Two weeks ago, I had the great opportunity to see a showing of the movie Food, Inc. It was pretty amazing! I had heard much of the information before after reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Both of these investigative journalists were involved in Food, Inc. The movie gives viewers a window into how food, mainly meat, is mass produced to meet the demands of consumers. The giant cattle "factories" were difficult to watch, as were overpopulated chicken coups. It is also frustrating to learn that only a few companies own the entire meat supply and how many government officals, who are supposed to protect the public's health, have worked or go on to work for one of those few companies.
I had a great conversation with my parents on the topic over a sustainably raised turkey and backyard garden vegetables Thanksgiving dinner. My mother, who grew up on a farm in Portugal, raised all of of the animals and crops for consumption. She described to me her experience in seeing chickens slaughtered. If more of us had to see the actual process from "farm to table," especially how meats get there, I believe most Americans would be vegetarians, or would drastically reduce our meat intake.
I heard Marion Nestle, a top nutrition professional from NYU, speak at the same Food, Inc event and one of her topics in particular really resonated with me. As a dietitian, we rely on messages from the USDA who puts out the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid. Marion Nestle made the great point that if you look at the recommendations, we are told to "eat whole grains, fruits, and vegetables." When we talk about things to limit in our diet, we focus on nutrients and not on foods. Did you ever notice that? Instead of saying, "limit red meat," we say "to choose lean meats and low fat dairy" or "to limit fats." If you visit the Food Guide Pyramid on the web: www.mypyramid.gov, you can see that the meat and beans group states to "vary your choices (of meats and beans) - with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds." But, why does it not say to LIMIT intake of meat to a certain amount? Maybe because the beef industry would be pissed and since it was already stated the the meat food manufacturers and government officals circle jobs and are essentially the same people.
Since watching Food, Inc. I have been trying to only eat sustainably raised meats. Let me tell you the challenges I have faced!! In my home, I only get meat from our CSA (http://foresthillscsa.com/). My summer and winter vegetables come from a wonderful farm in Long Island, called Golden Earthworm (http://www.goldenearthworm.com/) and I can order meat through a network of farmers in upstate NY and VT (http://www.csalewiswaitefarm.com/). Since I eat food prepared at home at least 5 days a week, it's not too difficult to eat sustainably. But, the first challenge with my new quest to eat sustainable meat came when I took a friend out to lunch for her birthday and we went to Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse. If you look at a menu at Bugaboo (or restaurants like that), you can see my dilemma. With a 10oz steak on the menu for $12, Bugaboo is certainly not paying the cost of raising that animal sustainably (allowed to pasture on grass) - nor are 99% of the chain restaurants out there. I caved under pressure in the restaurant and had a crabcake and BBQ chicken! I went to the Olive Garden last week and went for a fish dish - which can also pose an environmental problem based on my choice - but for now I am only tackling meat!
Back to the issue of American's desire for the largest steak or burger - why does a restaurant even serve a 10oz steak to one person?! I encourage you all to lift the veil and learn about where your food comes from.
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