Although a recent CDC report mentioning the prevalence of vegetarianism among American kids and teens is being touted as evidence that meat-free dieting is on the upswing, it might mean just the opposite.

The CDC found that about one in 200 American kids under 18 was a vegetarian in 2007. That's 0.5 percent. But in 2001, a Roper Poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) found that two percent of Americans age 6-17 were vegetarians. That number grew to three percent in a 2005 VRG poll conducted by Harris Interactive. Vegetarianism among teens and 'tweens seems to have taken a nose-dive in recent years, with the current estimate at just 0.5 percent.

The animal-rights philosophy is the main reason those remaining kids still practice meatless eating. So it's encouraging to know that 99.5 percent of their generation prefers good, balanced nutrition over the misguided view of the world promoted by animal activists.

David Martosko

Center for Consumer Freedom