The Science and Ethics of Why We Avoid Eating Meat-Eaters

Cows, pigs, chickens, deer, and rabbits—these are all animals that humans around the world regularly eat.

But for the most part, the animals we eat don’t eat other animals—at least not exclusively.

Humans primarily dine on herbivores and omnivores. So why do we steer clear of carnivores?

Safety

When I first explored this question, I thought I already had a good idea of the answer.

But there are actually several interesting possibilities for why we generally keep carnivores off the menu.

The first reason we might avoid eating carnivores—my initial hypothesis—is safety, or rather, the lack of it.

As animals go about their lives, they accumulate potential hazards—parasites, microbes, and heavy metals—some of which remain in their bodies and can cause harm.

When one animal eats another, it absorbs the contaminants from its prey.

If that animal is then eaten by another predator, the accumulation continues.

By the time a carnivore reaches the top of the food chain, it may have accumulated a high concentration of harmful substances.

We know that certain carnivorous species contain dangerously high levels of toxins, making them unsafe for human consumption.

However, we don't have strong evidence that this applies to all carnivores in general.

Taste and Texture

Another possible reason is taste—maybe carnivores just don’t taste good.

One factor is texture.

Carnivores are lean, muscular hunters, and the leaner an animal is, the less fat it has.

Fat contributes to juiciness, so lean meat tends to be tougher, and humans generally prefer tender meat.

Then there’s flavor.

An animal’s diet can influence how it tastes—this is why some people prefer grass-fed over grain-fed beef.

Carnivores may develop undesirable flavors due to compounds in the meat they eat.

For example, some hunters report that bears taste different depending on their diet—spring bears that eat berries are said to be tastier than fall bears that feast on fish.

That said, there’s an exception: humans do eat certain carnivorous fish, such as tuna and salmon, which are considered quite delicious.

This suggests that taste alone isn't a universal explanation.

Inefficiency

A more practical reason for avoiding carnivore consumption is inefficiency.

Raising animals for meat requires a lot of resources.

When you feed a cow 10,000 calories of grass, most of that energy sustains the cow’s life, with only about 10% contributing to body mass.

That means from 10,000 calories of grass, you might get only 1,000 calories of beef.

If you then feed that beef to a tiger, the same inefficiency applies—you might only get 100 calories of tiger meat.

It’s far more efficient to eat the herbivore (or even the plants) directly rather than consuming a carnivore at the end of the chain.

This inefficiency explains why we don’t raise land-dwelling carnivores for food.

However, in the ocean, where humans have historically relied on opportunistic fishing rather than farming, we do eat carnivorous fish, since efficiency isn’t as much of a concern.

Religion and Cultural Practices

Religious and cultural beliefs also play a role.

For example, Judaism prohibits the consumption of predatory animals, and the Quran forbids eating animals with fangs or talons, which excludes many carnivores.

Religious dietary laws often have practical roots—health concerns, taste preferences, or inefficiency may have originally influenced these restrictions before they became religious norms. Over time, these beliefs may have helped reinforce the widespread human aversion to eating carnivores.

A Complicated Culinary Question

Ultimately, there isn’t a single definitive answer.

Safety concerns, taste, inefficiency, and cultural traditions all contribute to our avoidance of carnivore consumption.

While humans enjoy eating cows and chickens, we steer clear of tigers and eagles.

It’s an interesting question to chew on—one that doesn’t have a simple answer but certainly makes for good food for thought.

This version removes unnecessary repetitions, clarifies ideas, and improves readability while maintaining the original intent.

Let me know if you’d like any further refinements!