the price of one kilogram of meat protein is twenty times higher than the price of an equal amount of vegetable protein, a reason why state governments subsidize the meat, milk, and egg industries. "
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