6 Baby Steps Toward a More Sustainable Animal Diet

DAVID KIRBY ON IMUS - March 2, 2010 - To view the clip, please click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

The most common question I get about my new book Animal Factory, which comes out Tuesday, March 2, is, "Am I going to have to become a vegetarian after reading this?"

My answer usually throws people off.

"No," I say, "You're going to want to eat even MORE meat, eggs and dairy!" Then, as a bemused brow breaks over their face, I add: "But by that, I mean more that is raised humanely and sustainably, without harm to human health or the environment."

Most people I speak with inherently sense that their meat and dairy should be raised as "humanely and sustainably" as possible, but don't really know what those terms mean. The whole new morality of shopping the supermarket meat aisle can seem so daunting, especially while trying to sort through the various "cage-free" "humane" and "organic" labels.

Meanwhile, the painful ordeal of shelling out big chunks of one's paycheck for pricey protein from boutique sources other than CAFOs - (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or factory farms), is just too onerous for some to ponder. And if even they were to make the sacrifice to "go sustainable," they ask, how are they going to find such vaunted foodstuffs, both at home and on the road?

Still others beg off the subject entirely with a wince, a wave, and an "I don't want to know!"

But some of my friends really do make every last effort to eat only sustainable animal protein and, when not available, to go without. But I also understand that, for most Americans, it is exceedingly difficult and prohibitively expensive to switch overnight to a 100 percent CAFO-free diet, unless they are planning to go completely vegan.

I do not believe in telling others what to eat or, more importantly, what not to eat. It's a deeply personal choice. But I do believe that we all have a responsibility - even a solemn duty - to inform ourselves about the origins of our food, and the impact it had on people, places and animals.

Just remember, that pork chop may have been raised in a crowded North Carolina CAFO, whose liquefied manure emits noxious gases into the air, might leak pathogens and nutrients into state waters, and has been known to coat neighboring homes, cars and people with the greasy, misty detritus of a massive manure "sprayfield," Carolina style.

So what's a conscientious but somewhat underpaid omnivore to do? What follows are just a few suggestions - some baby steps to reduce your reliance on cheap animal factory food, whence most American meat, egg and dairy "outputs" are now derived.

Be Label Conscious - You have rights as a consumer, but you also have responsibilities, in my opinion, and that includes self-education and being savvy about labeling. In "Animal Factory," I describe some of the competing food labels (organic, humane, cage free, etc.) and the different criteria they require to earn their endorsement. There's a lot of cross-over, and a lot of confusion. Some consumers are now looking for what is widely considered to be the most stringent label of all, "Animal Welfare Approved." AWA requires all animals to have pasture-based certification, prohibits the use of liquefied manure, and only certifies farms "whose owners own the animals, are engaged in the day to day management of the farm, and derive a share of their livelihood from the farm." You can search a database of farms and where to find AWA products at www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org.

Pick A Protein - Begin your path towards being a more sustainable epicure one food at a time. Pound-for-pound and dollar-for-dollar, eggs, cheese, or butter are good starter products. For example, I only buy humanely raised, certified organic eggs at my local supermarket. They cost $3.99 a dozen vs. the $1.99 a dozen for factory farmed eggs - a difference of about 16.5 cents an egg. And while I have the admitted luxury of not having to support a family, I am more than happy to double my costs and expend an extra 33 cents in the morning for my omelet. Organic (pasture-fed) cheese and butter also have manageable price point ratios to their commercial counterparts, so you might want to pick one of those as one of your switchover foods as well.

Become Cooperative - A few national chain stores, and of course your local farmers market (the ones in New York are a marvel) are usually excellent and reliable sources of sustainably raised protein. But the prices can sometimes make you laugh out of sheer exasperation - I have seen $27 chickens, which for most families is too extravagant. On the other hand, I have seen $2.70 chickens in my supermarket, which to me at least seems too cheap for the life of a bird. Another alternative is to seek out a food coop in your area that specializes in local, sustainable meat and produce. I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, home to the nation's oldest coop, which offers deep discounts on delicious, fresh, local meat, dairy and eggs. Unfortunately for me, the place is so popular that I have not yet been able to get a slot in the mandatory orientation for new membership, but I keep trying.

