Our relationship to meat.
As Petar mentioned, we will watch parts of a documentary
called Cowspiracy in class and discuss it.
I grew up
eating mostly chicken and fish and once in awhile (usually when relatives came
in town) we would have red meat. My father did not prefer it and my mother just
rarely made it. I came to college and began my journey of self-exploration. I
began to ask questions about the world about the way the United States impacted
and affected the world. I began to see an oppression of people, specifically
minority groups and women. I asked questions and I grew and I learned and
really began to question authority structures that I once trusted. I also began
to see an odd cycle in our health system, which included our food industries. The
most money went to funding the food products that were making people the most
sick. Furthermore, the health care systems try to take care of these sick
patients but the motives are a bit lopsided (i.g. privatization of insurance
companies, and use of pharmaceuticals). These ideas led me to investigate
further into food for profit and sustainability.
I thought about what it meant to know where
food comes from and ones relationship with it. I also began to investigate
things such as climate change and other pressing environmental issues. This led
me to animal agriculture. I read a lot about it and some of the facts
astonished me. I could not believe that animal agriculture is responsible for
80-90% of US water consumption or that growing feed for livestock consumes 56%
of the water in the US (http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/).
I was very concerned. My mother ate only grass fed meat and grass fed
pasteurized dairy and animal products, which I later found out were also unsustainable
ways to raise livestock. If everyone in America who was eating meat now
switched to eating only grass fed meat, it appears that we would need almost
the entirety of North America to sustain it, which includes all desert and
forest areas.
I knew that because I had begun to
feel so hopeless about the future of this world, I had to do something about
this. I could be a person who contributed less to animal agriculture by not
eating animal products, which would in turn, benefit our environment in a small
way. As many farmers understand, the ways that we are using animal agriculture
now are not sustainable and the consumption of meat will have to decrease in
the near future, but when is it enough? Why is animal agriculture not accepted
as a major contributor to climate change? Is it for profit, and if so who is
profiting? Why do some of these farmers feel nothing when they treat their
animals as vessels for profit? Why do “environmentalists” not know/do anything
about it? I also had questions such as:
what if we could find ways to all eat locally and families could potentially
have small-scale livestock? What does this look like and mean for future
generations? These questions are just food for thought, but I wonder if anyone
else had ideas about this. I know that many have had intimate relationships with
animals on the farm and I am curious to see everyone’s perspectives on
Thursday.
Other information can be found at:
I think that at the root of the problem of a lack of action on behalf of animal suffering and unsustainable systems is that farmers, activists, politicians, and consumers are all working and existing within hierarchical system of control. The industrial agricultural system tells us to look at animals as sources of profit which leads to advertising that tells consumers that industrial meat sources are good for our economy and for our families and that we should eat meat with every meal. It tells the farmers that in order to make a living they need to cram as many animals as possible into as little space as possible, to feed them the cheapest food, and to fill them with chemicals to increase output. Many of the corporations that have huge stakes in the agricultural system also play a huge role in the political system through campaign donations and holding public positions. Activists are going up against corporations with millions of dollars and entrenched political interests as well as deep-seated cultural values and practices that are reenforced by popular media. One of the biggest challenges to changing this system is the relatively low cost of the meat that it produces. I think an important first step is to price meat in a way that represents the true costs of its production and to have stricter legislation on how meat can be sustainably and humanly grown. If we begin to see these changes, we may also see a change in how much meat people are habitually eating as well as hopefully seeing a change is what quality of meat they eat when they do decide to eat it. I think looking to localized systems is an important point because it would re-humanize meat production by creating the opportunity for people to have a relationship with, and respect, the animals that we raise for food.
ReplyDeleteI think, overall, that the saying “ignorance is bliss” is really a factor here. Many people don’t want to know where their meat is coming from. They don’t want to imagine the food on their tables as being part of an animal at all. I think the first step that we should take is mending our relationships with animals and plants that provide us with food. Understanding that the food on our tables comes from an animal and looking inside of ourselves to understand if we are okay with consuming another animal if they were not treated humanely are first steps that people should take. Asking the difficult questions that people don’t want to ask about what they are putting into their bodies can be incredibly beneficial. As far as figuring out a way to eat meat sustainably and humanely, I am not sure. It scares me that I cannot find it within me to answer this question, but I am sure that Thursday’s class will provide a lot of ideas and reassurance. Unmasking the meat industry is really important. Finding out exactly what is on your plate is important. Mending your relationship with animals and plants is important.
