The average American consumer is expected to eat 222.2 pounds (100.8 kilos) of red meat and poultry this year. That number comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which forecasts that the average person will consume almost 10 ounces of meat and poultry each day in 2018.
That number would break the previous record which was set in 2004. In addition, the USDA expects that meat production will hit an all-time high as well, with 100 million pounds to be processed in the United States this year.
While the USDA’s forecast is simply an outlook into what may happen in the coming year, the department bases it on consumer demand. As more Americans look to increase the protein intake in their diets, protein sources like meat and eggs will rise in popularity. In fact, the USDA also expects egg demand to reach an all-time high in 2018.
Although vegan and vegetarian items are popping up on menus more frequently, it looks as though meat will continue its dominant presence in the marketplace at least for the near future.