Wednesday, 12 May 2021, 11:59 am Talk about living in a bubble. As vegetarianism and veganism become normalised – there are more options on restaurant menus! - it can be easy to think that the whole world is gradually giving up on meat. Alas, the reverse is true. Americans for instance consumed 100 kilograms of meat and poultry in 2018, up from 75 kilograms in 1960, according to the US Department of Agriculture figures. Over the same 60-year period, global meat production has nearly quintupled, from 71 million tons to 340 million tons. Meat consumption per capita in China has reportedly doubled since 1990. In China as elsewhere, factors like urbanisation, population growth and the expanding middle class have combined to drive a steep rise in meat consumption. In many parts of the world, the conspicuous consumption of meat, poultry and seafood is treated as a sign of social success.