Chewymom

There was an article in our paper about how the FDA made a ruling three years ago allowing meat processors to add small amounts of carbon monoxide to meat to maintain the red coloring. Now, why would meat packers want to do that? Oh yeah…to make consumers think that meat is still fresh, when it fact it would have naturally started to turn brown and look old (and maybe even to stink?).

All I can say is “yuck.” And “don’t buy meat from your grocery store just because it looks fresh.” And “wait, don’t I have a carbon monoxide detector in my home to protect me from carbon monoxide?”

I know, I know…someone will come along and tell me how safe this is and how it is just improved technology and all. Or how carbon monoxide used in this way is perfectly safe. Let me tell you what is even safer. Avoid meat. Or just know your farmer or butcher. Get meat that you know is fresh.

For the complete story read this article or this one or this one or one more, here.

My kids came home from school on Halloween with new Livestrong-bracelet-knockoffs. I’ll admit to being annoyed that there are so many groups trying to profit from this fad. I have more tolerance for other charity-type causes, but those that are for profit only just annoy me. The ones my kids wore home are neon green and say, “It’s cool to eat at school!” Huh? So now my kids get to be a walking commercial for nasty school cafeteria food? (At least they didn’t pay money for the bracelets…it must be my tax dollars at work!)

In our school system’s defense, they are making an attempt to provide healthier lunches than in previous years. This is good since we, in Alabama, are the fattest state. So instead of pizza three times per week, like last year (I’m not kidding–regardless of what the menu stated, my kids reported that pizza was served almost every day), they now only offer it four times per month. Instead they have such delicacies as “catfish strips with texas toast,” or “breaded steak w/ gravy.”

Not only have I been a student at one time–a student who bought lunch every single day, I might add–but I’ve eaten with my kids in their cafeteria. The kids who buy their lunch nibble on the chips, cream potatoes, dessert, etc. and ignore the rest. Trust me. Have you seen what the breaded steak looks like?? Then there’s the majority who bring their lunch. In my son’s second grade class, I noticed several Lunchables, some pbj’s and chips, and one kid whose entire lunch consisted of a bag of Doritoes and a bag of Cheetoes. Really.

I’ll tell you what might make school lunches more popular. And it isn’t gimmicky little bracelets proclaiming that greasy cafeteria food is cool. Start an organic school lunch program! Seriously! I would go back to letting my kids buy their lunch daily. Check out this about a program in California. Or this program offered by Marin Organic. If you just do a search on “organic school lunch,” you’ll come up with lots of hits! I really think those who manage school lunch programs would be surprised at how popular non-genetically modified, non-pesticide covered, non-mystery-meat lunches might be!

Okay, this is sci-fi I can live with. You’ve gotta check out this video! May the farm be with you.

Store Wars

As I attempt to eat more of a whole-foods diet, I am amazed at the amount of sugar in everyday products. It is nearly impossible to buy food that does NOT have sugar! I have become a label-reader, and as a result, my grocery trips take twice as long–even without my three-year-old tagging along, peppering me with “why” and “how” questions and begging for “girl snacks” (Princess shaped “gummy” snacks)!

Some of the foods I agonized over today included ketchup–all brands have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Thankfully, Heinz has a new low carb ketchup that “only” has sucralose. And have you attempted to buy healthy bread lately? I often make it myself, but I like to keep a little store-bought on hand, because my kids gobble up the homemade stuff but think my store-bought whole grain is gross and leave it alone. I stood on the bread aisle for about 20 minutes, flipping over every loaf of “whole grain” or “whole wheat” bread, only to find that they either had enriched flour along with a little whole wheat, some form of sugar or–you guessed it–HFCS. There is ONE Peppridge Farms kind, out of about 20, that has no HFCS. That HFCS is everywhere! Seriously! Start reading labels, and you’ll be amazed. Even food that is advertised as healthy–Wheat Thins, “healthy” cereals, peanut butter, granola bars, you name it! Even iodized salt has a form of sugar, for goodness sake!!

I guess the good news is that this abundance of HFCS and sugar has forced me to eat just plain old beans, fruit, and veggies. I’m learning new ways to cook them so I don’t get in a rut–or rather so I can get out of the rut I’ve quickly gotten into with my new repitoire of about 5 meals, total. You know, I’m not sure it is quite such a mystery why America is so overweight. HFCS is in EVERYTHING. Even non-sweet foods are loaded with sugar. I guess my new rule is “if God didn’t make it, don’t eat it.” It doesn’t leave room for much snacking or last-minute meals, but I’m betting it will be significantly healthier. Wonder if I can get my family on board….

Well, now this is so irritating it’s almost amusing. McDonald’s has now come up with a PE curriculum for elementary schools! Oh joy! Now my kids can have even MORE golden arches and Ronald thrown in their faces! And at school, no less!! Read the article here.

