Global meat-eating is on the rise, bringing surprising benefits

全球肉类消耗增长 带来意外好处

The Economist

经济学人

In the decade to 2017 global meat consumption rose by an average of 1.9% a year and fresh dairy consumption by 2.1% — both about twice as fast as population growth.

在2017年之前的十年间，全球肉类消费年均增长率为1.9%，新鲜奶制品消费年均增长率为2.1%，两项增长率约为人口增长的二倍。

Yet many sub-Saharan Africans still eat almost no meat, dairy or fish. This is seldom the result of religious or cultural prohibitions. If animal foods were cheaper, or if people had more money, they would eat more of them. Richard Waite of the World Resources Institute, an American think tank, points out that when Africans move to rich countries and open restaurants, they tend to write meat-heavy menus.

然而许多撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲人几乎不食用任何肉类、奶制品和鱼。这其中少有宗教和文化的禁忌的影响，如果动物产品更便宜或者人们收入增多，他们就会消费更多的动物产品。来自美国智库世界资源研究所的理查德·威特指出，如果非洲人移居到富裕的国家开餐馆，他们更倾向于肉多的菜单。

But this frugal continent is beginning to sway the global food system. Africa already imports more meat each year than does China, and the OECD’s forecasters expect imports to keep growing by more than 3% a year.

这一食肉甚少的大陆已经开始改变全球的粮食体系。非洲每年的肉类进口额已经超越中国，经济合作与发展组织预计非洲肉类的进口将会以每年3%的速度增长。

People will probably become healthier. Animal products are excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals. Studies in several developing countries have shown that giving milk to schoolchildren makes them taller. Recent research in rural western Kenya found that children who regularly ate eggs grew 5% faster than children who did not.

人们可能会变得更加健康。动物制品是获取必须的维他命和矿物质的有效来源。一些发展中国家的研究表明，学龄儿童喝奶能够增高。在西肯尼亚农村的最新研究发现经常吃鸡蛋的儿童比不吃鸡蛋的儿童成长速度快5%。

Africans’ changing diets also create opportunities for local businesses. As cities grow, and as people in those cities demand more animal protein, national supply chains become bigger and more sophisticated. Animal breeders, hatcheries, vets and trucking companies multiply.

非洲饮食的改变也会为当地的经济创造机遇。随着城市的扩张，市民对动物蛋白的需求也会增多，整个国家的供应链规模变大，也愈发成熟。饲养场、孵化场、兽医和货运公司都成倍増长。

It is often said that sub-Saharan Africa lacks an industrial base, and this is true. But to look only for high-tech, export-oriented industries risks overlooking the continent’s increasingly sophisticated food-producers, who are responding to urban demand. Ideally, Africa would learn to fill shipping containers with clothes and gadgets. For now, there are some jobs to be had filling bellies with meat.

人们常说，撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲缺少工业基础，事实的却如此。但是如果仅仅指望高科技和出口导向的工业，就可能会面临忽视非洲日益成熟的食品生产者的风险，而这些食品生产者满足了城镇的食品需求。理想情况下，非洲人将学着用服装和小商品装满集装箱。但目前来说，人们对肉食的需求为他们提供了很多工作机会。