The force of the population explosion has caused more and more men in responsible positions to evaluate the waste in using farmland to raise animal protein. It takes ten pounds of vegetable protein fed to livestock to obtain one pound of animal protein: A typical acre of land will yield 450 pounds of soy protein but only 43 pounds of animal protein.
But we waste more than protein when we dedicate so many acres of land to the grazing of food animals. It is just plain inefficient to take land that could produce plant food with large amounts of vitamins and minerals to raise animal foods which contain far less vitamins and minerals.
The extravagant procedures of converting grain into animal food also squanders calories desperately needed in many areas of the world. Most authorities agree that the only practical solution to the world’s food shortage is in increasing the plant sources of human food. Vegetable foods are the most economical source of most nutrients.
Dairy products do yield approximately twice as much calcium and riboflavin per peso spent as any vegetable group source. However. meat, poultry. fish or eggs do not offer the least expensive source of any nutrient. ” Actually most vegetarians choose their diet for other reasons, but raising money is a happy additional advantage.”