The Next Big Diet: Watch This Before You Eat

Yes, the movie and article demonstrate how cruel, disgusting and wasteful much of the meat production in the United States is. Both were short on solutions or alternatives to raising animals for meat. The movie by PETA in particular wishes that those who view it become vegetarians. However, there's a question of ethics with non-meat production as well. What about the conditions for the workers who pick fruits and vegetables? What about the water that is diverted to irrigate fields? What about the cost and effects of fuel to ship all those products? How are the conditions in the plants that can or freeze vegetables?

I was amazed that animals raised in such conditions are still legally considered edible. If your livestock is living with the corpses of other livestock, something is really wrong with your system. I am rethinking my opinion of roadkill: it may actually be healthier that I thought, and perhaps it too is legally edible. Do the owners and managers of these places eat their own products?

That said, I like meat, and will continue eating it. One alternative, for those who don't have the resources, be they physical or emotional/mental, to raise their own meat is the 4-H Livestock Auction at county fairs. 4-Hers are responsible to raise and care for a livestock project throughout the year, and the culmination is the livestock auction. Before the auction, they show their animals to prove they know how to handle their animals, and gain a place in their class; the better their placing, based on the quality and condition of the animal, the better price they will probably earn on the animal at the auction. Many, at least in Clark County, are actually bought by local restaurants.

Books:
In WWU libraries:

• Katz, Sandor Ellix. The Revolution Will Not be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Pub., 2006.
  

Through Summit:

• Goodall, Jane. Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating. New York: Warner Wellness, 2006.

EDITED 5/29/08 for formatting