Now that we’ve helped make America obese, we’re gonna help solve the problem. Newsflash! The problem is NOT that there aren’t enough PE curricula out there, and that what we really need is PE with a logo. Among other problems (like kids eating a few too many Happy Meals), our PE problem is that many schools only have it once a week and have also done away with recess. (Figure that one out, when they DO find time to show videos in class.)

Yeah, McD’s doing PE is a trojan horse, alright.

CM

DS7 was explaining to me that DS13 didn’t like his hot dogs…his “weenies.” (Yes, my kids still sometimes eat things like hotdogs.)

Here are a few photos of factory farming in action.

First, check out the hens.

The debeaked chick.

Unwanted male chicks, discarded in a dumpster behind a hatchery for laying hens.

Now, here are confined veal calves.

And last, some gestating pigs.

Thank you to Farm Sanctuary for most of these photos.

Keep in mind, this is all food that you are looking at….
CM

If you have been reading my blog about the treatment of animals on factory farms and the comments that follow, you may have noticed that Keer and I are having a bit of a friendly debate. Let me say, for you women who get all tensed up over a debate, that Keer is someone I have known online for years. We have a lot in common, and we are still on-line friends (right Keer?!?). Her friendship is more valuable to me than cows, even!

So, I wanted to provide some quotes about factory farming and slaughterhouses that I have found, that are part of the basis of my concerns. I am not finished researching this issue–in fact, I have on order the book Dominion by Matthew Scully (a former speech writer for George W. Bush–in other words, NOT a left-wing extremist). When I finish that book, I will comment more, but for now, here are some quotes.

The use of confinement and chemical therapy to increase weight gain is self defeating to the point where the more animals that are crowded together, the more chemical therapy is needed to stave off massive death loss. The conditions in the present day feedlot is adequate if the weather cooperates. However, if too much rain or snow comes to area the feedlots become death traps for confined animals.

I have seen cases where large numbers of animals have died from drowning, suffocation, freezing, disease, and starvation because they were restricted the freedom to move to shelter while there was time before they became trapped.

When I was involved in the cattle business, I saw, many times, meat shipped in boxes very prominently labeled “inspected by USDA”, but also labeled, in very fine print, that it was a product produced in Central America. -Howard Lyman, former rancher

In the last fifteen years, more than 2,000 small to mid-sized slaughterhouses one-third of the nation’s slaughterhouses have been displaced by a small number of large, high-speed facilities, each with the capacity to kill several million animals a year. In 1998, more than one-half of the nation’s cattle were killed in 14 plants.

With fewer slaughterhouses killing a growing number of animals, packing companies have instituted dramatic increases in their production “line speeds”. In high-speed operations where a minute of “down time” can spell a loss of several hundred dollars, slaughterhouse operators no longer stop the production line for injured workers, contaminated meat, or live animals that are not effectively stunned.

Workers who are required to move thousands of animals per day through the slaughter process are provided only a few seconds to perform their killing and butchering duties. Knowing that they will be disciplined or fired for impeding production, workers often find themselves resorting to brutality to keep the production line running uninterrupted.

When animals are excessively prodded, they arrive at the stun operator in an excited state. Because of this, and because workers do not have adequate time to properly perform the exacting stunning process, stunning is often ineffective. As a result, animals are often hung alive, or may regain consciousness down line, where they proceed through the skinning and dismemberment process fully conscious….

Indeed, the affidavits suggest that roughly 10 to perhaps 30 percent of the animals slaughtered at IBP-Wallula are not rendered insensitive to pain and thus proceed through the skinning and dismemberment process in a fully conscious state.

This was taken from the Humane Farming Association’s website and specifically addresses WAshington State. I read very similar information in Fast Food Nation. I am only addressing treatment of animals at the moment, but eventually I will address the treatment of the human laborers who work with these animals. That, also, is deplorable.

Common mammal stunning methods:

* Captive bolt stunning – A “pistol” is set against the animal’s head and a metal rod is thrust into the brain.Shooting a struggling animal is difficult, and the rod often misses its mark.16

* Electric stunning – Current produces a grand mal seizure; then the throat is cut. According to industry consultant Temple Grandin, PhD, “Insufficient amperage can cause an animal to be paralyzed without losing sensibility.”17

* Ritual slaughter – Animals are fully conscious when their carotid arteries are cut. This is supposed to cause unconsciousness within seconds, but because of blood flow through the vertebral arteries in the back of the neck, some animals can remain conscious as they bleed for up to a minute.18 Additionally, Temple Grandin, PhD notes “Unfortunately, there are some plants which use cruel methods of restraint such as hanging live animals upside down.”19 This can cause broken bones as the heavy animal hangs by a chain attached to one leg.

