“What’s Really at Steak? How the Beef We Eat May Shape Our Health, Economy, and Security”

A Personal Reflection

I stopped eating beef in January 2018.
That choice helps me to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
In 2018, reports of attacks, kidnappings, and violent incursions into communities across parts of the Southwest were becoming increasingly common. I felt that continuing to consume cattle supplied through systems that, in my view, were connected to those developments raised difficult ethical questions.
For me, giving up beef became a personal form of protest.
I recognize that many hardworking people in the Southwest earn their livelihoods through cattle trading, butchering, transportation, and marketing. Any large-scale boycott would affect them as well. That reality should not be ignored.

Still, I believe we should think seriously about reducing our dependence on cattle supplied from regions associated with insecurity in our communities.
If we choose to eat beef, why not invest more in raising local cattle breeds, including the smaller indigenous varieties traditionally reared in paddocks across parts of Yorubaland?
There are many alternative sources of protein: fish, chicken, eggs, beans, egusi, and other plant-based foods.

Reducing beef consumption may also bring additional benefits. Numerous studies have linked high consumption of red and processed meat with increased cardiovascular risks, while large-scale cattle production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
This is not a call for hostility toward anyone.

It is a call to reflect on how our everyday choices shape our economy, environment, health, and security.
I made this choice in 2018.
Perhaps it is a conversation worth revisiting today.

Aworosasa Moyo Okediji