I love this article by Michael Pollen. I would definitely categorize myself as a "humanocarnivore". The fact is, ALL industrial farm operations are not done in a way most people would be satisfied with. It doesn't matter if it's labelled "cage free" or "free range". No eggs that you find at the grocery store are from hens that were foraging on a farm. No pork or bacon that you find at the grocery store were from pigs that stayed with their mothers for more than 10 days. You can read more about industrial/factory farming here. It's a sad reality, but that's the way it is in this country. Trust me, I REALLY wanted to find a different answer. I researched organic store brands, Whole Foods, everything and came up with the same thing - either no information (which means they are definitely factory farmed) or that they are factory farmed. So sad!
Like Michael Pollen, my answer is not to boycott all meat, rather to find meat, eggs and dairy products from places I trust. Yes, that means it's more expensive and yes, that means that we eat less of it. It also means that we are treating those animals with respect, which is more important to me than getting meat/eggs/dairy at a discount. Hopefully, by continually voting this way, grocery stores and the factory farming industry will make some changes!
There are some cage free and humanely raised eggs at Whole Foods and other "health" food stores. They just cost about 70 cents each. And so you're spending 7-8 dollars for 12 eggs.
ReplyDeleteApplegate at least humanely raise their animals as well in a "stress-free" environment with plenty of grounds.
You have to definitely pick and choose your battles with the food industry. I'll stay ignorant about the organic free-range eggs....because I don't have the money to spend on humanely raised ones. I also eat a lot less meat than I have in the past. And only organic...except I have bought unorganic applegate...because they're at least humane and have "enough" pasture.
And I really don't want to eat the animals that are also fed GMOs...it's a balance...and it's more expensive....so I have to eat less meat to balance it out.
Hey Tamir, thanks for the comment! Unfortunately...those brands aren't actually what they propose to be. Applegate is no different - they may do a few things SLIGHTLY better than others, but you'll notice that they say "according to current agricultural standards". Well, those standards are horrible!! The pork industry is particularly bad, but I literally can't find any brand in the grocery stores that is any different. The fact is: to market to grocery stores (ie: to have enough supply to mass-market), you have to be industrial. And you can't be industrial without doing things efficiently and on the cheap (which means bad news for animals). Here's one article talking about Applegate in particular: http://agriculturesociety.com/healthy-living/deceptions-in-the-food-industry-applegate-organic-natural-meats/. I so wish it were different. The pricier products are really just marketed to a higher end consumers - there's not much difference in the product itself. It's all branding! When you actually call the companies, they hide information and say cliche phrases, like "all natural" or "free range", which don't mean anything. There are some people (like Michael Pollen) who have actually tried to visit the farms (even those from whole foods) and find the exact same conditions as those found in cheaper brands.
DeleteIf it gives you hope, it's fairly easy to find local eggs and meat (though sometimes you do have to drive a bit out of your way). We buy eggs from a friend here in town and they're only $3.50 a dozen. The chickens roam free and eat a normal diet of bugs and worms, etc. You should look around and see if there's someone doing that where you are. Definitely cheaper than buying the pricey fake-branded eggs at the store!
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