Go Red-Tag Shopping - I have noticed that the meat department at my local place tends to get rid of its older stuff on Mondays and Tuesdays, slapping a bright red, easy-to-spot sticker with the words "Manager's Special" onto the cellophane. I make it a point to shop on those days or, sometimes if I am just passing by, I might pop in and make a quick run down the aisle, eyes peeled for those exciting red tags as I scan the row. The discounts are usually about 30% off the normal price, and sometimes more. Whole organic chickens are often reduced from $3.99 to $1.99 a pound. If you don't eat it that day, freeze it.

Go Online - Another great resource for finding local, sustainably and humanely raised animal products is Sustainable Table, and its Eat Well Guide - with a Zip-code based searchable database for farms, markets and restaurants in your area that offer food that did not take a toll on humans, animals or the environment before landing in your mouth.

Eat Less Meat - This is a suggestion, not an order, and it doesn't come from me, it comes from the "Meatless Monday" campaign. But reducing your animal protein even a little bit each week will contribute to easing worldwide animal demand from any source. Check out the Meatless Monday virtual online support group for temporary withdrawals of the flesh. Think of it this way: for billions of people in the world, it's going to be "Meatless 2010," so a 52-day sacrifice is not that hard to make.

"Animal Factory - The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment," is being released on March 2 by St. Martin's Press. Kirby will appear on Imus in the Morning on March 2 at 7:30AM EST, and will hold a reading and book signing at Borders Bookstore, Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle, NYC on Thursday, March 4 at 7:00PM. For more information, please visit www.animalfactorybook.com

 

 

 

Comments

[Roguer]

09:51 AM on 03/10/2010

As a producer of grass fed beef, I would have to beg to differ with you on the pricing issue. While some have taken advantage of a "niche" market. There are some, including my farm, that believe that healthy, humanely raised, natural foods should not be a luxury item only available to the rich.

90% lean ground beef is $3 lb. Rib eye steaks, $10 lb. Tomatoes, $.90 lb., Raspberries, $4.50 a pint. ,etc.

You get the idea. We believe that buying fresh healthy food direct from the farm should not cost as much as going to a grocer with way more overhead than we do. If one cuts out the middle man, one should be able to get better prices. We believe that in order to change the system that we must lead and offer a competitive product.

Any product that does not sell in a reasonable amount of time gets donated to the local family refuge center, the local food pantry, and the local children's shelter. So far this year we have donated over 700 lbs. of ground grass fed beef.

[Vickster]

11:57 PM on 03/10/2010

Hello my friend! It's good to have you back!

[Beth Boyle]

05:18 AM on 03/05/2010

I raise my own lamb and buy beef locally from farmers. I just put a quarter beef in the freezer.

[Bardmess]

09:24 PM on 03/04/2010

Visit the country. Make friends with a rancher. Lots of people have a few steers in their pastures and they're sometimes very happy to share some meat when they butcher. I bought 265 pounds of beef today and picked it up at the packers. It came to$2.40 a pound. It's all neatly cut, wrapped and labeled in cuts that I ordered ahead of time. Best of all, I know the rancher, I met the steer, and I know he was never sick, never had any drugs, was never fed anything but grass from the pasture he was born in, and where he was killed with a single bullet. (He had a happy life, as far as it went.)

It was a nice spring day in the country. On the way home I stopped at a chicken farm and got a lot of eggs and a few free range chickens for a quarter what I would have paid at the Food4Less. Then we watched a pair of bald eagles start to build a nest at the top of a very tall tree. They say it's the first nest around here in nearly 100 years. This does not happen at a SuperMarket.

[lauracarroll]

07:27 PM on 03/04/2010

As an ex-vegetarian and now back as a sustainable flesh eater, I don't think there is one answer here. Some people need more protein than others. Some do fine on a vegetarian diet, others feel weak and develop health issues. Same for vegans--it suits some, definitley not others. Two theories I find myself going back to again and again is the Eat Right For Your Blood Type (remember those books that came out by blood type?). As a type O I feel best when I try to follow the rules for that blood type, and let's say it ain't vegeatarian. However, I eat meat (not shot up with hormones, etc) in moderation. The other theory to find out what truly suits what your body needs is ayurvedic medicine. Find your constitutional type and eat in accordance with it. We each need to find what works best for u=our own bodies and balance that with a larger perspective of how our eating habits affect the planet... Laura www.lauracarroll.com

[Arlette Seib]

08:38 AM on 03/04/2010

As someone who raises animals for food in a sustainable manner, with care and attention to the land and livestock connection, reading this post gave me encouragement.

