Meat Consumption in America is on the Decline

While hotdogs and hamburgers are the quintessential American foods, statistics show that meat is waning in national popularity. According to the news source Voice of America, the US Department of Agriculture reports that meat consumption per capita has dropped six percent between 2006 and 2010, which is the largest steady decline since record keeping began in 1970. The news source attributes the decrease in meat consumption to rising food costs, but it also notes a cultural shift in which vegetarian cuisine is gaining acceptance in the mainstream. Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan was one of the many who switched to a meat-free diet. “I didn’t find it satisfying on a primal level the way I used to,” says Yonan to Voice of America.