The term “ethical foods” can sound a little bit intimidating to the untrained ear. Some might immediately link the term with the vegan or plant-based diets and believe they must make a drastic lifestyle change, but in reality all diets have ethical options available to them. For the most part, foods produced by ethical means typically take less of a toll on the planet’s natural resources. They are generally healthier, more natural, and use production methods that are more equitable to workers and compassionate to animals. All ranges of the food spectrum from seeds to meats can be sourced ethically, and the choice is right at your fingertips. When it comes to embarking on your ethical food journey, take baby steps and go at your own gradual pace.
For example, consider the good old fashioned hamburger. Did you know that it takes 660 gallons of water to create one 1/3-pound burger? That’s a total of 8 baths! Now, I’m not suggesting to pass up burgers (or baths) forever, but perhaps if you’re someone who eats meat burgers every week, you can cut down to once a month or switch to a more sustainable protein choice like turkey or maybe give the wildly popular impossible burger a shot.
The choices are many, and to help you, let’s break down the 5 main food groups, their impact on our planet and tips to look for next time you go to the grocery store:
PLANT AGRICULTURE: It’s no mystery that fruits and vegetables are incredibly healthy and essential to every diet. A plant-based diet reduces your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, obesity, diabetes and cognitive decline. When it comes to selecting fruits and vegetables, it is always best to shop for organic, non-GMO options versus conventional produce. Some people argue that organic food is more expensive, but in reality you’re paying the price for better-quality nourishment. Non-organic foods contain pesticides and chemicals that lead to a nasty array of health issues that will cost more down the line in medical bills. These pesticides are not only damaging to our bodies, but they pollute the soil and the surrounding environment and have detrimental effects on the workers who tend to these crops. Not all vegetables are created equal, the truth is that organic produce contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant values than their non-organic counterparts. A plant-based diet does more than just benefit our bodies. Substituting some of our animal products with plant-based choices also benefits the environment. A study by Mayo Clinic proves that organic farming practices help to keep the soil healthy, while also aiding water preservation and reduction of waste and pollution. Another study shows that plant-based agriculture uses 115 million acres less land than is needed for animal agriculture. While not everyone is comfortable giving up animal protein, increasing levels of plant-produce in all of your meals is a great, healthy way to nourish your body and help the environment.
ANIMAL AGRICULTURE: Animal agriculture has a large stake on the well being of our planet. Water, land and energy are consumed in high amounts to facilitate the cultivation of animal protein. Studies show that 70 billion animals are raised each year for consumption. To accommodate this demand, animal agriculture takes up 1/3 of the planet’s ice-free land surface, as well as nearly 16% of global freshwater and claims 18% of total green house gas emissions. On top of this, 1/3 of the world’s grain production is used to feed livestock. Other studies show that the average American diet consisting of beef consumption creates 1,984 pounds of CO2 emissions annually. Scientists claim that reducing our consumption of animal protein, mainly cattle, could reduce these figures by 96%. When shopping for animal produce it is best to shop local and pasture-raised or cage-free. Smaller farms tend to adhere to ethical norms of raising their livestock which in turn have less of an impact on the surrounding environment and provide a healthier, more comfortable life for the animals. Livestock raised industrially tend to face harsh physical abuse, unnatural living conditions and are injected with added hormones that can be harmful to consumers. If you want to reduce your consumption of animal protein, try making weekly vegetarian meals by turning your favorite meat dish into a vegetarian option. Did someone say veggie burger?
SEAFOOD: For centuries humans have relied on seafood for nourishment as they are rich in omega-3 fats and lean protein. Decades ago the oceans and rivers supplied a vast amount of fish for consumption, but industrialized fishing has brought some animal species and their habitats to near extinction. Studies show that the commercial industry is responsible for catching 93.3 million tonnes of wild fish and for cultivating 48.1 million tonnes of farmed fish annually. Research shows that if the fishing industry continues at this rate, wild-caught seafood will be extinct by 2048. Over fishing isn’t the only negative factor, the practices utilized to capture fish tend to cause excess harm to the ocean’s ecosystem as well. Bottom trawling, a technique that consists of dragging a net across the ocean floor, is responsible for 95% of global ocean damage. Blast fishing is also detrimental to the ocean as it utilizes explosives to kill large quantities of fish in a short amount of time. While fish farming has been utilized as a more recent tool to support the global demand for seafood, they, too, have a negative impact on the environment and surrounding wild fish populations. Fish raised in farms consume feed that often times consists of ingredients from wild-caught fish products, and are more likely to carry and spread diseases. The state of the oceans in recent times has made it difficult for sea life to thrive, yet there are still healthy options to choose from. When possible, aim to purchase local-caught seafood as small scale operations tend to have less of a harmful impact on the environment. Don’t live near a coast line? No worries – look for troll or line-caught wild Albacore tuna, wild Alaskan salmon or wild sardines from the Pacific. If you want to try farmed fish, oysters and rainbow trout are some healthy options.
