Dietary shifts toward plant-based foods can reduce animal welfare suffering at scale, with the welfare economics of such shifts quantifiable in terms of animals affected.
The welfare economics of dietary change offer a compelling case for individual action. Each reduction in animal product consumption translates, through market signals, to reduced production of animals in welfare-compromised conditions. The mathematics are accessible and motivating: reducing consumption of chicken and eggs, which involves the highest numbers per unit of food, has the largest welfare effect per meal-equivalent change. This does not mean that welfare improvement requires veganism — any reduction in consumption of high-welfare-impact products contributes to aggregate welfare improvement.