The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?

The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?

Drawing on peer-reviewed research, worker and rescuer testimony, and encounters with the farm animals themselves, The Ultimate Betrayal discusses the recent shift in raising and labeling animals processed for food and the misinformation surrounding this new method of farming. This book explores how language manipulates consumers concepts about sustainability, humane treatment, and what is truly healthy. It answers important questions surrounding the latest small-scale farming fad: Is this trend the answer to the plentiful problems of raising animals for food? What do the labels actually mean? Are these products humane, environmentally friendly, or healthy? Can there really be happy meat, milk, or eggs? With case studies and compelling science, The Ultimate Betrayal increases awareness of the issues surrounding our treatment of animals, global health, and making better food choices. The Ultimate Betrayal is a well-rounded and thoroughly-researched book that touches the heart with an honest and unflinching look at the reality behind humane labels. With real-life examples from multiple viewpoints and thought-provoking philosophical underpinnings, The Ultimate Betrayal is a must-read for anyone interested in ethical food choices. Dawn Moncrief, founder, A Well-Fed World Hope Bohanec has been active in animal protection and environmental activism for more than twenty years and is a nationally recognized leader and speaker in the animal protection movement. Cogen Bohanec is pursuing his masters degree in Buddhist studies at the Graduate Theological Union and is a student of Sanskrit at UCBerkeley. He has spent over a decade assisting Hope with animal protection and environmental issues. They have been joyfully married thirteen years and live in Sonoma County, California. www.the-ultimate-betrayal.com The Ultimate Betrayal Is There Happy Meat? By Hope Bohanec, Cogen Bohanec iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2013 Hope Bohanec All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4759-9093-5 Contents Preface....................................................................xiiiAcknowledgments............................................................xviiIntroduction...............................................................xixPart 1 The Ultimate Betrayal of Animals...................................11. The Ethics of Betrayal..................................................32. Is Alternative Animal Production Humane?................................323. Labels: What's the Buzz?................................................644. Urban Eggs and Backyard Slaughter.......................................88Part 2 The Ultimate Betrayal of the Earth..................................1035. Eco-Eating: A Cool Diet for a Hot Planet................................1056. Is Alternative Animal Production Sustainable?...........................1277. Deadstock...............................................................1418. The Ultimate Betrayal of Our Oceans.....................................1469. Lab-Grown Lamb and Sci-Fi Sausage.......................................160Part 3 The Ultimate Betrayal of Our Health.................................16510. The Ultimate Betrayal of Our Health....................................16711. Is Alternative Animal Production Healthy?..............................17612. Signs of Hope..........................................................184Resources..................................................................194Index......................................................................197Notes......................................................................202 CHAPTER 1 The Ethics of Betrayal There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal. —Martin Luther King Jr. At the grocery store, products stretch from floor to ceiling withcolorful packaging and enticing images. You can base yourdizzying variety of food-purchasing choices on price, taste, quality,brand, and an assortment of other factors. Recently though, a newkind of shopper can be spotted roaming the grocery aisles andfarmers' markets. These buyers take into account factors otherthan their personal needs and desires when making their food-buyingdecisions. These conscientious consumers think about theworld around them and how their actions affect others. They havediscovered that each product has a story, a narrative with potentialimpacts mixed in with the ingredients, and problems blendedin the processing that touch lives beyond themselves and theirfamilies. These ethical shoppers examine each purchase, as eachitem has a power that can potentially cause suffering, destroy theenvironment, or harm life. They read labels. They pay attention.They care. For many, shopping is a monotonous chore requiring little thoughtbeyond lists, coupons, and prices. It is extremely admirablefor someone to recognize the influence that purchasing powerhas on the larger world, on the animals that were part of theprocess, and