While once upon a time, Israelis were known for their Mediterranean diet and love for salads but the Western influence has impacted society as OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) statistics regarding meat consumptions shows. In fact, Israel ranks fourth among OECD nations for meat consumption with the average Israeli consuming 86.1kg (189.8 lbs.) annually.

Leading the list is Australia with 90.3kg, followed by the US (90.1kg), Argentina (86.6kg) and Israel. Winding down the list with the least meat consumption was India, with 3.2kg per person. The EU average came in at 64.9kg while in Japan, where fish ranks high on the diet, the average was 35.7kg. China on the other hand was higher than many might expect, ranking 49.8kg as they consume a great deal of pork products.

When the OECD study refers to “meat” it includes poultry, veal and pork products referencing 2014-2015.

As Israel is not known for its beef, the report cites Israel leads the world in chicken consumption in 2015 (57.7kg per person), even leaving the United States behind (47.6kg). If we look at beef to the exclusion of chicken, Israel falls to seventh place with 20.2kg a person, following South American countries where steaks are in a different league. Leading in S. America is Uruguay (46.4kg), followed by Argentina (40.4kg), Paraguay (25.6kg), and Brazil (24.2kg).

Baruch Hashem, Israeli pork consumption ranks very low, 29th, with an average of 1.6kg per person.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)