Chicken overtakes beef as the meat of choice on America's dinner tables but is healthy living or value for money to blame?

  • Chicken has officially overtaken beef as the most popular meat product being consumed in the U.S.
  • The cost of beef has also been negatively impacted by the decreasing total inventory of calf and cattle in America, which hit a 60-year low in 2013
  • The growing popularity of chicken can also be attributed to the fact that it is considered to be a healthier option
  • Eating lots of red meat can raise the risk of having a stroke

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 15:46 EST, 31 December 2013 | Updated: 15:55 EST, 31 December 2013

Chicken has officially overtaken beef as the most popular meat product being consumed in the U.S. and the trend looks likely to continue in 2014.

While the per capita consumption of beef has dropped from a peak of 90lbs per capita in the 1970s to 50 lbs in 2012, chicken consumption has gone the other way rising from under 20 lbs in 1960 to about 55 lbs in 2012.

Americans now eat less beef then we did in 1955, but is the change a result of a healthier diet or because people are choosing the cheaper option?

Chicken has officially overtaken beef as the most popular meat product being consumed in the U.S. due to price and health concerns

The answer is a bit both, as there is considerable evidence to backup the negative impact of both on the consumption of beef.

Beef has always been the more expensive option, but over the past 20 years, the price of beef has risen dramatically when compared to other options such as broiler (chicken) and pork.

The cost of beef has also been negatively impacted by the decreasing total inventory of calf and cattle in America, which hit a 60-year low in 2013, reports Priceonomics.

Rising oil and grain prices, as well as NGOs that oppose meat consumption have all been blamed by the CME Daily Livestock Report.

The growing popularity of chicken can also be attributed to the fact that white meat is considered to be a healthier option than beef

The growing popularity of chicken can also be attributed to the fact that white meat it is considered to be a healthier option than beef.

Eating lots of red meat can raise the risk of having a stroke, according to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health, which was published in the journal Stroke.

In tests, people who ate chicken or turkey rather than red meat had a reduced risk of stroke.

Red meat has also been linked to higher cancer and heart disease risks, while chicken is also a more versatile meat which can be used in a greater number of recipes and is easier to prepare.