What I Learned When I Read the Bible
I learned God gave man and animals the plants, seeds, and produce to eat.
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours (man’s) for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.’”
God does not mention giving man animals to eat. We know man used dead animals for sacrifices to God, but it does not appear he ate animals on a regular basis. This changed after the flood when God told Noah in Genesis 9:2-3: “The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave (past tense referring to Genesis 1:29-30) you the green plants, I now give you everything (meaning I now give you not just plants but also animals).” (emphasis and parenthesis mine)