Virus to Cut American Meat Consumption for First Time in 6 Years
- U.S. per-capita meat consumption last declined in 2014: FAPRI
- Covid-19 is pushing up meat prices, hurting consumer income
A person shops in the meat section at a grocery store in Washington, D.C. in April.
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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Americans are kicking their meat-eating habit, and it’s all thanks to the novel coronavirus.
That’s according to researchers at the University of Missouri’s Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute, who predict this year’s per-capita meat consumption will fall for the first time since 2014. Higher prices and a reduction in disposable income will hurt demand for beef, pork and turkey, while Americans will eat marginally more chicken.