Desperate for CREDIBLE statistics on what on average middle class americans spend on meat, PLEASE HELP?

Question

I have a speech tomorrow and I have been working on it for the whole weekend... I am hating the internet for not providing one good CREDIBLE statistic on what middle class americans spend on meat(on average, not total, because middle class americans don't make THAT much money individually!).

Answer 1

I really don't think you will find a credible source because family's and meat vary so much. One family might eat a lot of meat, while another family might eat meat only 3 times a week. And then there is the type of meat they eat. Some family's might eat beef steaks while another eats chicken. There is a Big price difference. And then there is the family's that eat wild game, and believe me there are a bunch of family's that do that. At least around where I live they do. Three or four deer can provide a family of five with meat for a year, and deer are basically free.

Answer 2

You won't be able to find a credible source for the information you wish to present in your speech, but in the future you could always conduct your own research by either creating an online survey (which would reach more people and allow them to remain anonymous) or you could set up outside random grocery stores in your area (if they permit it) and ask shoppers if they'd be willing to participate in it as they leave the store.



You'd need to obtain as large a sampling of the population as possible (1,000+), in order to get the best average.

Answer 3

I don't think ANY statistics on meat consumption would be more than a guess at best.

Besides the hunters eating what they hunt, fisherman also eat what they catch and no one keeps track of that. Yes, they know how many licenses are sold but not how many actually are used, how many animals are poached, etc.

Then you have the farmers who butcher and eat what they raise and generaly do not buy it. There is NO WAY anyone would know how much or how little meat is consumed that way.

Thats like trying to find an accurate count of how many pounds of veggies are consumed. No one counts the millions of gardeners who grow and eat their own food.

Answer 4

Wolfram Alpha is its own credible source, you can cite them.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=average+meat+consumption+in+USA

The above is for actual consumption, per capita (vegetarians don't affect the numbers much)

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=average+meat+costs+in+USA

This is for prices, since it varies according to region. You could alternatively check prices online, and compare that with the average costs for dried/canned beans/lentils. Just look at a local grocery store (visit or check online), and compare protein costs.

Answer 5

it's more expensive being a vegetarian anyways