Meat consumption falls in the Netherlands to the lowest point in years
The amount of meat the average Dutch person eats in a year decreased by about 500 grams last year, reaching its lowest level in 20 years, according to a study by Wageningen University on behalf of the animal welfare organization Wakker Dier. The organization is pleased that meat consumption is declining “slowly but steadily.”
Researchers at Wageningen University calculated this figure based on statistics on meat sales and animal slaughter. The decline in meat consumption is not in a straight line. In their previous report, the researchers at Wageningen Social & Economic Research noted a slight increase, but this turned out to be a brief trend break.
For the first time since 2005, annual average meat consumption in the Netherlands fell below 75 kilograms. The 2024 figure ended at 74.4 kilograms, according to data released Wednesday.
The figure is based on dressed weight, or carcass weight, and includes butchered meat and bone. About half of this total is actually eaten, meaning just over 37 kilograms last year.
Current meat consumption is still significantly higher than the scientific advice from the EAT-Lancet Commission, which considers both human health and the state of the planet. The commission's latest recommendation states that people should eat a daily maximum of 15 grams of red meat and 30 grams of fish or white meat, such as chicken. That amounts to just over 16 kilograms per year.
Still, meat consumption in the Netherlands has fallen by 6 percent compared to the peak year of 2009, according to the Wageningen study. The scientists who conducted the study indicated a "slight downward trend."
"The meat industry is dying," claimed Collin Molenaar of Wakker Dier. "For the industry, every percent counts," Molenaar explained further with his emphatic conclusion.
“That 6 percent could simply mean the difference between profit and loss." Molenaar said he expects the trend to continue, especially since supermarkets pledged last year to sell more plant-based proteins.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times
