I was so happy to see this story on Etsy, more people need to be aware of the effects our eating habits and industrial food practices are having on the environment, the animal, our bodies and our brains. I strongly believe this is a topic that all Americans need to become educated about. This is not an issue for animal rights activists or environmentalists, this is an issue for anyone who eats.
While I was glad to see if brought up on Etsy, (and anywhere else for that matter) there are a few more basic things that were left out that I think are critically important for people to understand.
1. There are rules called Veggie Libel laws which prevent anyone from criticizing or questioning they way food is prepared in America. I could literally be sued for explaining to you what goes into your hamburger. These were enacted to prevent false panic about food, however they have suppressed honest critique and allowed food companies to run rampant.
2. Plants or animals that are grow in empty soil or feed empty food (lacking nutrients) produce empty food. All conventionally produced food is grown this way and lacks a lot of the healthy stuff we think we are eating. If you are an Etsy seller you believe in the value of handmade because the love put into the products makes for better products, why would food not be the same?
3. Farm animals in America have no protection. There are animal right laws which prevent you from abusing your pets, or even a crow that is frustratingly squawking at 5:00am. However that chicken whose nuggets your daughter just ate, or the pig which produced the bacon for your BLT have no such protections. They are raised and treated in a way that is horrific, cruel and heartless, all so that we can get cheap meat. It is not life or death, we can all survive on less meat, in fact, we would be healthier if we cut our portions. But since we are willing to keep buying it as long as it stays cheap they continue to do whatever it takes to produce it at that price, including debeaking chickens, cutting the tails off pigs and keeping cows in pens knee deep in manure.
I encourage everyone to become educated about the food they put into their bodies, because honestly, none of us can afford not to be. Please pass this along, and leave with the knowledge that you can make a difference. Read about it, watch documentaries, educate yourself. (I suggest starting with Michael Pollen's Omnivore's Dilemma or Food Inc) Every time you buy food, you are supporting something. Ethical, healthy food raised transparently and honestly? Or cruel, unhealthy food raised behind locked doors? It's your choice, and you make it three times a day.
