Presently, there are no reliable projections of fish consumption on a global scale for more than a few years into the future. These features allow the model to more closely simulate the real world livestock system, where livestock production is tied to the availability and cost of feed, yet consumption can be satisfied by trade, with repercussions for prices and quantities of cereals and livestock products worldwide. Although as recently as the 1980s, people in the developing world consumed just over one-third of the global supply of meat, they are now consuming close to half. Several factors are driving this increased demand in developing countries. One is their current relatively low meat, milk, and egg intake levels.
Animal products are highly nutritious and palatable and add variety to diets.
As documented in the next chapter, the nutritional benefits of an increase in animal food intake, where initial levels are low, are substantial, especially for young children. Throughout their evolutionary history, humans have consumed foods of animal origin, obtained originally by hunting and fishing, then for several millennia from domestic animals. Thus, a desire for such foods in the diet is, quite literally, natural. For example, per capita consumption of milk and meat is much higher in Latin America, which has a proportion of urban dwellers similar to developed countries, than in other developing countries with similar income levels but lower urban population concentrations. European influence and a long tradition of stock raising are likely additional factors.