In earlier generations, beef was considered essential to a healthy diet. Meat was one of the four main recommended food groups, and beef was a mainstay of that group. More recently, scientists and researchers have revealed that saturated fat plays a role in heart disease—a leading cause of death—and other major health problems, perhaps even cancer. The high fat counts in many cuts of beef (a serving of short ribs has 20 grams of saturated fat) soon gave it a bad reputation. In fact, Jeremy Rifkin of Beyond Beef, an organization dedicated to eliminating beef consumption, argues that "beef production and consumption are now major causes of ... human disease and death."

In 1990, the United States Department of Agriculture changed its dietary recommendations from the four food groups to the food pyramid, recommending fewer servings of...