It can be intimidating to travel the sustainable ranching road when surrounded by others who often feel threatened by any mention of the environment or sustainable practices therefore do not show support for this type of agriculture.

I feel there is a real need for those in the agriculture industry to begin to reach for their own potential in making a difference. It will happen.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Arlette
http://www.ranching-with-sheep.com

[gbrooks]

10:42 AM on 03/03/2010

One thing the author missed on how to easily cut down meat consumption is to cook in asian styles. One chicken breast can be enough for four people if you serve it as a stir-fry type of meal.

Very yummy, versatile and inexpensive way to go. :)

[SherryD in NH]

07:13 AM on 03/03/2010

"I do not believe in telling others what to eat or, more importantly, what not to eat. It's a deeply personal choice". THANK YOU! This is a book for people who still want to eat meat, so all you vegans and vegetarians who are posting here, please stop shoving your beliefs down everyone's throats (no pun intended). Eating LEAN, grass feed meat in moderation is not a health risk. Is a vegan diet better than one containing lots of fatty, factory farmed red meat? Yes. But I'd like to see the study that says it's better than one containing small amounts of fish, lean poultry and even a little lean 100% grass fed red meat. Meat can be a part of a healthy diet if done right.

[Soliel]

06:27 AM on 03/03/2010

While some animals raised for food have it better than others...no animal raised for food is truly "humane" because they all end up in the same hell hole, the slaughterhouse...no matter how "sustainably" raised they are.

Let's not forget the most recent bust of an "organic veal" slaughterhouse. They skinned babies ALIVE. Oh, yeah, but it was "sustainable" and "organic"!

And, keep in mind the unkindness towards humans when we choose to eat meat. When you eat meat, you are paying some poor person to kill eight hours a day everyday. It is not good for thier minds/hearts/souls to do this. It's very demeaning, stressful, disturbing, soul killing work. If you eat meat, you are asking someone do this work and spreading the bad karma around. Not nice.

It's best to be vegan or veganish. The second best choice would be to choose more "humanely" raised (but never completely humane) AND eat meat ONLY on special occasions.

[Josephius]

03:52 PM on 03/03/2010

"spreading the bad karma around"

Please! Our entire biosphere is based on predation. Your attempt to equate nutritional sources directly with morals illustrates how perplexing this type of position actually is. Making a choice (a human characteristic accomplished through higher cognitive functions) to only eat this type of organism and not that type of organism because it is immoral has no basis in reality. It may be practical. It may be advantageous. But the reality is everything requires environmental sources for nutrition and has ways to get it from the environment, including from other organisms, all the while using various biological strategies to prevent other organisms from competing with them for the same things.

Predation is natural! Selecting what you prey on is a choice, but is very different from what has happened for the last 3.5 billion years. Although with merits, it is unnatural.

Do you really think the cows and other grazers pick the bugs and larvae off of the grass then eat? No...they are not vegetarians either. Very evil indeed. And don't get me started on whales! The immoral monsters of the sea.

[Vickster]

12:05 AM on 03/05/2010

Skinning any animal alive would ruin the meat. Besides, those veal calves would have been gutted before they were skinned.

[SusanElizabeth1949]

10:44 AM on 03/16/2010

My guess is that charge comes from some Abolitionist group's propaganda. The claims of skinning alive, be it for meat or fur have a long linage with those groups and quite frankly I find the claims highly suspicious--less then .05% of the human population has the stomach to skin anything 'alive'.

[Don Parker]

01:42 AM on 03/03/2010

There is overwhelming, scientific, documented proof that people who eat more meat and other animal products are far more likely to die younger, and they are much more likely to die from more devastating, painful causes such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. People who eat a more plant-based diet live longer, healthier lives and die of far less painful natural causes.

Any nutrition that animal products provide comes in healthier forms in a plant-based diet.

It’s all documented in this book: The China Study:The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health.

Here’s a paragraph from Wikipedia describing the book:
“The book examines the relationship between the consumption of animal products and illnesses such as cancers of the breast, prostate, and large bowel, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis, degenerative brain disease, and macular degeneration. "The China Study," referred to in the title is the China Project, a "survey of death rates for twelve different kinds of cancer for more than 2,400 counties and 880 million (96%) of their citizens" conducted jointly by Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine over the course of twenty years.”