ReplyDeleteI think that spreading awareness and knowledge about the reality of the origins of commercial meat and dairy is an important factor in generating change to that system. But I think it is also incredibly important to look at the system of meat and diary production in the U.S. as a whole rather than on an individual factory farm level. Like the other top industries in the U.S., the production of meat and dairy is no longer about producing affordable food; it’s all about capital gain and government subsidization. Many of the farmers who are now caught up in this system have no choice but to continue participating. In so many cases, on so many farms, I don’t think that there is a lack of awareness among farmers about the inhumanity of their practices, rather, I think they find themselves trapped in a cycle and a system that offers no feasible escape. Growing up in a household that frequently discussed the ethics of meat consumption, I spent a good deal of my childhood vegetarian or vegan. As I have come to college and moved away from that home environment I have started eating meat and it has been a somewhat stunning personal experience to learn how easy it is to turn off that home environment voice in my head telling me to question where my food is coming from. It is so easy to get caught up in convenience and low prices even with the awareness and education behind me. I think that while awareness is a step in the right direction, in the end the prices and the convenience has to change in order for the system to change as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of people being more self-sustaining in terms of producing their own food, but the reality of our current societal status is that this is not possible. Many people simply do not have the time, land, knowledge, or funds to start such initiatives. As consumers, however, we do have a choice as to where and how we spend our money. If we hope to see a larger change nationwide I think one of the first steps that needs to happen is that people who have the ability to buy locally produced food directly from farmers or are able to grow some amount of their own food should! We need to change our mentality regarding price and convenience of food. One of the things that is mentioned at the end of Food Inc. is about how consumers have the ability to change what food is available to them. The film compares it to the cigarette movement. People eventually learned cigarettes are bad for them and bought less. Their prevalence both in the media and in stores has since decreased greatly. The film continues by saying if those who are able make it a point to purchase healthy foods produced using sustainable means, then these foods will be what's made available to us, reducing the presence of refined sugars on the shelves of grocery stores. Eventually this could lead to a change in what food the government subsidizes, in turn maybe even reworking our agricultural system.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a society that pays more attention to cost than it does to value. Animals aren't treated as living things because they are part of a commercial industry.
DeleteAs long as we maintain a capitalistic hierarchy, I expect to see the evils of higher-ups to be swept under the rug. If the same people that control the world's resources also control the news which controls public perception of the goings-on in the world, how will anything change? The people in power aren't suddenly going to say, "After all this time we realize that we've been really evil here and we want to make it up to everyone." They've reached that level of power/control through calculated deception and they don't have any new tricks.
How are the most popular children's cereals the ones with all the most toxic dyes and ingredients? How is Coca-Cola, the most consumed soft drink (I believe) in the world more suitable for cleaning toilets than it is for our bodies?
What if the same companies that make mainstream food poisonous are in cahoots with the companies that make the drugs that treat the health problems caused by the poisonous food?
Perhaps seemingly unrelated, but I think intrinsically linked to these discussions of food culture and just social issues in general, I ask the question:
If the richest 1% of the world population may own more than half of the world's global wealth by 2016, why aren't more people as frustrated as I am?
#revolution #killuminati
I agree that the consumption of livestock goes under the radar as an environmental issue. I think once again capitalism is at fault. Livestock production was seen as a profitabe business and therefore meat has been pushed culturally in our society. We think we need to eat more protein than we actually do, we have learned to love and crave dishes with meat like hamburgers, bacon and steak.
ReplyDeleteThis attachment to meat has lead us into other issues like cancer. There have been many studies that show that there is far less cancer in societies that don't use meat as a main source of food, but rather a supplementary element of food. A lot of other studies have shown that meat and other animal products have strong correlations with cancer. Despite this research that shows this stuff is causing death and suffering among our society, money is still being poured into the production of livestock. That is how important profits are in this country. The capitalist system drives us to mistreat the earth, and our bodies.
I'm not saying that everyone should be vegan, or that's even a healthy or sustainable model, however, I think there needs to be more honest research about meat and nutrition. We can't let capitalism skew how we understand nutrition.
I agree that the consumption of livestock goes under the radar as an environmental issue. I think once again capitalism is at fault. Livestock production was seen as a profitabe business and therefore meat has been pushed culturally in our society. We think we need to eat more protein than we actually do, we have learned to love and crave dishes with meat like hamburgers, bacon and steak.
ReplyDeleteThis attachment to meat has lead us into other issues like cancer. There have been many studies that show that there is far less cancer in societies that don't use meat as a main source of food, but rather a supplementary element of food. A lot of other studies have shown that meat and other animal products have strong correlations with cancer. Despite this research that shows this stuff is causing death and suffering among our society, money is still being poured into the production of livestock. That is how important profits are in this country. The capitalist system drives us to mistreat the earth, and our bodies.
I'm not saying that everyone should be vegan, or that's even a healthy or sustainable model, however, I think there needs to be more honest research about meat and nutrition. We can't let capitalism skew how we understand nutrition.
