Category — Environment & Nature

Have you seen Food, Inc. yet? If not, please go watch it now. I’ll wait.

Alright, good.

You’ve probably heard of the term “meat is murder”. It’s certainly true. But meat is also business. Fresh meat sales in the United States alone average $142 billion. And like any business in a capitalist society, there is always a drive to increase profits. Best way to do this? Reduce costs. The result is a despicable process of factory-raised animals in concentration-camp-like conditions; never seeing the light of day and subsisting on a poor excuse for a ‘diet’.

Not surprisingly, these animals are sick. So they’re pumped with drugs and antibiotics to balance out the equation. Growth hormones like bovine somatotropin and estrogen are added to the cocktail, too. Why wait for the animal to take its slow, natural course for growth when you can speed it up and make more money?

Ultimately, we end up consuming these sickly animals, drugs and hormones included. Is it any wonder that so many of us are sick today? That the onset of puberty is earlier than it has ever been in history? (Thank the hormones for that.) Not to mention salmonella, Mad Cow disease and a host of other ailments (even tuberculosis!) suffered by these creatures that inevitably get passed on to us.

It may not bother you that these animals are treated inhumanely. But it may bother you to know that tortured “downer” cows (which are officially banned) are slaughtered along with the rest and fed to your children. That’s right. Two years ago, the second largest meat supplier for school lunch programs was caught slaughtering and supplying diseased downer cows. The name is Westland Meat Company. Google it.

And this is all just one side of the coin. For years, we’ve known that flatulence from cattle is a major source of air pollution and may even be a greater cause of global warming than automobiles! It doesn’t help that these animals are force-fed corn and soy meals instead of grasses. More indigestion = more flatulence.

But perhaps more devastating is the amount of forestland chopped down for pastures. Nearly 40% of Brazil’s forests were destroyed to make way for cattle grazing in a span of thirty years. The effect on the environment, from destruction of flora and fauna, to the amount of greenhouse gasses released, is astronomical.

Meat is quite literally murdering our planet.

Despite all this, demand for meat continues to increase worldwide, particularly among nations with growing middle classes like China. But sooner or later, this will have to stop. And there is no reason for it not to. With today’s vast array of fruits, vegetables and legumes, there is no lack of nutrients and healthy choices available. And we have the technology to convert these sources into virtually anything – even artificial meat (for those who just can’t let go).

We’ll be healthier and happier. And so will our planet.

The Future of Meat: Vegetables.