[gbrooks]

10:39 AM on 03/03/2010

There's also quite a bit of evidence that human beings developed their massive brains, in part, due to the consumption of fish and wild game. You see, the brain is made up largely of cholesterol and needs cholesterol to function.

But, I also understand the need people have to proselytize and find proof to support the conclusions that they've already drawn.

[Don Parker]

12:37 PM on 03/05/2010

Neither I nor the authors of The China Study are arguing for eating no animal products at all. I eat wild Alaskan salmon a few times per week, for instance. But people in our culture eat way too much red meat and other factory farm animal products.

If we did nothing but cut back to eating fish and wild game, I'm sure it would make a huge difference in our health and in saving the environment. But that's virtually impossible for the nation as a whole.

And I'm happy to see you admit that you're proselytizing. Or do you mean I'm proselytizing? Maybe we both are. Or maybe we're both just stating our opinions and sharing information. Why dismiss someone you disagree with by labeling? Why not just disagree?

[Tim Ellis]

10:41 AM on 03/03/2010

Generally true, although I would argue that DFA-Omega 3s found primarily in fish are much more useful than ALA form Omega 3s found in Flax and other botanical sources. That is definitely just a quibble, however, and doesn't refute your main point, which is that a meatless or nearly meatless diet is leaps and bounds superior to a meat eating diet.

Thanks for the suggestion re: The China Study, I'll be checking that out.

[Don Parker]

01:19 PM on 03/05/2010

Thanks, Tim,

As I said above to someone else, I still eat wild Alaskan salmon a few times per week, and I don't totally abstain from other animal-based diet items. I just try to minimize it. As you say, going nearly meatless is a big step and would make a big difference.

I also suggest the book, Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer. I haven't finished reading it, but if you want to get a look at it, you can see an excerpt at the website for the book:

http://www.eatinganimals.com/

[Roguer]

07:45 AM on 03/10/2010

Grass-fed beef is better for human health than grain-fed beef in ten different ways, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date. The 2009 study was a joint effort between the USDA and researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina. Compared with grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef was:

1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
5. Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
6. Higher in total omega-3s
7. A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
8. Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
9. Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease

S.K. Duckett et al, Journal of Animal Science, (published online) June 2009, “Effects of winter stocker growth rate and finishing system on: III. Tissue proximate, fatty acid, vitamin and cholesterol content.”

[jgarma]

12:16 AM on 03/03/2010

"Eat less meat" is the best of the advice presented.

A meat-based diet for a world that will contain 9 billion people by 2050 is a recipe for disaster. The feeding and foraging requirement for all those hoofed animals would require rampant, pervasive deforestation to create pastureland. Bereft of the planets oxygenator and carbon sink (trees), this world would become a violent climatic hot house.

I would say that rather than being "deeply personal", one's diet is just one part of our program. If you live in Minnesota you have a different food program than Bangladesh. Can't we human beings transcend this?

There are plenty of options for protein other than meat. The Blue Zoners can, in part, thank their vital longevity to beans and nuts (along with veggies, fruits etc.), as this article examines:
http://www.garmaonhealth.com/2010/02/live-longer-habits/

The bottom line is that we're not some fixed, robotic automotran... let's use our heads and do the right thing for ourselves, the animals, and the planet.

Yep.

Jgamra

[Soliel]

06:23 AM on 03/03/2010

Yes, we have so many good things to eat without eating meat.

You are fanned for your compassion and thoughtfulness.

[Tim Ellis]

11:00 AM on 03/03/2010

A couple of minor dissents - there are more trees in the continental US and Canada now than there were a hundred years ago. We are much better about managing our forest reserves than we used to be. On the other hand, the developing world does not utilize most of our practices for sustainability and slash-and-burn is still the norm.

Additionally, the "lungs" of the Earth, if you will, are primarily the plankton residing in the oceans. Trees are important, don't get me wrong, but they are not the primary oxygenator.

Thank you for the link, and for the excellent point that our diet is to a large extent just a part of a regional food program.

[luziannagirl]

08:50 AM on 03/04/2010

Correction:

There are more trees, yes, but not more forest.

A real forest---as opposed to a tree farm--- typically includes a diversity of species, and range of ages. A great portion of the trees in N.A. will not live past 8 or 9 years old, 15 maximum, before they are harvested for wood products.

Yes, even so, there are environmental benefits to monoculture tree farms. They are much better than the alternative, which is conversion to pasture or even worse, residential or commercial development. But they are not the same environmental value as forest.

