Naturally Raised and Fed Meats

Between 1950 and 2000, global per capita production of meat more than doubled, and total production increased by more than 500% (Nierenberg, 2003). As production increased, so too did consumption. In 2000, the average American consumed more than 185 pounds of meat, 68 pounds more than in 1950 (Economic Research Service, 2006). Given current trends, production is expected to double again by 2050 (Neset & Lohm, 2005).

Meat products are not only filling a larger percentage of global consumption, the industry is also increasingly dominating global agricultural production on the whole. More than half the current U.S. grain harvest goes toward feeding more than 11 billion animals raised and slaughtered in the country each year. These animals outweigh the American population several times over. As production ...