Nya brings up some interesting points. I think that animal agriculture is not accepted as a major contributor to climate change because it does raise an incredible profit. In the capitalist focused society of the US, profit is often what become the most important. Additionally, the US has a history of exploiting people and land to create that profit, and it isn’t surprising to me that animals are also mistreated and misused. When one is able to distance themselves from the environmental and living reality on farms, they are then able to not care or feel as much about their animals.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do think that it is possible to change such a culture. As I wrote on Petar’s post, I think its first important to look at history and see what we can learn about the changes in meat production and consumption over time. Then, I think we can also conceptualize ways of promoting eating less meat in general, maybe by engaging folks in discussions about health or sustainability or animal rights. Finally, I think it is an interesting idea to explore small-scale meat production. For example, raising chickens in urban areas has recently gained popularity. I think this is great, but I also would challenge its accessibility to all. Raising chickens requires a certain level of wealth – to pay for the chickens, their housing and food, and even to have the space in which to let them live. I could see potential issues similar to this with other small-scale urban meat production. However, I wonder if it would be possible to develop small-scale meat production between families or in a model similar to community gardens? That could cut costs and let people learn together.
Meat is a part of my family's culture. My parents are both wonderful cooks, and growing up, I had meat with practically every lunch, and absolutely every dinner. Dinner was not a proper meal without chicken parmesan, pork tenderloin, or lamb shanks. It was not until I got to college and began cooking for myself that I realized I did not need meat in my daily diet to feel satisfied. My entry into college was also the first time I really tried to understand our food system, particularly animal agriculture.
ReplyDeleteMany families around North America share in my family's regular consumption of meat, not to mention many other countries across the globe. When I studied in Scotland and would prepare meals in the dorm, many of my Scottish friends would ask me why I ate so little meat, but still didn't consider myself a vegetarian.
Livestock must be bred on a mass level to meet the needs of contemporary Western World eating habits, and yet the way in which we raise these animals is not sustainable, economically or ecologically. Roughly 36 percent of the US corn production goes to animal feed; we also can't forget that corn is not the natural, most beneficial feed for cattle, chicken, or pigs, but rather it is a filler. Our cows would be healthier if they were pasture fed, not to mention it would be both financially and environmentally friendlier/ more productive to take care of the pastures the cows eat from rather than planting more and more corn. In my mind, animal agriculture is an extremely messy and backwards aspect of our food system, and one that is unnecessarily so.
I do think trying to change the eating habits of our culture is important in being able to make a shift in how farm animals are raised. Cutting back on our meat consumption would be both beneficial to our health as well as the health of our agricultural systems. And I think it's possible. Over the past few years, whenever I am home for a week or so with my parents, I offer to cook dinner, and try to serve vegetarian dishes to prove to my dad that he can be satisfied without a rack of ribs on his plate. The first few times I pulled this stunt on him, he barely made any comment about the food and seemed rather dissatisfied. I imagine he sometimes snuck a slice of deli turkey afterwards while I wasn't looking. But more recently, he has complimented my vegetarian creations, compliments the seasoning, and doesn't balk at the amount of green before him. If Steve Gough's deep feeling of meat can be lightened, then I think there's hope yet for the greater North American population.
There are so many great thoughts happening here that it's hard for me to decide what I want to respond to! Looking forward to in-depth talk tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteFor now, I'll say that I share Laura's perspective--I think most people don't want to acknowledge that a being died so that they could have dinner. We're not really that comfortable with death in this culture. But because we don't want to look too closely at the fact that death fuels our lives, we allow the animals that give us dinners to be treated as objects, not as living beings worthy of our respect and gratitude.
What if as a cultural practice, we took a moment at the beginning of each meal to imagine all of the lives on our plates? The corn plant, the lettuce, the cow . . . what if the thought that they died so that we could live inspired gratitude in us rather than revulsion? Would that change our food choices? Would it change our experiences of eating?
In the vast majority of cases, animal agriculture is absolutely for profit. Large corporations are profiting greatly. In regards to farmers not feeling bad about the treatment of their animals, I don’t think it’s fair to blame these people. Farmers have become desensitized to the horrible treatment of animals due to being surrounded by it every day. Furthermore, it’s difficult to fault them for supporting themselves and their families rather than working toward better conditions for the animals. Of course it is possible to attain both of these goals, but not everyone has that option. People working on factory farms and slaughterhouses often feel trapped in their jobs due to the larger systems in place, so they may accept the conditions and sacrifice some of their moral principles to continue receiving pay. In this way, these workers become pawns in the system along with the animals that are exploited.
ReplyDeleteI’m trying to be hopeful though. I’ve seen the impact, although small, that I’ve had on my parents. They both eat very little meat now, and are always proud to tell me about a new vegetarian recipe or their purchases from the farmers market. It’s important to always continue learning about the problems with our food system, so I can teach those around me.
