IELTS - A Long Writing Task

Write at least 250 words about the following topic:

Some vegetarians say it is selfish and unnecessary for people to eat meat in a world where food resources are becoming increasingly scarce.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

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According to some vegetarian groups, eating animal meat is cruel, selfish and unnecessary especially in the world where food resources are limited. I strongly disagreed with the argument due to the following reasons.

First of all, although there are studies and research regarding the benefits of consuming vegetarian diets, there is also evident that human benefit more by consuming animal meat than eating vegetarian foods. For instance, one serve of steak contains three times more iron and protein than a serve of potato bake. Thus, having meat in one’s diet is an act of self caring rather than self indulging.

Secondly, the natural disasters, like flood and drought are affecting the food supply in the whole world. Therefore, the increasing scarcity of food resources affects not only the supply of meats but also fruits and vegetables. If eating meat is a selfish act, consuming fruits and vegetables should also be seen as an unfavorable action.

Thirdly, some vegetarians claim that eating meat is an act of cruelty because it involves the act of killing living animals. However, they forget that fruits and vegetables are also living things.

Lastly, the scarcity of food supply has nothing to do with meat eating. It is mainly due to people's greed and their food wastage. People often purchase and store more food than they can consume. This worsening situation is the culprit of the inadequate food supply.

To conclude, I believe that eating meat should not be considered as a selfish or cruel act. It is only a matter of eating style and preferences. You would agree that we need a balance diet with both meat and vegetables. Nevertheless, individuals must also be responsible for their own choice and do not waste any food resources. So there will always be enough food for all the people in the world.

(Contributed by Annie Sung and edited by Terri)