Farmed Animals

This in-depth study of adult consumers concerning "ethically produced" foods finds that "ethical" is a broad term for consumers and includes environmental protection, high quality and safety standards, and animal welfare. More than a third of respondents said that "cage-free" and "free-range" are important to them, while 21% and 14% said "vegetarian" and "vegan" are important to them, respectively.

The belief that it is important to be personally involved in supporting causes in one's community and in the world is growing among those in the U.S., according to this survey by PARADE Magazine. When asked how they would donate $100,000, respondents ranked animal welfare fourth among 16 different causes.

According to the 5th annual Power of Meat research presented during the 2010 Annual Meat Conference, purchases of meat and poultry at the retail level have begun to normalize, at least in part due to a decline in frequency of eating out.

Researchers observed consumer reactions to pig and poultry production systems in this study designed to determine how to encourage consumers to buy more British food products.

This study of the impact of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) campaign against a "corporate pig farming" analyzes the impact of the campaign on both the farming industry's and PETA's credibility, finding that the campaign was largely successful from PETA's perspective.

According to this report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world would need to double its supply of meat by the year 2050 to meet growing demand; the global farmed animal sector currently produces 228 million metric tons (mmt) of meat.

This study assessed the effect of information about organic production on consumer preferences and willingness to pay, finding that the "perceived liking" of organic beef was higher than that for conventional beef.

In late 2008, the Dutch Vegetarian Association studied the environmental consequences of substituting vegetable proteins for animal proteins in the Dutch diet. By looking at both the product and menu levels of consumer diets, the environmental burdens of both types of products were analyzed and researchers concluded that ecological impacts of both animal and vegetable protein sources can vary significantly.

According to a study conducted by Cranfield University on behalf of the World Wildlife Federation, "a switch from beef and milk to highly refined livestock product analogues such as tofu could actually increase the quantity of arable land needed to supply the UK."

This report estimates that the dairy industry within the state of California is responsible for 3% of the state's job production, creating a "positive ripple effect throughout local communities." This article also includes statewide dairy industry production figures and related statistics.