From Ecopedia

Overview

Beef is the meat product derived from cattle (cows) and is one of the most consumed meat substances consumed throughout Europe and the Americas. Although served in many ways, a popular beef dish is a steak, which is a tender piece of meat that is cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. A steak is usually prepared by grilling the meat to the desired temperature. There are many other ways to cook beef, including via smoking, baking, grilling, and roasting.

From a nutritional standpoint, beef is rich in minerals such as zinc, selenium, phosphorus, iron, and B vitamins. Additionally, Beef is a significant source of protein, creatine, and carnitine.

Environmental Information

Production

Main Article: Factory Farm

Beef itself does not necessarily raise any environmental concern, however, the production processes used to produce beef on a factory farm which raise environmental concern. Factory farm's produce beef at alarming rates to keep up with growing international demand. This means that they have to rapidly allocate resources, such as food and water for the cattle, in order raise the cattle to a mature enough point to which they can be slaughtered at a slaughterhouse and turned into cuts of meat.

Allocation of resources

Factory farms must allocate approximately eight percent of human water for the production of cattle. Secondly, the amount of grain that is used to feed a cow to produce food for one person, could actually feed up to ten people in itself.

Factory farms are also prolific consumers of fossil fuels in order to keep their farms running and producing meat. Secondly, poisonous waste is a common byproduct from these factory farms as well

Environmental Impacts

Main Article: Factory Farm

Environmental impacts of factory farms are a major contributor to the degradation of the environment. Some of the environmental impacts include

- Deforestation to clear land in order to raise cattle

- Massive use of pesticides and fertilizers used to grow feed to raise cattle

- Usage of 8% of human water, most of which is entirely unsustainable

- Reduction in global cattle diversity due to inbreeding and mass-breeding

- Pollution of soil and water resources by animal feces and nitrogen

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming http://www.ciwf.org.uk/resources/publications/environment_sustainability http://www.earthsave.org/environment/foodchoices.htm http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/beef.pdf