This was taken from the website Vegen Outreach. I know, I know…a bunch of extremists, right? I would use the chicken or the egg question…which came first, the extremism, or the disgust at the treatment of animals?

If you have a really strong stomach, here is a website called Slaughter House Cam.

Every year, approximately one million calves are confined in crates measuring just two feet wide. They are chained by the neck to restrict all movement, making it is impossible for them to turn around, stretch, or even lie down comfortably. This severe confinement makes the calves’ meat “tender” since the animals muscles cannot develop.

In addition to restricting the animals’ movement, veal producers severely limit what their animals can eat. The calves are fed an all liquid milk-substitute which is purposely deficient in iron and fiber. It is intended to produce borderline anemia and the pale colored flesh fancied by ‘gourmets’. At approximately sixteen weeks of age, these weak animals are slaughtered and marketed as “white” veal (also known as “fancy”, “milk-fed”, “special fed”, and “formula fed” veal).

Taken from Factory Farming

There is no reason why a technologically advanced society such
as ours cannot design and manufacture technologies which will
meet important welfare criteria for the animal, and be profitable
for the farmer, if we have the motivation to do so. In this, I
believe, lies an attainable middle ground. Those who advocate
abstention from animal use are in the minority. The majority of

those individuals who express concern, who sit down in front of a
piece of chicken, or beef, or port, simply are interested in knowing
the animal led a reasonable life.

This quote is also taken from FactoryFarming.com and explains very well the point I am trying to argue.

And I’ll end with this quote:

“You have just dined, and however scrupulously
the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful
distance of miles, there is complicity.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1870

CM

I now have a name for the way I eat! I’m a flexitarian! I had never heard of the word until I ran across it on this blog! I am so glad to find that there are others like me!

A flexitarian, apparently, is someone who eats as a vegetarian most of the time, but who will occasionally eat meat. Check out this story on MSNBC for more info. I’m finding it very interesting!

CM

What is the role of Christians in terms of caring for the earth? In my opinion, this is a very good question for American Christians to ponder. I mean, what exactly did God mean when He said, “…fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth?”

Well, here is my non-theological answer. Let’s suppose I gave my son a puppy. And I told him, “You are this puppy’s master.” What do you think I have in mind, in terms of caring for the puppy? Probably that he would feed the dog, water it, give it shelter, train it, and love it. And what would I think if I caught him mistreating the dog? What if, in the process of training this dog, he beat it mercilessly? Or what if he decided that since the dog wouldn’t come when he called, he’d cut off one of it’s legs? I’m thinking I’d take the dog away and my son would be in some serious trouble.

So, allowing that animals are okay to be used as food, how do you think God desires for us to treat animals? Do you think He would prefer a family farmer who needs meat and butchers a cow with the least pain possible inflicted upon the cow? Or do you think He desires the treatment commonly found in factory farms? Let me describe briefly the second scenario for you. Cows (and chickens and pigs) are kept in tiny pens that force them to be immobile. There is no hay or bedding. Food and water are mechanically delivered. And when the cows (or other animals, but we’ll talk primarily about beef here) are slaughtered, it is often ruthlessly. They are often cut open before they are even dead.

If you doubt what I’ve cited above, I would encourage you strongly to read “Our Food from God” or to read the book Fast Food Nation. Better yet, watch this short video called The Meatrix. (Thank you to my DH, FatTriplet1 for reminding me of The Meatrix.) The article is ideal if you are coming from a Christian world and life view. The book talks mostly about the meat industry as it relates to the fast food industry. The Meatrix is perfect for those with short attention spans (or little time)–it is a humerous but true look at how our meat is processed. All three are quite eye-opening.

All I know is that if my kid ever treated an animal in this way…well, he’d be in heap big trouble. So imagine God, who made these animals and even told Adam to give them all names. I can’t imagine that He’s real happy. Sure, this method of “raising” and killing animals is cheaper. But must economics always win out? Some people think so. I’m not one of them.

I don’t have all of the answers. But may I share what I’m trying to do to support a “kinder, gentler” treatment of these creatures of God’s? I am not doing this perfectly, but for now, I am eating very little meat in an effort to keep from supporting the mistreatment of animals with my pocketbook. I hope to begin buying my meat from a local farmer soon. As an added bonus, this farmer’s animals are raised without hormones and antibiotics, so it is healthier for my family as well. And in my experience from purchasing free-range, antibiotic- and chemical-free chickens, they taste better! I am also trying to avoid fast food establishments as much as possible. They have been a huge driving force in the economics behind the meat packing industry–their need for more and more beef has driven the industry to find faster, cheaper methods of raising and killing cattle, regardless of how inhumane it might be. Less fast food is also healthier for my family. So the whole thing is a win-win for us.

And now, hopefully you’ve been challenged to think about a subject that is typically not addressed in Christian circles. I would encourage you to consider what YOUR response should be….

CM