An Outline of Meat Consumption in the Indian Population - A Pilot Review

Abstract

The consumption of meat is increasing in India and agriculture is considered as the backbone of a majority of people. Livestock plays a significant role, and poultry and dairy are the major sectors contributing to economic development. The majority of meats consumed in India are fish, bovine, mutton, goat, pig, and poultry. In Indian context, culture, traditions, customs, and taboos influence meat consumption to a great extent. However, studies show that urbanization has been causing a rise in demand for meat products. India is the world’s second largest exporter of beef. In India, 95% of goat meat produced is consumed locally. Meat consumption, in particular, is determined by the religions where pork is forbidden to Muslims and beef is prohibited to Hindus. The preference and consumption of chicken meat can be considered as a universal phenomenon and chicken meat is greatly accepted by consumers in India as compared to the other meat consumption. The increase of chicken meat consumption is due to the versatility of the meat, relatively low cost in comparison to other meat, and the acceptance of the chicken meat to all religions. There has been a great rise in the production of livestock products and this is expected to continue in the future. The pattern of meat consumption depends considerably on culture, tradition and urbanization. This review was formulated with the objective of identifying the meat consumption patterns in a typical Indian society.

Meat traditions. The co-evolution of humans and meat

“…Of particular relevance to contemporary societies are the industrialization of meat production, consumerism, animal welfare concerns, nutritional disorders, financial dynamics, and ecological constraints. The increasing demand for meat in BRIC countries will certainly be a factor of importance (Boland et al, 2013;Chen & Abler, 2014;Devi et al, 2014). Also, it is yet unclear if meat will maintain its central role in Western diets, as differing attitudes and moral stances develop (Holm & Møhl, 2000).…”

“…This could, amongst other effects, result in a relative global rise in importance of certain product categories, dictating the source of animals that should be used or not as food but also the temporal dependency on specific calendars (Seleshe et al, 2014). Poultry, for instance, is expected to become more important still, as it is not subjected to taboos from the leading belief systems in emerging populations worldwide, in contrast to pork and beef (Devi, Balachandar, Lee, & Kim, 2014). However, religious influence is not necessarily of a conformist nature.…”

Effect of different levels of fiber and protein on growth performance and fecal characteristics in weaning pigs

“…Livestock production can make good use of resources and contribute high quality meat to the human diet (Mohana Devi et al, 2014). The effect of different levels of fiber and protein on the growth of weaning pigs was studied in the present study.…”

Veg or Non-veg? From Bazaars to Hypermarkets in India

“…Due to urbanisation, the consumption of meat, especially chicken, is increasing in India (Devi et al 2014). Meat consumption varies across India and it is correlated with cultural factors, such as the dominant religion, ethnolinguistic groups and local castes.…”