No, this is not the end of meat

As the coronavirus has spread through America’s meatpacking plants amid a growing recognition that overcrowded factory farms are risk factors for other diseases, some people have wondered whether we’ve reached a tipping point. Might Americans finally be ready to go easy on their beloved hot dogs and steaks? Simply put, no.

It is true that some Americans have had to adapt during the pandemic. Some slaughterhouses shut down as the virus ran rampant through the workforce. One Tyson Foods pork-processing plant closed after author Jonathan Safran Foer took to the New York to declare, “The end of meat is here,” and others have noted the increased sales of plant-based meat products like Beyond Burgers, there is little evidence that any change in our eating habits will stick.