[PEN-L:14986] The World Bank's Aim: Beef for China

Michael Perelman michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Tue Dec 28 11:20:15 PST 1999


Lester Brown of the World Watch Institute has been warning of the ominous consequences of the Chinese switch to beef for some time. His point was the enormous demand for grain to feed Chinese cattle will virtually price Africa out of the market for grain, leading to famine.

Stephen E Philion wrote:


> NYT
> December 28, 1999
>
> 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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Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901



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