On ethical eating

The Wednesday, July 19, Washington Post includes an article, by Candy Sagon, on the cover of the food section, headed, "Is There Anything Left That We Can Eat?; With All the Conflicting Headlines, No Wonder We Can't Decide What to Buy."

Sagon opens:
"I can't decide what to eat. I don't mean which recipe to make, or what restaurant to go to. I mean when I go grocery shopping, I'm paralyzed with indecision. Everything, it seems, is either ethically, nutritionally or environmentally incorrect. Guilt is ruining my appetite.

"Take the other day when I went to buy eggs. Sounds easy, but this is the dialogue that played in my head as I stared at six shelves of egg cartons:

"'Should I buy the omega-3 eggs that are supposedly good for my heart? But wait, they're not organic. Maybe I should spring for the $3.50 organic eggs from Horizon, even though I read that the company has gotten so huge, it's driving out the smaller organic farmers. Perhaps I should get the cage-free eggs from a small farm in Pennsylvania? Or the brown eggs from vegetarian-fed, free-roaming hens?

"'Oh, never mind. I need to save money. So what if the hens are living a miserable existence in the poultry version of the state pen. The eggs are only 79 cents. I have bills to pay.'

"(Note to PETA: Don't worry. I couldn't live with the guilt. I ended up buying the brown eggs from free-roaming happy hens, so don't write to me.) "

"The point is, choosing what to eat and drink has become hard work. It's not simply a case of taste or price. Now we have to ask ourselves: Is this good for my health? Have animals suffered? Is it local? Organic? Bad for the planet? Harvested by child workers? "

Sagon discusses wild caught vs farm-raised salmon, the treatment of both workers and animals in slaughterhouses, and also issues of human health and environmental impact.

You can read the whole article on line at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800309.html OR http://tinyurl.com/jdqjo

It presents the perfect opportunity for letters to the editor on the horrors of factory farming and/or singing the praises of a plant-based diet.
Send letters to letters [at] washpost.com. The paper advises, "Please do not send attachments; they will not be read. Letters must be exclusive to The Washington Post, and must include the writer's home address and home and business telephone numbers."


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