The reason that 95% of vegetarians don’t eat meat is arguably more heartbreaking than reasons centered around animal welfare or the environment.
With over 1.5 Billion vegetarians worldwide, each person has a unique reason why they axed meat from their diet. The plight of animals triggers some, while others are forced into a vegetarian diet for health reasons.
Why most vegetarians don’t eat meat
A new report on the vegetarian lifestyle shed light on the meat-free world while also offering a plethora of interesting statistics and shocking revelations. Among them, was the reason 95% of vegetarians removed meat from their diet.
Shockingly, a massive majority of the 1.5 Billion vegetarians would eat meat if they could, suggesting it’s down to financial reasons.
For some of the American public, 38 million of whom live below the poverty line, purchasing meat is simply out of the question.
If we look at ground beef alone, arguably one of the cheaper meat products available, prices have soared massively over the last two decades. As reported by Statista, ground beef in 2000 cost an average of $1.63 per pound. In 2023, that number jumped to $5.21 per pound.
The figures are not much better for chicken, which cost just over $3 in 2008 and nearly $5 in 2023.
The other reasons people are vegetarian
The same report also highlighted other reasons for turning to vegetarianism, including the 90% of people who were turned for the health benefits. Such positives are said to include a reduced charge of illnesses like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, renal disease, and dementia.
Another 70% of people cited the meat industry’s impact on the environment as a reason. This was followed by 65% who attributed the change to animal welfare and 30% for religious reasons.
