Meat, Interrupted

So, it should be pretty clear from my profile description that I love meat.  Don't get me wrong -- I love me some tofu, broccoli, and mushrooms as well, but meat holds a special place in my heart.  I also love animals -- I volunteer for a dog rescue, and always have a tough time with movies/TV shows that depict any violence towards animals, whereas I watch Dexter with no problem.

Here's the thing: a couple months ago, a friend of mine sent me a link about how badly most farms treat their animals.  He said, read this, and think about it.  I said, no, because I didn't want my meat eating impacted.  Minutes later, I realized this was cowardly, and the equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and saying "la la la I can't hear you" in response to concerns about animal welfare.  I stuck with my "no" and didn't read the article he'd sent me, but I did start doing some research on ethical meat.

Now, I'm not going to tell you all the horrible things that huge meat producers do to both the animals and the environment.  You've probably heard, and you don't want me pushing my viewpoint on you.  You might already know that phrases such as "free range" don't actually mean anything -- here in the US, it means just that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.  Fair enough.  What I am going to tell you, though, is a solution to the problem of how navigate the grocery store and find ethical animal products.

I discovered two websites, Animal Welfare Approved, and Certified Humane.  Both have sets of standards that farming operations must adhere to in order to be approved or certified.  I haven't gone through both sets of standards with a fine-toothed comb, but enough for me to be satisfied that the standards actually mean that the animals have been treated well, from birth all the way to slaughter.  The Animal Welfare Approved program is fee-free, which means they don't charge anything for applications, processing, inspections, or any associated activities.  Certified Humane does charge, though it seems to me to be a worthwhile (and not prohibitive) amount to pay.

Both organizations have pages that tell you where you can find their products by geographical location.  I can buy Animal Welfare Approved Smart Chicken (organic, too!), Pederson's Bacon, and Born Free eggs at Harris Teeter, and I can buy Certified Humane White Oak Pastures beef at Whole Foods.  I'm at the point where I won't go grocery shopping and buy chicken, eggs, or beef that's not humane/ethical.  I haven't yet found an ethical pork producer, so I haven't bought pork in .... a while.

I still struggle with going out to eat, because I really, really love food, and I don't entirely want to give up things like bluefin tuna (horribly overfished) and foie gras (from force-feeding).  (You know what, though, I just looked up the wikipedia article on foie gras, and the picture of the force-feeding really turned my stomach, so maybe that won't be a problem anymore.)  But, the sentiment is the same for other foods -- how do I reconcile eating ethically with going out to eat at places that aren't serving ethical meat?

The answer is, I'm not sure.  I'm still feeling it out.  But I've changed my meat-buying habits at the grocery store, and I'm more aware of the choices I make.  There are restaurants that use ethical meat, though I'm not sure how many use only ethical meat -- Restaurant Nora, I think, is one.  Some farms treat their animals humanely, but might not be certified, and you just have to do the research and find out.

Hopefully more people will start buying ethical meat, and hopefully supply will follow demand.