I liked that you brought up the issue of water consumption associated with animal agriculture. On the link Petar posted they mention the vast amounts of water it takes to hydrate livestock, produce the food to sustain agriculture animals, and clean slaughtering facilities. It is always startling to know how much water is used in food production. Taking shorter showers and cutting back on watering lawns is such a readily accessible way to feel like you are reducing water usage. It is hard to grasp that the food we buy has had the biggest impact on the current drought. The most powerful tool to combat drought, as well as climate change, can be consumers’ choices. I think there is a lack of consumer education in place to help the public understand the links between what they buy and the environmental consequences of supporting certain industries.
ReplyDeleteLike Nya and Petar, I do not eat meet for various reasons. Like most vegetarians have found, there is a constant struggle to find a good source of protein. Tofu and other soy based products are usually our best bet, but soy production uses large amounts of water. We discussed this issue in Entomology last fall with a possible solution being investing in insect farming. Cricket powder is a viable protein supplement. It takes one gallon of water to raise a pound of crickets while it takes 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef. Greenhouse gas emissions for cricket farming are much lower and cricket powder can offer more protein and less fat than many forms of beef (http://bigcricketfarms.com/). Don’t get me wrong, the idea of eating insects is not an appetizing thought for myself and most Americans. Many of us were raised to view insects as dirty and gross, however if people saw the industrialized processes involved in preparing most of our meat products maybe we would think differently about what we are consuming. I understand that insect products will not be an option for everyone for various moral and religious reasons, but I think it is a future direction we should take into consideration. While it would be a tough transition, I think cricket farming could help give more people access to sustainable, protein rich diets.
The majority of people have absolutely no idea where their meat comes from. I remember my grandmother asking me a few months ago why I was so adamantly opposed to meat from the supermarket. When she grew up, animals weren’t confined in commercial feedlots. They weren’t pumped full of antibiotics or hormones. It was perfectly fine to assume that most supermarket meat was nutritious and produced humanely. Nowadays, meat produced humanely must be specifically sought out, and even then is prone to mislabeling.
ReplyDeleteI personally eat meat with almost every meal. I buy my meat frozen in bulk from a local Michigan farm that is 100% grassfed, antibiotic and hormone free. I feel good about getting to talk to the people who produce my meat and knowing that the animals are treated humanely. Grassfed meat is better for the environment and has a better nutrient profile. I think it’s really important to use all parts of the animal as well. I buy a lot of organ meats, and I also save any bones to use to make bone broth soup, which is extremely delicious and nutritious. By doing this, you make fewer animals go a long way.
It’s extremely concerning to learn that over 50% of US water consumption is due to animal consumption. You raised a lot of interesting—and aggravating questions. When will it be enough? I think the root of the problem lies deep within our capitalist society; regardless of the information we are given, people continue to work and exist within this system. Like we discussed in class last week, I often have to remind myself of the horrific details of large corporations that exploit their consumers and workers by producing inferior goods that yield enormous profits. Like we mentioned, more than 70% of the world’s cocoa is picked by enslaved children in Western African countries—that never even have the opportunity to taste chocolate. Yet our society continues to purchase mass quantities of it for silly trademark and capitalist holidays (I’m calling you out, Valentine’s Day), regardless of whether or not it actually becomes consumed. Laura is completely correct; there appears to be an acceptance of dehumanization or “Ignorance is bliss” within our society. While tragic, facts like these are imperative to continue to raise awareness and educate ourselves. It is essential to know where our food comes from, how it was treated, and more in order to increase respect for it (and potentially decrease its consumption).
ReplyDeleteNya as well as many of you in your comments bring up important problems with cattle production and consumption. The impacts of the cattle industry play out both on the individual level, such as with health that Rachel mentioned, as well as on the structural level of reinforcing and benefiting from capitalism that many people discussed.
ReplyDeleteAs Annie and others mentioned, the consumption of meat is very cultural, and therefore changing public understandings and opinions of beef is not, and should not be, as simple as saying it's bad for you. The "ignorance is bliss" culture that Laura and Eileen discuss makes it too easy for people to just not care. We can't dismiss people who do not take the time, or do not have the time, to fully understand what industries are good and which are bad. And let's be honest, that's not something we have fully studied up on either, and currently our primary job is students is to do just that, study.
Instead we really need to examine why it is that we are raised to be so reliant on beef in our diets. We also need to be conscious of and sensitive to farmers who raise cattle in more sustainable ways. As with anything we take from this planet to consume, we should try to do so in a respectful and sustainable manner. Does beef really need to be singled out? As an economics major I have to ask, how are the statistics that we're throwing around here actually calculated? Over break I started the book "Defending Beef," and from the little bit I have read so far, there seems to be a lot of controversy and contradictions in the facts around beef production. I look forward to reading and discussing that more later in the term!