"The humane treatment of animals is just the right thing to do. If you have to explain that to people, well you're talkin' to the wrong kinda people." ~Will Harris
Beef : Hard to stomach...
(FYI, I've researched FACTS not opinions, although I do cast some of my own opinion, it should be easily recognized! This barely digs into the meat industry, there is sooooo much stomach turning info, but it's a start!)
Beef : Hard to stomach...
(FYI, I've researched FACTS not opinions, although I do cast some of my own opinion, it should be easily recognized! This barely digs into the meat industry, there is sooooo much stomach turning info, but it's a start!)
Quite a few months back I watched 'Food, Inc.' (a documentary made to open our eyes as to where our food actually comes from). I was deeply affected by many things I learned. What hit me the hardest was the way our meat is raised. Growing up in what used to be referred to as "Cow Town", I just figured grass grazing cows were what I was eating. I was stunned to find out just how un-natural things actually are. After talking so much about the documentary, and all the "we gotta do something" speeches I gave, Adam watched, and as a family we decided that we'd only support those who 'do it right'. After lots of research, my conclusion was ~ I will never again consume beef that has been inhumanely raised and slaughtered, NEVER!
Did you know?
*Unless otherwise labeled, the beef you buy in your local grocery store is corn-fed, some places state it as if it were something to be proud of. Doesn't seem like a big deal until you learn cows aren't supposed to eat corn, God created them to munch grass & similar greens, hence the 4 stomach situation they have going. We force cows to eat what doesn't come natural, because it fattens them up quickly, and the industry is about $quantity$, not quality (or anyone's well being).
*In order to feed cows corn, they are raised in feed lots, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations, sounds lovely... This limits movement, forcing the animal to fatten quickly. Life in a feedlot varies, only a few things we can be sure of, cramped environment, living in pools of waste. Calves born on a feedlot are generally taken from their mothers immediately and placed in confined stalls, no milk for them, only corn. Male calves are usually sent off to be slaughtered for veal (if not born to a veal farm). Males are used for veal because before they reach a certain age they must be castrated otherwise the flavor of their meat is noticeably different, people generally do not like it, there for to skip the process it's easier to just use them as veal. Calves born or shipped to a veal farm can be either sex, and are kept in a 2 foot cell, they are purposely malnourished because "pale veal" (anemic calf) is the most popular.
*The cows un-natural diet and disgusting living conditions lead to sickness and disease. Because of the sickness created we must pump huge amounts of antibiotics in the cows just to simply keep them alive, not healthy, alive. The use of antibiotics also come in handy to fatten the animal up, about 3% more fat is obtained with use of antibiotics. An estimated 15-17 million pounds of antibiotics are used in our meat each year ~ Fear is rising that with so much overuse in the meat we consume means that as humans our bodies may not respond when antibiotics are needed.
*The average life span of a feed lot cow is 6 months, some are raised for up to 2 years, the average slaughter weight between 900-1200.
*Fast Food Beef: is made up of a majority of 'fatty trimmings' collected from slaughter which until the late 1990's was only regulated for pet food, but the industry found a way to put in on the menu. They found that treating the 'trimmings' with ammonia killed the common E. coli bacteria ~ so now, BAM, 70% of the burger meat sold in the U.S. is made up of this 'fatty trimmed ammonia beef'. The largest market for ammonia beef? You guessed it, McDonalds followed by Burger King, and other patty serving fast food restaurants. Ooooh yes, and your kids cafeteria burger! So, let me get this straight, Mickey D's (and other prepackaged ground beef) is essentially drugged up dog food?! Another scary thought, what on earth are our animals now eating?!
*Heifers who are kept for breeding can have 10-15 calves in her lifetime, when she can no longer breed they are slaughtered but are now "lower quality" and used mainly in canned stew meat.
My Point?
Don't get me wrong, I believe that animals such as cows/pigs/chickens were put on this earth to help sustain life. It disgusts me to know that for a very long time I have supported gutless greed driven companies. They have built an empire out of abuse, but the animals aren't the only ones being abused... it trickles down to us, the consumer. The beef industry as it is, is horribly destructive to our environment, to our bodies, and ultimately the future of our food, our kids food, our grand kids food.
Choosing to buy that dollar menu burger, or the 'cheap' beef at your local grocery store has revolutionized the way our food is raised/grown/produced/slaughtered, the same can happen when we all start choosing NOT to...
