Average and Total Numbers of Animals
Who Died to Feed Americans in 2009
For questions, please contact Noam Mohr, noammohr@gmail.com
Chickens
-
Total number died for food:
7.82 billion
(7.37 billion for meat, 452 million for eggs)
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 26.2
(24.7 for meat, 1.5 for eggs)
- Average number died per American lifetime:
2,039
(1,993 for meat, 117 for eggs)
Turkeys
-
Total number died for food: 275 million
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 0.92
- Average number died per American lifetime: 72
Pigs
- Total number died for food: 118.6 million
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 0.40
- Average number died per American lifetime: 31
Steers and Calves
-
Total number died for food: 39.7 million
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 0.13
- Average number died per American lifetime: 10.4
Ducks
- Total number died for food: 21.9 million
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 0.074
- Average number died per American lifetime: 5.7
Rabbits
- Total number died for food: 2.4 million
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 0.009
- Average number died per American lifetime: 0.69
Fish
- Total number died for food: 12 billion
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 40
- Average number died per American lifetime: 3,100
Shellfish
- Total number died for food: 39 billion
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 130
- Average number died per American lifetime: 10,000
ALL LAND ANIMALS
- Total number died for food: 8.27 billion
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 28
- Average number died per American lifetime: 2,159
ALL SEA ANIMALS
- Total number died for food: 51 billion
- Average number died per American meat-eater: 170
- Average number died per American lifetime: 13,000
ALL ANIMALS
-
Total number died for food: 59 billion
-
Average number died per American meat-eater: 198
-
Average number died per American lifetime: 15,000
* Note: Totals may not add up because of independent rounding.
Comparisons by Year
After a three year decline, the number of animals eaten by Americans rose slightly from 2008 to 2009, as a decrease in chickens and fish killed was
accompanied by an increase in shellfish killed.
Land animals:
The number of land animals eaten in the U.S. continued to decrease. The average meat-eater in 2009 killed 1.3 fewer land animals than in 2008 (a 4%
drop), and almost 3 fewer than in 2006 (a 10% drop). That amounts to more than 300 million fewer land animals killed to feed Americans than in 2008,
and more than 600 million fewer than in 2006. This was due almost entirely to a drop in chickens raised for meat, which make up 89% of the land animal
deaths. There was little change for other land animals.
Sea animals:
The number of fish eaten in the U.S. also continued to decrease. The average meat-eater in 2009 killed 2 fewer fish than in 2008 (a 5% drop), and 10
fewer fish than in 2006 (a 19% drop). That’s 500 million fewer fish killed than in 2008, and 2.4 billion fewer than in 2006. However, shellfish
consumption increased, with the average meat-eater consuming 5 more shellfish in 2009 than in 2008. This increase was dominated by Gulf shrimp,
swimming crabs, oysters, mussels, and Pacific squid.
|
Total Number Died to Feed Americans (millions of animals)
|
|
Chickens
for Meat
|
Chickens for Eggs
|
Turkeys
|
Pigs
|
Steers & Calves
|
Ducks
|
All Land Animals
|
Fish
|
Shellfish
|
All Sea Animals
|
All Animals
|
|
2009
|
7,365
|
451.9
|
275.0
|
118.6
|
39.7
|
21.9
|
8,274
|
12,000
|
39,000
|
51,000
|
59,000
|
|
2008
|
7,683
|
452.2
|
269.2
|
117.6
|
40.8
|
23.5
|
8,589
|
12,600
|
37,000
|
50,000
|
58,000
|
|
2007
|
8,024
|
437.3
|
274.2
|
118.4
|
43.5
|
27.0
|
8,926
|
13,000
|
38,000
|
51,000
|
60,000
|
|
2006
|
8,031
|
413.5
|
273.0
|
114.9
|
41.8
|
27.2
|
8,904
|
14,400
|
41,000
|
56,000
|
64,000
|
Average Number of Animals Consumed Per American Meat Eater
|
|
Chickens
for Meat
|
Chickens for Eggs
|
Turkeys
|
Pigs
|
Steers & Calves
|
Ducks
|
All Land Animals
|
Fish
|
Shellfish
|
All Sea Animals
|
All Animals
|
|
2009
|
25
|
1.50
|
0.92
|
0.40
|
0.13
|
0.07
|
27.71
|
40
|
130
|
171
|
198
|
|
2008
|
26
|
1.51
|
0.91
|
0.40
|
0.14
|
0.08
|
29.02
|
42
|
125
|
168
|
197
|
|
2007
|
27
|
1.48
|
0.94
|
0.40
|
0.15
|
0.09
|
30.43
|
44
|
129
|
174
|
204
|
|
2006
|
28
|
1.41
|
0.94
|
0.40
|
0.14
|
0.09
|
30.66
|
50
|
142
|
192
|
222
|
Calculated by Noam Mohr, noammohr@gmail.com, Oct 2010
|
|
|
