The cost of consuming red and processed meat

The report by Zero Carbon Analytics (ZCA) highlights the severe health and economic costs associated with the overconsumption of red and processed meats. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease study, ZCA finds that processed meat caused 295,000 deaths and red meat caused 334,000 deaths globally in 2021. The economic impact reached USD 285 billion in 2020. The analysis reveals a 'treatment-over-prevention' trend in wealthy nations—specifically in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia—where robust healthcare systems spend heavily to manage preventable chronic diseases rather than investing in dietary prevention. For example, Switzerland may spend up to USD 99,000 to avert one disability-adjusted life year (DALY) from processed meat. The report argues that a 30% reduction in the disease burden from processed meat could save billions annually in the US, Germany, UK, and France, allowing for the redirection of funds toward other health priorities, such as nursing staff.

• In 2021, processed meat consumption was linked to 295,000 deaths and 10.4 million years of healthy life lost globally, while red meat caused 334,000 deaths and 9.63 million years of healthy life lost.
• The global economic cost related to the consumption of red and processed meat was estimated at USD 285 billion in 2020, encompassing direct medical costs and indirect costs like loss of productivity.
• Wealthy countries in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia carry a disproportionate share of the global disease burden from red and processed meat, with a positive correlation between higher GDP per capita and meat-attributable disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
• Certain high-income countries achieve better health outcomes than expected relative to their meat consumption but do so at a high cost by prioritizing treatment over prevention; Switzerland is identified as the highest spender, costing up to USD 99,000 to avert one DALY from processed meat and USD 76,000 for red meat.
• A 30% reduction in the disease burden from processed meat could generate significant annual healthcare savings: USD 21 billion in the US, USD 2.2 billion in Germany, USD 1.4 billion in the UK, and just under USD 1 billion in France.
• Small dietary changes can lead to substantial health improvements; for example, reducing US adult intake by six rashers of bacon per week could prevent 350,000 cases of type 2 diabetes, 92,500 cardiovascular disease instances, and over 53,000 colorectal cancer occurrences over 10 years.

APA

Zero Carbon Analytics (n.d.). The cost of consuming red and processed meat. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZCA-report-cost-of-red-and-processed-meat-October2025-compressed.pdf

Chicago

Zero Carbon Analytics. The cost of consuming red and processed meat. n.d. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZCA-report-cost-of-red-and-processed-meat-October2025-compressed.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Zero Carbon Analytics |title=The cost of consuming red and processed meat |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZCA-report-cost-of-red-and-processed-meat-October2025-compressed.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zerocarbonanalyticsndcost, author = {{Zero Carbon Analytics}}, title = {{The cost of consuming red and processed meat}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZCA-report-cost-of-red-and-processed-meat-October2025-compressed.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }