ABSTRACT
Meat is a 'hot' policy issue for the food industry, governments and consumers. Half a century ago, to question unrestricted meat consumption would have been to stand in the way of what was deemed to be culinary progress and the expansion of personal choice. In the last two decades, there has been a veritable explosion of analyses and data about meat production, which has emerged as central to a number of key public and planetary health challenges. Health is not the only policy concern. Meat is a test case for how and whether policy makers will align the food system with sustainability goals. People, organizations, and scientists who want to reduce meat's central role in food culture thus have a hard task. Raising meat and dairy consumption has been an indicator of progress. Food products vary widely in where their main greenhouse gas emissions are concentrated.
