Tainted Pet Food: Are we next? Living sustainably
TreeHugger posted a rather convincing article on the recent Tainted Pet Food scandal, and how we could be next. In fact, they state:
Melamine, the plastic ingredient that mimics protein in testing, has been found in chicken feed in Indiana, and Tyson Foods has sent 200 hogs to the knacker because they were fed tainted pet food.
It’s become increasingly disturbing at the extremely lower standards on American quality of food. I’ve always advocated buying from local organic farmers rather than mass produced meat of any kind, but the idea doesn’t seem to have taken off completely, and it’s hard to find in some areas.
What I find facinating about Diet for a new America, is the astounding figures of what mass-produced farms are doing to our country. The amount of livestock outweighs the human population by 4 times. The amount of water it takes to feed all of the cattle, the amount of land being mowed to create more farms in order to feed the cattle (Out of 12 pounds of wheat, you could make 12 loaves of bread, which would last you 2 weeks. But 12 pounds of grain only sustains 1 pound of meat. And 80% of the corn we raise is eaten by animals, not humans). Just the sheer amount of our natural resources that are depleting to make sure you can buy 5 pounds of mass-produced ground beef from the grocery store (A pound of beef requires more than 5,000 gallons of water).
This is probably my favorite documentary thus far, because it felt like such an awakening for me, and clearly showed me the potential for what the media can convince of what “should be”.
If you combine that with the Raw for 30 documentary on people who reversed their own diabetes in 30 days from eating a raw food diet, it paints a clear picture on what we -should- be doing, but instead are ignoring.
Regardless of my new found sense of frugality, I think I would be willing to pay a few extra dollars for fresh, organic meat and dairy, and focus on creating my own sustainable home. My dad and I have been giving serious consideration to eatin chickens rather than just laying hens. Would you pay extra money to buy chicken from me that I fed organic feed to and slaughtered/prepared myself?
What I loved about our old farm, is my grandfather would farm his own corn and his own hay. That way he always had fresh organic corn for the chickens (and occasional a treat for the cows), and baled his own hay for the cows. We knew what our meat was being fed, and we knew what was placed in their feed. My dream is to be able to do that again.
Of course it doesn’t take all of that to create a healthy and safe income of food. A small plot for a vegetable garden with your seasonal favorites, maybe the effort to can (or invite friends over to help in exchange for a few jars), or a community market that sells only organic foods. I don’t think we have one here that I’m aware of, it’d be nice if we did.
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One Response to “Tainted Pet Food: Are we next? Living sustainably”
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:25 pm
[…] to Pay. I’ve made several posts on the subject on all of the mass-produced meat and how it is damaging our environment (and I’m a carnivore), but this post really goes into depth on the different ethical factors […]