The Truth ABout Feed Conversion

Critics of meat consumption often argue that it takes too much feed to produce animal protein and that we should instead simply feed humans what we are feeding livestock. This argument fails to account for the nutritional differences between plants and meat.

Critics of meat consumption often argue that it takes too much feed to produce animal protein and that we should instead simply feed humans what we are feeding livestock. This argument fails to account for the nutritional differences between plants and meat.

A number of sources claim that it takes 12lbs to 20lbs of feed to produce one pound of beef. That same 12lbs to 20lbs of feed could not simply be shifted over to our plates if livestock were removed from our food system, however. Nutritionally speaking, one pound of soy is not nutritionally equivalent to one pound of beef. Steak has more than twice the protein that soybeans have and animal protein is much more bioavailable (absorbable) than plant-based proteins. 

A 100g serving of steak also has 84% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) of vitamin B12, which is absent in plants and vital for brain health. Zinc is another nutrient difficult to find in plant foods, and 100g of steak contains 57% of the DRI. 

If we were to compare steak to corn, the difference is even more dramatic in favor of steak. With a feed conversion ratio of approximately 2.5:1 (2.5lbs of grain per 1lb of steak), beef is the clear winner from a nutrient standpoint. This is the major point that beef critics miss when suggesting that we simply feed plants grown for livestock feed to humans: not all calories are created nutritionally equal.

Proponents of plant-based protein also fail to address how our current monoculture systems of intensive corn and soybean production have caused a number of environmental challenges. Commodity crop production in the Midwest has been linked to a decline in soil health due to increased runoff and lack of soil organic matter. 

Farming the same handful of crops in a never-ending rotation also leads to depletion of important soil nutrients over time and degrades the soil’s structure. Soil scientists describe optimum soil texture as cottage cheese-like, allowing it to trap water and filter water below the surface. 

The use of chemical inputs like pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides has also taken its toll. Pesticide usage has led to pollinator decline while fertilizer runoff has created a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico the size of Connecticut, as a few examples.