Biden Never Set Limits on Beef Consumption
The Claim
President Biden wants Americans to eat only four pounds of beef a year.
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Emerging story
Former Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow was hosting Fox Business Friday and discussed a study about the impact of U.S. meat consumption on greenhouse gas emissions. He claimed that in order to meet the Biden administration’s Green New Deal targets, “America has to stop eating meat.” He also mentioned drinking “plant based beer,” but the panic of red meat rationing caught the attention of the Internet. The claim quickly became that President Biden wants Americans to slash their red meat consumption. This change emerged in conjunction with an article from British tabloid The Daily Mail which speculated on possible outcomes of the Green New Deal.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s analysis shows no such plans about cutting red meat consumption have been made by the Biden administration. In a transcript of the conference that sparked the outrage, President Biden never stated any intention to destroy the American beef industry. He notes that working towards an economy that is “cleaner for the planet...is a moral imperative, an economic imperative...but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities.”
The Daily Mail misconstrued these words and cast serious panic around the plan. In their article, they state that Americans will have to cut the red meat in their diet by 90%, buy a $55,000 electric car, and install a new $5,700 heat pump. They claim to have reached these deductions using a University of Michigan study detailing possible scenarios that might defeat the climate emergency by 2030. The study is not a Biden administration policy nor is the University of Michigan advising the administration.
This is all without mentioning that lab-grown meat research is skyrocketing, with producers estimating meat indistinguishable from conventionally produced meat within the next several years.
In response to Kudlow’s comment about “plant-based beer”: all beer is plant-based and most beer is vegan.
