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The question of whether humans eat Pokemon or not in the games, anime, and manga is an old one. However, the topic is always evolving because there is a lot of content to examine with plenty of new media coming out every year. Examining food in Pokemon is a big undertaking because it usually raises more questions than answers. Most notably, whether regular animals exist in Pokemon and if they are the ones providing eggs, meat, and dairy.
It's natural for fans to wonder what meat humans eat in the Pokemon world since meat exists and is consumed. There are plenty of moments to look at, as well as plenty of items in the games that show an untold story of food dynamics in the Pokemon world. From Moomoo Milk to Farfetched being hunted to near extinction for meat, it is obvious that Pokemon are indeed used for food.
Evidence Of People Eating Pokemon
The Pokemon anime has not shied away from meat, with many episodes touching upon Pokemon as a source of food. Magikarp is one of these major examples. In the episode "Hypno's Naptime," there is a part where Ash describes a Magikarp as "ready for the deli counter." In another instance, when Team Rocket and the heroes are stranded and starving, the anime shows images of them daydreaming of turning a Magikarp into sashimi.
In fact, Pokedex entries mention that Magikarp is at the bottom of the food chain in the Pokemon world, being easy prey for other Pokemon. In Pokemon Moon, it is written in its dex entry that "Its reckless leaps make it easy pickings for predators." Other sources of seafood are the dorsal fin of Sharpedo and pincers of Crabrawler, which are mentioned in the Pokemon Moon Pokedex. Same with Basculin, which is described as tasty in White 2 and Omega Ruby.
In episode 49 of the anime, it was also revealed from the Pokedex that Farfetch'd is rare because it was nearly hunted to extinction due to it being delicious when cooked with leek. Within the games, it is made obvious that Slowpoke tails are used for cooking. In Slowpoke Pokedex entries, such as in Galar, it is noted that its diet can affect what its tail tastes like. In Pokemon Moon, Slowpoke tails are described to be simmered in salty stews. Outside of meat, fruity Pokemon like Cherubi are described in the Pokedex to be sweet, nutritious, and quite tasty.
Pokemon Sword and Shield revealed even more, with curry ingredients such as sausages, smoke-poke tails, brittle bones, boiled eggs, and pre-cooked burgers. One of the curry images even shows parts of what appears to be a Krabby or Kingler sticking out of the curry sauce along with what looks like shrimp. In Pokemon Sword, Barraskewda's Pokedex entry even states, "Barraskewda's flesh is surprisingly tasty." Another Pokemon from that generation, Appletun, is mentioned to have its back skin eaten by children as a snack in the Shield Pokedex.
Besides meat, other products such as eggs and medicine are a common supply and are all over the Pokemon universe. There is proof that these eggs and medicines come from Pokemon. For example, Chansey's Pokedex entries describe its eggs as being nutritious and delicious. Some Pokedex entries also describe Gabite scales and Seadra barbs being used for certain medicines.
All of these examples are not even all there is, but there is still some doubt among the fandom. One big reason for this doubt is that there has also been evidence of animals outside of Pokemon, animals like those in our world. If that is the case, then maybe they supply most of the food in the Pokemon world.
Evidence Of Real Animals Existing In The Pokemon Universe
Most evidence of real animals in the Pokemon world comes from early on in the series. Many fans today attribute this phenomenon to the universe being undeveloped back then. Today, there is far less evidence of real animals in the universe of Pokemon. However, the past cannot be erased and the real animals cannot be unmentioned.
While the Pokedex gives plenty of evidence of humans eating Pokemon, it also has evidence of real animals in its entries. Animals mentioned in the Pokedex include Indian elephants, bugs, chameleons, and dinosaurs. The categories it puts Pokemon in also are usually of existing animals such as Squirtle being the Tiny Turtle Pokemon and Buneary being a Rabbit Pokemon. These categories are also in the trading card game.
Other examples in the games include NPCs mentioning jellyfish, salmon, eels, and rats in the first generation and its remakes. In the early generation, the Old Amber item also showed an actual insect trapped in it and Bird Keeper NPCs had sprites with actual birds on their arm. In battle animations, real birds appear above confused Pokemon and real bees come from Vespiquen with her signature moves such as Attack Order.
The anime has its hints of real-world animals as well. Actual fish can be seen in the tanks of the Cerulean City Gym and Pidgey can be seen eating an actual worm. There is an episode where Ash dresses up as a cow, there is a mongoose illusion conjured by Gastly, and there have been playgrounds that feature animals like ducks, horses, and giraffes. However, all these instances are in the early anime. Since leaving Kanto, the show has offered little to no evidence of real animals.
The Truth To Whether Humans Eat Pokemon
The head writer of the Pokemon anime actually answered the question as to whether real animals exist in the Pokemon universe in his blog writings. In his blog, he wrote that animals once lived in the Pokemon universe, but eventually went extinct. He mentioned that every bird or fish seen in the anime was drawn against his wishes and that those instances are a mistake. This means, according to Shudo's wishes in the anime universe at least, that all food does come from either plants or Pokemon themselves. While this may seem dark, Shudo was actually a man who preferred a darker Pokemon story that could mature along with its audience. After all, he was the spearhead in making Pokemon the First Movie, which was uncharacteristically dark.
While the truth is that humans certainly eat Pokemon, the games, movies, and anime keep it innocent by practicing what is called the absent referent in meat politics. Basically, the absent referent is the hypothetical connection between animals and meat that exists for those that don't create their own meat. It is easily absent, to the point that many do not know how meat is actually made. It is a phenomenon used in a lot of discussions about vegetarian theory, but can obviously be applied to Pokemon. After all, Pokemon is meant for children so of course, it has no plans to unpack the politics of the food industry.