Steak, Schnitzel or Pork Belly? How the World Eats Meat

While some countries prefer their steaks and hamburgers, others opt for chicken schnitzel, a plate of fish and chips or some pork belly. Preferences for regional meat dishes are visible in data by McKinsey and Company published earlier this year.

Out of four countries included in the McKinsey survey, beef was named as the most popular choice in only one: the United States. The same goes for pork - the meat is a staple of many Chinese dishes and the most popular one in the country. In the United Kingdom and Germany, poultry was the most popular meat. However, the UK bucked the trend of fish being the least popular among European - possibly aided by an elevated fish and chips consumption.

The fifth country in the survey, the Netherlands, echoed German trends when it came to meats. It had, however, the most respondents who had purchased alternative meats in the past month (41 percent), ahead of 34 percent in the UK and 32 percent in Germany. Here, China has the lowest preference at just 6 percent (traditional proteins like tofu and seitan meat substitutes popular in Asia were excluded from the survey).

Taking a global view - and taking into account not only frequency but also the size of meat purchases - the average American is still consuming a lot more meat than the average person in China, at around 127 kg/280 lbs in 2020 opposite just 62 kg/137 lbs. The UK and Germany had a consumption of around 80 kg/176 lbs each per capita and year, but while consumption on the continent has been falling, it has been increasing fast in China. The two most produced meats in the world already represent Asian tastes - chicken, closely followed by pork.