Dutch consumers ate an average of 37 kilos of meat in 2024, 500 grammes less than the year before, putting meat consumption at its lowest point since 2005, research by Wageningen University on behalf of animal welfare organisation Wakker Dier shows.

The fall in meat eating is “slow but steady”, dropping by over a kilo and a half over five years, Wakker Dier said. “The meat industry is bleeding to death,” spokesman Collin Molenaar said.

Molenaar said raised awareness among consumers is the main driver behind the drop. “About half of the people in the Netherlands said they are eating less meat out of concern for their health, the well-being of the animals or the environment. There is a clear trend: meat consumption has been going down since 2009, and the decline is now at some 6%,” he said.

However, over 650,000 animals a year are still being served up in the Netherlands every year, a number boosted by the larger consumption of smaller animals like chickens, Wakker Dier said. “That is an enormous number. Every bite you don’t eat will save an animal a rotten life in the meat industry,” Molenaar said.

Apart from a greater awareness, cost also plays a part. Beef in particular, has become 26% more expensive compared to last year.

“At the same time, supermarkets are investing in plant-based alternatives, which are becoming tastier and more affordable. That makes it easier to skip meat every once in a while,” Molenaar said.

Sustainable meat consumption should not exceed 45 grammes a day, according to the EAT-Lancet diet, put together by scientists and the Lancet medical journal.

The Dutch health council is expected to publish new recommendation later this year and adapt the national Schijf van Vijf healthy eating guidelines, which currently stands at 300 grammes of beef a week, supplemented with 200 grammes of white meat, such as chicken.

The transition is not without pitfalls for meat replacement products. Earlier this month, the EU parliament voted in favour of a ban on the use of words such as “veggieburger” and reserving terms like “sausage” and “steak” for meat-based products.

The measure was proposed by the parliament’s agriculture committee, which said consumers are being confused by the current situation.