Is your household a meat-and-potatoes household? Is that your typical dinner? While that has always been the norm, the USDA says household menus are changing.
According to recent USDA projections, the country will see a sharp drop in meat consumption this year. Americans are expected to eat 12 percent less meat and poultry than they ate five years ago.
Why the meat ban?
So what’s behind this new fad? Experts say there is several reasons people are cutting back on beef and poultry:
- Cost of meat is going up
- Cutting back on meat can be part of a balanced diet
- Environmental concerns
The new trend
Shoppers are now looking for healthly alternatives to meat.
“More people, especially those over 65 and those under 30, are eating less and less meat and searching for high protein items to replace meat,” Tanya Steel, editor of epicurious.com said. This recipe search engine predicted this trend about a year ago.
“Tempeh, tofu, quinoa, lentils, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, soy, beans, as well as fish and shellfish, are all rising up in our search queries.”
More menu options please customers
Some big name celebrities have embraced campaigns to cut back on meat and with popularity growing, more and more restaurants are offering meatless options on their menus.
“Just about every restaurant I’ve been in lately has added a veggie burger to the menu,” Latoya Briggs said. This self-proclaimed foodie says she has noticed more natural foods at her favorite eateries like soy salads and hummus platters.
“You can get all sorts of meatless dishes,” she said. “I’m not ready to jump on board the meat-free wagon, but I do have quite a few friends that are trying to cut back on meat and they really appreciate the added options when we go out to eat.”
