Sustainable meat consumption in China

Abstract

Sustainable meat consumption is critical to achieve a sustainable food system because meat products are among the most energy-intensive, ecologically burdensome, and ethically concerned foods. This paper focuses on the case of China and discusses the difficulties and possibilities to achieve sustainable meat consumption in China by reviewing previous empirical studies and descriptive statistics, particularly considering consumers' dietary transitions in quantity and quality following China's rapid economic growth. Given China's sheer size of population and meat demand, the sustainable meat consumption in China is also a relevant topic in the global food system.