All posts filed under: Meat Production

How much water was used to produce your dinner?

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Something that I’ve thought about recently is how much water was used to produce the food that I eat. One of the reasons why I eat almost no animal protein anymore is because of the statistics that I read about how much grain and water went into the production of various animal proteins (see the reason’s why page). But animal protein isn’t the only thing on our plate that’s water intensive. I’ve read a number of articles about how much water goes into the production of rice, almond milk, and avocados – but there’s not often a comparison to alternatives. For example, does rice use more milk than pasta? And, are all rice varieties the same? What about farro or some other ancient grain? Anyway, this is something I’ve always wondered about and I’m actually working on an article right now that highlights milk alternatives and how much water goes into the production of each one.

Meat Production: Animals aren’t the only ones being harmed

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Yesterday, my husband and I spent the last hours of Christmas doing parallel play (where the two of you spend time together, but are doing different things). He played video games, while I re-introduced myself to the world of twitter (that’s right!) and began reading a new book entitled “The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of our Food”, just in the prologue I read some things that are frightening, and I have to admit – something that I’ve never thought about before. When considering meat production and then the breakdown of farm animals, I’ve never thought of the employees and these factories that produce packaged meat. It’s embarrassing, but that’s never been a focus of mine, until now. Read more here.

Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out Against Purdue

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A couple of days ago, a video went viral showing the inside of a Purdue run chicken farm. The farmer in the video contacted CompassionUSA because he decided that it was time people knew what was going on in these chicken farms. I have to warn you, the video is incredibly upsetting. The chickens that you see in this video are sold as “cage-free” and “hormone free”, which technically, are true – but it’s false advertising because you’re led to believe that these chickens led a life of dignity and from the video, it’s clear they don’t. More here.  

Little Herds

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So, I’ve known that there are a lot of cultures our there that practice entomophagy (eating insects) for awhile. And, like most Americans that idea has made me squirm a bit, despite being 100% open to the idea. I think it’s the legs. In April, I read a really interesting article, The Joys and Ethics of Insect Eating, on NPR about eating insects that this great organizations called Little Herds. They are a small group of people based in Austin, Texas. They travel around the country trying to provide your every day American with the opportunity to try insects. On the main page of their website, they state that: With demand for meat rising around the world, and many nations facing starvation and food deficiencies, we know we have to change the way we view food. Current farming practices are ravaging the environment, polluting the water and air, causing deforestation, overfishing, and contributing to the rise in infectious diseases. Cultivating insects as food addresses each of these problems. But in North American and in Europe, …