Note: This post was crossposted from the Open Philanthropy Farm Animal Welfare Research Newsletter by the Forum team, with the author's permission. The author may not see or respond to comments on this post.

People can’t get enough protein. Fully 61% of Americans say they ate more protein last year — and 85% intended to eat more this year. Last week, dairy giant Danone said it can’t keep up with US demand for its high-protein yogurt. Other food makers are rushing to pack protein into everything from Doritos to Pop-Tarts.

The craze is global. The net percentage of Europeans wanting more protein has more than doubled since 2023, driven by protein-hungry Brits, Poles, and Spaniards. (The epicurean French and Italians remain holdouts.) Chinese per capita protein supply recently overtook already-high American levels.

Young people are leading the charge. Across Asia, Europe, and the US, most Gen Z’ers want more protein, suggesting this trend may persist. In one recent British university survey, “protein” was the top reason students gave for not giving up meat. Doctors are also telling the 6 - 10% of Americans now taking GLP-1 weight loss drugs to eat more protein to prevent muscle loss.

This is [...]

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First published:
November 5th, 2025

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/P7NuYbwbMMNTM45Cz/the-protein-problem

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Young people want their protein. The same age trend holds in Asia, Europe, and the US. Source: Bain & Company 2025 surveys.

Correlation doesn’t equal causation. But look at that correlation! Source: Google Trends.

The highest protein animal products are more protein-dense than the highest protein plant-based products. Source: ChatGPT.

Some animal products cause animals to suffer for much longer than others. These estimates are undercounts because they don’t account for food waste and pre-slaughter mortality — the true numbers are likely about 10 - 50% higher depending on the species. Source: ChatGPT.

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