Expert: Kenyans eat more meat than any other country in the world

While excessive alcohol consumption is always accompanied by a warning, excessive meat consumption is not.

World Animal Protection has launched a campaign for the next 30 days to encourage Kenyans to participate in eating less meat, especially this festive season.

Dr. Victor Yamo, the campaign manager for Animals in Farming at World Animal Protection, said Kenyans eat more meat than any other country in the world.

He said a lot of the proteins we eat are meat, though proteins also constitute plant proteins like beans, peas and other legumes.

“It is recommended that adults eat 0.8 grammes of protein per kilogramme of their body weight,” he said.

This means, if someone weighs 70 kilogrammes, then they would have to eat 0.8 grammes of that weight in meat or plant protein, which is roughly 56 grammes.

“For the ageing population, it is recommended they eat 1.2 grammes of protein while for athletes, 1.2 grammes to two grammes of protein per kilo of their weight, in a day,” he said.

In a presentation on Thursday, Dr. Yamo said the more meat we eat, the more producers will work to meet that demand.

He claimed that many animals raised for food are kept in unfavorable conditions that promote cruelty, in addition to contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that increase global warming and subsequently, climate change.

Dr. Yamo said that as the world's population reached eight billion people on Tuesday, it is more important than ever that we try to eat less meat.

“Meat should be eaten in moderation. Furthermore, we should eat meat that has passed through systems of high welfare. That means the animals are not treated with cruelty and are kept in good condition,” Yamo said.

He said although it may be difficult to decipher, which meat is cruelty-free, they hope to raise enough awareness among Kenyans to know that.