The American Meat Institute just published a study saying that the meat and poultry industries contribute $832 billion to America’s Gross Domestic Product.
Big deal. If people switched from meat to tofu, then tofu would no doubt contribute about $832 billion to the GDP. It’s not as though people are giving up meat to become breatharians.
It’s just flat out silliness to suggest that the meat industry provides some key and irreplaceable slice of money to the economy. The only thing this $832 billion number tells us is that the meat industry has a ton of money to buy off members of Congress, and have them enact laws that prop up this brutal and unsustainable industry.
Here’s the American Meat Institute’s website, “Meat Fuels America,” that makes the dubious argument that meat production is vital to America’s economy. It’s got plenty of knee-slappers, like this one:
Meat packing and processing companies take seriously their roles as employers and community members. We are concerned both about the well-being of our employees and the quality of life in the communities where we live and operate.
If you want to learn what total bullshit the above claim is, read Slaughterhouse Blues
