Ideal Bite

Did the recent meat recalls set off a veggie alarm in your brain?

03.05.2008

Submitted by tmeronek on Wed, 03/05/2008 - 1:23am.

The Bite:

We all know how great vegetarianism is for the planet. But if you're not ready to take the veggie plunge, at least try getting your meat from a less-alarming source (not always easy - but there are some things to watch for).

The Benefits:

Letting animal rights activists sleep more soundly. Free-range animals, for example, are allowed to spend time outdoors and have more space than those at conventional factory farms.
Waking up to energy savings. According to a Cornell University study, organic farming uses 30% less energy than factory farms for the same yields.
Healthier, bright-eyed Biters. Organic animals are raised without antibiotics or artificial hormones, and aren't genetically modified (GM) or given GM feed.

Personally Speaking:

Since Jen became vegetarian at 11, she's been trying to get her fam to buy sustainable meat (they just weren't gonna give up their burgers). It took one viewing of the Meatrix to make Mom see the light, and now they've got an organic-beef-only house.

Wanna Try:

Typical minimum requirements for eco-meat labels:

"Organic" - animals get access to the outdoors (cows, sheep, and goats get pasture time), bedding materials, and aren't injected with hormones or antibiotics.
"Cage-free" Poultry - birds aren't kept in cages.
"Free-range" - animals are given access to the outdoors.
"Pasture-raised"/"grass-fed" - animals get access to the outdoors and can graze.
"Humanely raised" - animals get exercise and their cages are big enough for them to move in.
"Hormone-free" - cows aren't injected with any hormones (using hormones on chickens and pigs is already against the law).

Shop Around - for organic and free-range meat.
Just Ask - your butcher where the meat you're buying came from.
Eat Well Guide - find local, sustainable meat using this directory.

Cocktail Fact

The world's first vegan strip club, Casa Diablo, opened in Portland, OR, in Feb.

Bang For The Bite

There's no magic bullet, but if you eat meat, careful label-reading will lead you to more sustainable meat - and the more we go with eco-meat, the better the chance that producers will change their ways.

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