China’s Slowing Economy Hurts Its Appetite for Meat

China’s fast-growing appetite for beef, pork and chicken has been a bright spot for the meat industry for many years. Consumption in the world’s top market has generally expanded faster than in most other regions as rising incomes fueled a taste for steaks or burgers.

That’s in contrast with much of the developed world, where concerns about health, animal welfare and the planet — and recently rampant inflation — have proved a headache for cattle ranchers, hog farmers and meatpackers.