DAIRY: Dairy products are a house hold staple feeding an estimated 6 billion people worldwide. While milk consumption has decreased in the US, cheese consumption has increased by 30%. Each year, approximately 270 million dairy cows are raised to supply the growing demand for dairy products.This demand brings harmful consequences for the environment. Manure that is improperly managed releases greenhouse gases, pollutes water and air, and negatively impacts wildlife habitats. An alarming 144 gallons of water is used to produce 1 gallon of milk, most of that water being used to grow feed for the cattle, and 9% of the US’s available cropland is used to feed dairy cows. While these numbers can seem intimidating, there’s a plethora of ethical options to satisfy your dairy needs. In recent years alternative milks have driven the dairy industry to near extinction and alternative cheese and yogurt options are following suit. Give goat or sheep cheese a sample if you’re not into alternative vegan milk, cheese or yogurt. Goat and sheep products have a higher nutritional value than those derived from cows, and their maintenance has less of an impact on the environment being that they are smaller, foraging animals that require less resources. As with animal protein, it is advisable to consume cheese and milk produced in smaller farms where the quality is often better, the animals are treated with care and have been allowed to lead healthier lives than those raised in industrial settings.
EGGS: Due to their high quantity of protein and their low cost, chicken eggs are a widely popular food consumed worldwide. Animal rights advocates have a pulled focused on the egg industry in recent years and their work has had a positive impact. While the number of free-range farms increases, there are still a large quantity of farms continuing to use cages. Often times hens raised industrially face harsh treatment like debeaking, a highly painful procedure. Like the rest of animal agriculture, egg manufacturing poses a threat to the environment by releasing greenhouse gases and contaminating local water and soil. The main environmental obstacle comes in the feed that is used for the hens which mostly consist of corn and soybeans. However, eggs pose a significantly lower threat to the environment than the rest of the animal agriculture industry. Next time you go shopping for eggs, aim to get the pasture-raised, free-range, soy-free variety.
We are faced with food choices every day of our lives, and it is up to us to ensure that the food we consume is raised and harvested in an ethical manner. As a general rule, shop local whenever possible to help generate income for small farms, decrease transportation pollution and ensure the safety and fair treatment of animals. Living an ethical lifestyle takes patience and commitment. Find the choices that fit in with your lifestyle, and share its impact on your life with your community to encourage others to join the ethical food train. Together we can all take small steps towards progress and facilitate the betterment of our planet, the animals and each other. Buen provecho!
Photo by Daria Shevtsova
thedihedral.com 
This is a very important conversation in current times.
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I found your post food for thought… Do you have any thoughts on poultry… Chickens, ducks and geese… And what about game or venison. We eat farmed game, such as ostrich and buck, in South Africa, I am not sure if Americans do?
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A nuanced and pleasingly complete and informative post. We don’t need the knee jerk response – we need the inclusive less extreme line that eg says you can enjoy a burger still why not?
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Exactly! As long as carnivores (including me) get the impression that one has to go full vegan, the impact is kept smaller.
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Great post 🙂
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I always find the methane/cow statistic amusing. Why just cows? What about other ungulates, such as deer, elk, goats, etc? What about the billion bison that roamed the country 150years ago? Bet they farted a lot, yet no one believes the atmosphere was ‘bad’ then. To blame greenhouse gases on cows and say if we can go away from need all will be well on that front seems a little far fetched to me. YMMV
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I’m not sure why people still think vegetarianism is ‘extreme’. Great post, but I would never eat farmed seafood–it’s not healthy in any way, shape, or form.
