Red and Processed Meat Health Costs to Hit $285 Billion in 2020, Oxford Study Finds

Red and processed meat will cost the world US$285 billion in health-related costs in 2020, and a health tax could prevent around 222,000 deaths a year, a new Oxford study has found.

Dr. Marco Springmann of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food led the modeling study across 149 world regions, published today in PLOS ONE. Three quarters of the costs come from processed meat. To cover them, processed meat such as bacon and sausages would need to more than double in price in high-income countries, and red meat would need to cost around 20% more. Processed meat consumption would fall by 16% globally, deaths linked to red and processed meat by 9%, and health costs by US$41 billion.

Dr. Springmann said in the Oxford Martin School release:

Nobody wants governments to tell people what they can and can't eat. However, our findings make it clear that the consumption of red and processed meat has a cost, not just to people's health and to the planet, but also to the healthcare systems and the economy.

The researchers say it would also cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100 million tonnes.

It comes as bacon sales slump after the cancer warnings, and follows Oxford research showing vegan diets could cut premature deaths by 22%.

The true cost of meat is coming to light, and plants are the bargain!