Iran’s annual red meat consumption has fallen to less than 600,000 tons, marking a significant decline in recent years.
According to Ahmad Shad, Secretary of the Association of Raw Animal Product Importers, official statistics are misleading, with estimates indicating that the country’s meat consumption is far lower than the 850,000 to 1 million tons previously reported. Speaking to the ILNA news agency on September 15, Shad pointed out that since 2021, Iranians have been consuming less red meat due to a combination of factors, including economic pressures and rising inflation.
While there are no reliable official figures, Shad’s estimates align with other data, such as those from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which reported that Iranians consumed 335,000 tons of lamb and 382,000 tons of beef in 2023. This brings the total red meat consumption last year to less than 720,000 tons, lower than previously believed.
The decline in meat consumption is closely linked to Iran’s soaring inflation, with food prices, particularly for red meat and poultry, outpacing other sectors.
Domestic reports further highlight the trend of decreasing meat consumption per capita. In May 2023, Masoud Rasouli, Secretary of the Meat and Protein Packaging Industry Association, stated that per capita meat consumption had dropped to four kilograms per year, a stark contrast to the 13 kilograms per capita in 2011.
The Iranian Statistics Center also reported that per capita consumption was down to eight kilograms by 2019, showing a 35% decline over the last decade. Experts have expressed growing concern about the potential health impact of reduced protein intake.
Data from the Statistics Center of Iran revealed that in August 2024, inflation for food and beverages surged to 34.8%, while the red meat and poultry sector faced an even more staggering annual inflation rate of 58.3%.
A former official from the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe,” with increasing malnutrition rates. In 2022, a report from the Iranian Majlis Research Center indicated that half of the Iranian population was consuming fewer calories than the recommended daily intake. As Iran grapples with these economic challenges, the significant reduction in red meat consumption reflects broader concerns about the population’s nutritional health, raising alarms for the future.
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