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Veganism & vegetarianism are just different lifestyles that work for some and don’t for others. No biggie, until one of the other tries pushing it on others. I could never be a vegetarian. Doesn’t mean somebody else can’t be. I rarely eat vegetables (asparagus, corn, & potatoes are about the only ones). I eat a lot of red meat, I mean a lot. My blood pressure is perfect, my heart is great, my choloesterol (both good & bad) are in great shape. I think to stay healthy, an active lifestyle is paramount. I think most veggies taste horrible. I remember seeing a program about the evolution of man. Homo Hibilus(I could have the wrong genus), lived on grasses & nuts. He lived in trees and was kind of small and stunted. It wasn’t until he started eating meat, that he became homo erectus (this term still makes me giggle like a 3rd grader), and he became bigger, stronger, and his brain grew and he could reason and begin using tools, etc. So, to me, if God wanted us to not eat meat, he wouldn’t have given us incisors or we would have 4 stomachs. Just my .02
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Actually, there are many vegetarian body builders that became bigger (and healthier) by omitting meat from their diets. And a great deal of people become vegetarian due to ethical reasons (not causing unnecessary suffering to animals). Go visit a slaughter house if you’re comfortable with that.
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I think many people tend to consider most things that are very uncommon as extreme, but I get your point!
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I have found recently on getting into a whole half dozen box of eggs twice after the previous one ran out straight away that 4 pieces of bread easily serve a single fired egg as flavour trays. Out with the omelette!!! Truly delish. I reckon it would sell in a café too, that’s probably one egg for 2 very hearty breakfast sandwiches.
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I used to work at Iowa Beef Packing. I’m very familiar with slaughter houses. Again, if you don’t like meat, that’s cool. Please allow those of us who do eat it the same consideration. I also hunt and eat a lot of wild game. So I know first hand how food comes about. And I realize that there are people who get proteins from other sources, and there are obviously some benefits, but I stand my my claim that man was engineered to eat meat.
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Great post, highly informative 👏
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Great post!
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Very well driven article article. Thanks for sharing. I find it very important to explain to people plant based food is key and to encourage them to even reduce a little. And I say that as a vegan. Just one question as I have been reading a lot around the food impact on the environment lately, what is the source of: « Scientists claim that reducing our consumption of animal protein, mainly cattle, could reduce these figures by 96% ». I knew it was huge but had not encountered that figure yet.
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Hi,
I love your writing on “Ethical Food Choices
“. Your post is very much helpful and informative. Keep up the good work and present us your best.
Regards
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I watched a video of Mark Rober on youtube about how much resources would be needed to keep up with the demand of meat product in the market. Bottomline is that if we all do our part and at least limit the consumption of meat products, then drastic amount of resources could be saved. Nice post by the way. I will be in touch. 😊
-Carlo, TGF
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Well done
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Great article! People can definitely become more aware with information like this. Thanks.
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My basic philosophy towards life is to stay as close to mother nature as possible. We also do that with our food supply, but until I read your post I did not think of it in terms of Ethical Food Choices. I just did it because it tastes better.
We live on a ranch in Texas, where we bale hay. My husband has used algae based fertilizer to restore the land to health. I have never eaten meat because I am Indian. Most Indians are vegetarians. I myself, am a pescatarian. My husband catches the fish we eat.
We have our own chickens for eggs. We have goats. I make my own yogurt and some of the cheese we eat. We also grow vegetables and herbs. I don’t go to the grocery store much. I usually cook with what is available for the season.
We have neighbors who also grow vegetables. Another neighbor raises organic Berkshire Pork (my husband eats meat). And another neighbor raises grass fed, no-spray beef. We all trade amongst each other. Our dogs also get fresh meat from our neighbors.
I love living this way because it is peaceful, harmonious and delicious. Now I can also think of it as Ethical.
By the way, thanks for visiting my blog today.
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Great blog post! In today’s day in age, it is very important that we keep in mind the ethics behind our food choices. There are small things that we can do to not only help the environment while also feeding ourselves delicious and nutritious food. By staying local, we can reduce the transportation of goods and carbon emissions, while also supporting the local economy.
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Thank you for the informative post. For many reasons, my husband and I switched to a plant-based diet over two months ago. I was concerned that my energy levels would drop. That did not happen, in fact, we have increased energy. I have also noticed an absence of seasonal allergy symptoms, that I would normally have this time of year living in the Southwest (blooming plants, wildflowers, etc.). Meal planning and shopping did require education and a new mindset, but the transition to a plant-based diet has been easier than I expected. 🌱
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My main ethical choice here would be to choose or not to focus on the dead animal that’s been killed so I can eat it. Plant diets are easier on the mind.
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Very informative post
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Very informative and definitely something to think about!
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Thanks for checking us out, and thanks for the comment, we’re stoked that you liked the info!
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I’m always looking for ways to find alternatives to put in my diet than the less ethical choices… and this definitely showed me a few! If you need a few healthy recipes let me know! Just starting my up myself – adding to my page everyday, this week I’m aiming to add my Recipes Page or an Ask Page… if you have any ideas please let me know!
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Sounds like a plan!!!
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