Myth #64: “But veganism will increase world hunger.”
Actually, the probability is much higher that the exact opposite will come true … The Worldwatch Institute (a think-tank that analyzes interdisciplinary environmental data from around the world) noted that meat consumption is a highly inefficient use of grain — grain which would be far better utilized if consumed directly by humans. Indeed, every day tens of thousands of children die from starvation, while roughly 50% of the world’s grain harvest and roughly 90% of the world’s soybean harvest is fed to meat & dairy livestock. On top of that, roughly 80% of the world’s starving children live in countries that actually have a grain surplus — a surplus that is exported to other lands to feed farmed animals.
Dr W. Bello, director of the Institute for Food and Development Policy, affirmed this opinion when he noted that, “There is enough food in the world for everyone, and yet tragically, much of the world’s food and land resources are tied up in producing beef and other livestock – food for the well off – while millions of children and adults suffer from malnutrition and starvation” … Jean Ziegler, former member of the Swiss National Council added the disturbing fact that, “Over 500,000 tons [of the world’s grain harvest] are fed to cattle in rich nations – while 43,000 children die of hunger in the 122 Third World countries every single day … I refuse to participate in this horrible mass murder any longer: eating no meat is the minimum I can do.”
It takes roughly 16 pounds of grain to create only one pound of beef. As such, if we simply stopped wastefully funneling grains & soybeans through animals to feed the few, we would have more than enough plant-foods to feed everyone on the planet.
Current status of this Myth: Uprooted
Justification it provides for eating animals: NONE
“When I travel around the world, I see that poor countries sell their grain to the West while their own children starve in their arms. And we in the west go and feed it to livestock … Am I the only one who sees this as a crime? Every morsel of meat we eat is truly a slap to the tearstained face of a starving child.”~ Philip Wollen
;