Meat has been part of the human diet since prehistoric times, and the domestication of animals for milk and meat was a driving factor in the rise of fixed human settlements from approximately 10,000 B.C. onwards. Anthropologists believe that the increased consumption of meat, with its high fat and protein content, contributed to lengthening human life spans and intellectual development in prehistoric eras.

In the past, even now in some countries, various species of animals and marine mammals were consumed indiscriminately. However, in the modern era, the vast majority of meat consumed by humans is beef or veal from cows; poultry from chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other fowl; pork from pigs; and mutton and lamb from sheep.

World meat production has grown rapidly over the last 50 years, and total production has quadrupled since 1961. Worldwide, more than 340 million tonnes of meat are produced each year. Data on how meat consumption by country can be found HERE.

Today, Argentina eats the most beef and veal, about 39.9 kilograms per person every year. The 27 countries of the European Union and China eat the most pork, about 35.5 and 30.4 kilograms per capita, respectively. Israel eats the most poultry, at 64.9 kilograms per capita annually. Kazakhstan eats the most sheep, at 8.5 kilograms per person every year.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), between 1990 and 2009, aggregate global meat consumption increased by almost 60 percent and per capita consumption by almost 25 percent. Meat consumption is expected to continue increasing by 1.7 percent per year through 2022. Increasingly, scientists have raised concern about the environmental impact of meat consumption, since meat production—especially on an industrial scale as is practiced in many countries—contributes to soil erosion through overgrazing, expanding carbon-based fuel consumption, and overuse of water.

Source