Pork is still the most popular meat globally, followed closely by poultry meat. Global production of pork in 2011 was 109 million tons, accounting for 37% of the total meat, while poultry meat production reached 101 million tons, according to a recent report from the Worldwatch Institute
These data represent a 0.8% annual decrease in pork production and a 3% annual increase in poultry meat production. If this trend continues poultry meat is likely to become the most-produced meat in the next few years.
Production of both beef and sheep meat stagnated at 67 million and 13 million tons, respectively.
Total meat production rose to 297 million tons in 2011 (0.8% annual increase) and is projected to reach 302 million tons by the end of 2012 (1.6% annual increase).
Concentrated animal feeding operations, also known as factory farms, account for 72% of poultry production, 55% of pork production and 43% of egg production worldwide.
Global per-capita meat consumption decreased slightly from 42.5 kg in 2010 to 42.3 kg in 2011 according to the report. The average person in a developing country consumed 32.3 kg of meat in 2011, whereas in industrialized countries people consumed 78.9 kg on average.
However, natural disasters (including the nuclear accident in Japan and severe droughts in USA and Central & Eastern Europe), disease outbreaks, and rising prices of livestock feed in 2011 and 2012 have slowed growth in animal production. As a consequence, meat prices in 2013 are projected to increase by between 2.5-5%.