Should People Become Vegetarian?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report that Americans eat an average of 58 pounds of beef, 93 pounds of chicken, and 52 pounds of pork, per person, per year. Vegetarians, about 5% of the US adult population, do not eat meat (including poultry and seafood). The percentage of Americans who identify as vegetarian has remained steady for two decades. 11% of those who identify as liberal follow a vegetarian diet, compared to 2% of conservatives.

Many proponents of vegetarianism say that eating meat harms health, wastes resources, causes deforestation, and creates pollution. They often argue that killing animals for food is cruel and unethical since non-animal food sources are plentiful.