This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Dec. 31 Public Forum letter "Resolve to go meatless in the new year" didn't mention a related issue: worldwide hunger and food costs. Reducing animal-product consumption would increase availability of agricultural lands for growing people food. Those lands now are used for growing food to feed animals for people to eat. That type of agriculture feeds a lot fewer people per acre than growing people-food plants.
The consequent rise in food costs is especially hard on marginally fed people of the world.
The biofuel boom (ethanol) that drained agricultural lands away from feeding people is blamed for the current worldwide food cost rise.
John Ellison
Salt Lake City