So, Where Do We Go From Here?
After doing my research I found that MY most convenient option was Whole Foods. There are many local farms that I could buy from, but it just isn't do-able on a regular basis (for me, but maybe for your family). Whole Foods has an animal welfare rating system that tells you how your food was raised.
*The beef I buy is 100% grass fed organic beef, supplied by White Oak Pastures in Georgia & is humanely slaughtered on site. Check them out for yourself : http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/index.html
Keep in mind that Organic meat doesn't necessarily mean it's been treated humanely, but you can beat that an organic cow has lived a faaaaar better life than the feed lot, organic means no antibiotics or hormones, so their living conditions must represent that. Also, Grass fed beef doesn't mean organic, but it does mean low saturated fat, high in omega-3, beta-carotene, vitamin E &C. So do you research!!
Buy smart, with every purchase you make you are casting your vote, your vote shapes our future.
*I tried to find an accurate number as to how many slaughterhouses we actually have in the US, but such info is not available. This is some of what I did find : Studies show that in 2004 only 3 companies control 80% of the beef in the US (a huge rise from the 1970's only 20%), with only 22 slaughterhouses doing the majority of the slaughtering. Larger scale slaughterhouses do approximately 306 cattle an hour, AN HOUR!
*This is how it's done: Cattle are 'stunned', an electric shock (or a blow to the head) that is supposed to leave them rendered insensible to pain, but often the shock does nothing. They are then either hung upside down to get their throats slashed, or sent down a cutting conveyor. If the cow is conscious, which is very often the case, they bleed out (which just in case you didn't know, is a slow and horrific death). The cutting conveyor? Straight from a slaughterhouse workers mouth whose position was 'second-legger' for 20 years, his job was to remove hoofs... "They blink, They make noises, The head moves, The eyes are wide looking around.", some survive as far as the tail cutter, the belly ripper, the hide puller. Many don't die before they begin the cut. Slaughterhouses are not only criticized for the animals welfare but also for the workers, it is one of the most dangerous environments to work in (306 an hour!) between the machinery and the disease.
*Fast Food Beef: is made up of a majority of 'fatty trimmings' collected from slaughter which until the late 1990's was only regulated for pet food, but the industry found a way to put in on the menu. They found that treating the 'trimmings' with ammonia killed the common E. coli bacteria ~ so now, BAM, 70% of the burger meat sold in the U.S. is made up of this 'fatty trimmed ammonia beef'. The largest market for ammonia beef? You guessed it, McDonalds followed by Burger King, and other patty serving fast food restaurants. Ooooh yes, and your kids cafeteria burger! So, let me get this straight, Mickey D's (and other prepackaged ground beef) is essentially drugged up dog food?! Another scary thought, what on earth are our animals now eating?!
*Heifers who are kept for breeding can have 10-15 calves in her lifetime, when she can no longer breed they are slaughtered but are now "lower quality" and used mainly in canned stew meat.
My Point?
Don't get me wrong, I believe that animals such as cows/pigs/chickens were put on this earth to help sustain life. It disgusts me to know that for a very long time I have supported gutless greed driven companies. They have built an empire out of abuse, but the animals aren't the only ones being abused... it trickles down to us, the consumer. The beef industry as it is, is horribly destructive to our environment, to our bodies, and ultimately the future of our food, our kids food, our grand kids food.
Choosing to buy that dollar menu burger, or the 'cheap' beef at your local grocery store has revolutionized the way our food is raised/grown/produced/slaughtered, the same can happen when we all start choosing NOT to...
So, Where Do We Go From Here?
After doing my research I found that MY most convenient option was Whole Foods. There are many local farms that I could buy from, but it just isn't do-able on a regular basis (for me, but maybe for your family). Whole Foods has an animal welfare rating system that tells you how your food was raised.
*The beef I buy is 100% grass fed organic beef, supplied by White Oak Pastures in Georgia & is humanely slaughtered on site. Check them out for yourself : http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/index.html
Keep in mind that Organic meat doesn't necessarily mean it's been treated humanely, but you can beat that an organic cow has lived a faaaaar better life than the feed lot, organic means no antibiotics or hormones, so their living conditions must represent that. Also, Grass fed beef doesn't mean organic, but it does mean low saturated fat, high in omega-3, beta-carotene, vitamin E &C. So do you research!!
Buy smart, with every purchase you make you are casting your vote, your vote shapes our future.
