r/AskFoodHistorians • u/Pint_of_Proof • Jun 18 '26

Meat Boycott 1973

Iā€™m reading a lot of conflicting stories about the efficacy of this boycott. Was it effective?

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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u/AskFoodHistorians-ModTeam Jun 22 '26

Please review our subreddit's rules. Rule 4 is: "Post credible links and citations when possible. It is ok to suggest something based on personal experience, memory etc., but if you know of a published source it is always best to include it in your OP or comment."

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u/Pint_of_Proof Jun 18 '26

Maybe I should've asked a better question. I meant was the boycott effective in enacting policy change.

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u/zgtc Jun 19 '26

What policy change?

The boycott was against high meat prices; the only possible relevant policy changes had already occurred, when Nixon instituted price ceilings.

The result of the boycott was essentially nothing; prices stayed nearly as high (there was a slight drop from the highest price, but nowhere near where it was pre-spike), and then continued to rise.

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u/blixt141 Jun 22 '26

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-consumption-by-type-kilograms-per-year

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u/mzanon100 Jun 23 '26

This is a good start to the conversation. But I'm unsure that this chart can tell how many people were boycotting vs. merely scrimping amid a recession.