The World Bank's Aim: Beef for China
By NEAL D. BARNARD
T he World Bank has proved again that the pen is mightier than the
sword. The sword -- in this case a scythe harvesting the grains
that have kept the Chinese free of the diet-related health problems
plaguing Westerners -- was defeated last week when, with the stroke
of a pen, the World Bank signed off on a $93.5 million loan to
build 130 feedlots and five processing centers for China's nascent
beef industry.
The World Health Organization would have had it differently. Its
figures show that the traditional Chinese diet, rich in rice and
vegetables, with little meat and virtually no dairy products, has
kept heart disease and myriad other Western health problems at
arm's length. An improved food distribution network has eliminated
the shortages suffered by some other Asian countries. Today, per
capita food intake is actually higher in China than in the United
States. Unfortunately, steak, fast food and cheese have started to
replace traditional rice and noodle dishes in some regions even
without the World Bank's help. Those areas have shown the highest
incidence of Western-style medical problems.
While smart Americans recognize the need to "Easternize" their own
diets with rice, soy products and more vegetarian options, World
Bank bureaucrats decided to promote a Westernization of China's
diet. Instead of supporting the use of grain as a cholesterol-free
dietary staple for people, the grain will be fed to cattle to
produce meat.
This practice promotes not just poor health, but also the
inefficient use of food. Kilo after kilo of grain proteins fed to
cattle yield only one-tenth this amount of protein in meat.
Of course, the World Bank's efforts to promote cattle farming in
China are concerned less with good health than with economic
investment. No doubt some cattle ranchers will profit, as they edge
out vegetable and rice acreage. But why is the World Bank, so
roundly criticized over for years for its self-defeating economic
development schemes, falling into the same old trap?
Neal D. Barnard is president of the Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine.
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