This "more trees than ever" point is one often made by industry spokespeople and their "journalists" like John Stossel, formerly of ABC's 20/20 "Give Me A Break" segments.

[Anjushri]

10:56 PM on 03/02/2010

Go vegan. It's easy. It's better for you, for the planet, and most importantly, it's the morally right thing to do http://www.veganpamphlet.com http://www.abolitionistapproach.com

[faceplant]

06:18 AM on 03/03/2010

It's not better for you. It's out of balance. Humans evolved as omnivores. Vegan is only slightly better than a purely carnivorous diet. That said, the American diet has way more meat than necessary. We could all cut back to no more than 2 servings of meat per week. The moral superiority of veganism is also questionable, as many small animals are inevitably killed by any mechanized grain or vegetable farming operation, ie. any operation large enough that the farmer can stay in business.

[SusanElizabeth1949]

10:57 AM on 03/16/2010

http://www.nutritionresearchcenter.org/healthnews/do-vegetarians-have-smaller-brains/

A fairly recent Oxford Study.

[Schmaltzy the Golem]

10:50 PM on 03/02/2010

With all of our modern science and genetical type engineering..cant we develop a more sustainable meat animal?

[MrBadExample]

06:18 AM on 03/03/2010

Turkey is about the closest we come to a sustainable meat animal--takes about 4-6 pounds of grain to create a pound of edible turkey meat. birds are more likely to be sustainable meat animals than mammals.

As for genetic engineering of meat animals, we've already seen the results of other factory farming practices (such as the creation of feed using animal protein for feeding cows). Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) aka Mad Cow is thought to have started through this practice. the food regulatory bodies would want a huge amount of data to allow engineered meat animals to be sold.

[Schmaltzy the Golem]

01:04 PM on 03/03/2010

Don't tell anyone,but Soylent Green.......people.

[grumpyfarmer]

08:04 PM on 03/02/2010

I am not a big fan of so called "factory farms" and for the most part think this is an OK article. However, I wish the Huff post would try to be a little more truthful and objective about the state of agriculture in this nation, and why we are where we are today.

I don't know much about chickens since the chickens left the farm in 1970 or so, and I was born in the late '60s, but I know a mafia-like farm organization didn't dream up the way chickens are raised today because they wanted to make life hell for hens. One factor keeping most chickens from enjoying "home on the range" is a great many animals think chickens are a very tasty snack. Raccoons will kill chickens just for the heck of it(I had one kill 14 baby pigs one afternoon before I managed to catch him in the act and kill him), coyotes love eating chickens, snakes and skunks like to eat eggs. While many on this site claim to be willing to pay more for humanely raised meat, milk, and eggs, the majority of Americans are mostly concerned with price. Somebody figured out if you housed your chickens you didn't lose any to varmits or the weather, snakes didn't eat your eggs all the time, and you ended up with more eggs per chicken that way than grandma did with her 100 hens that picked around the yard(and pooped all over the sidewalk).

[intheweb]

06:30 PM on 03/02/2010

Thanks for many helpful suggestions and especially the AWA certification, which I didn't know existed. The current factory farm system is so brutal that I wouldn't touch anything coming from it. I've also found that switching to humanely produced eggs and dairy is not a big problem for a small budget.

[nhokkanen]

04:42 PM on 03/02/2010

Commenters:
Please reply to this post listing your favorite cookbooks that feature recipes calling for reduced amounts of meat and/or meat substitutes for protein sources.

The simpler, the better. Think of recipes you'd recommend to help a die-hard meat lover transition to a more healthful lifestyle.

[sarabedlam]

05:38 PM on 03/02/2010

Mark Bittman, "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"
Martha Rose Shulman, "Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine"
Deborah Madison, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"
Mollie Katzen, The Moosewood Cookbooks
Crescent Dragonwagon, "The Passionate Vegetarian"

Vegetarian Recipes:
Bean burritos (our favorite New Mexico style burrito is a roasted green chile stuffed with cheese inside a bean burrito)
Reuben sandwich made with grilled portobello mushroom instead of corned beef
Vegetarian lasagna
Pizza/Pasta -- delicious without meat
Vegetarian chili

[Soliel]

09:37 PM on 03/02/2010

"The Ultimate UnCheese Book" by Jo Stepaniak

"Vegan Comfort Food" Alicia Simpson