Swine Flu

Mike Davis discusses in his article "The Swine Flu Crisis Lays Bare the Meat Industry's Monstrous Power" yet another major problem with the meat production industry. The recent outbreak of the virus strain H1N1, commonly known as the swine flu, has infected countless people around the world. It is very probable that swine flu originated and grew in industrial pig farms where the animals live crammed in tiny pens that aren't even large enough for them to turn around in. Having such a large number of animals living in such a small area (covered in their own feces) provides a perfect environment for a virus like swine flu to generate.

As of now, there is no way of predicting when this kind of pandemic will happen in the future or what kinds of viruses may arise. There is strong evidence that the food production industry is making this problem worse. Although measures are being taken to relieve the short term issues through antivirals and vaccines, the more difficult long term issues are not being looked into as much. If this type of large-scale, industrial food production continues and grows, what kinds of problems are we going to have in the future? Will there be more viruses like the swine flu that will cause periodic crises killing innumerous people around the globe?

The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 12: Slaughter

In this rather grotesque chapter, Michael Pollan explores and describes in detail the process of slaughtering chickens at Polyface Farm. On processing day at the farm, they gather up a few hundred chickens and bring them to the processing shed where they prepare the birds for slaughter. I found it surprising that the chickens are relatively calm during most of this procedure. Pollan remarks that the birds are completely oblivious to what is happening while they are in the killing cones waiting to be slaughtered. The work in the shed is much like an assembly line where workers build up a sort of mechanical rhythm which allows them to get through this rather unpleasant process.

The processing shed at Polyface Farm as no walls; which means that customers can watch their chickens being slaughtered. Unlike the industrial meat production operations, Salatin does not hide the slaughtering process. He believes that people have the right to see all that goes on in these facilities. He also thinks that the strict regulations that the government places on his farm severely impede his production of organic food. Small farms such as Polyface are forced to abide by the same regulations and rules as the big industrial farms do. Since these small farms operate so differently from these industrial farms, shouldn't they have different regulations? Also, should all slaughter houses be like Salatin's processing shed where anyone can see what goes on inside?

The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 17: The Ethics of Eating Animals

I love eating meat. Steak, hamburger, chicken, turkey, ham, sausage, lamb, etc. you name it, I'll eat it. Reading this chapter of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma opened my eyes to some things. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to eat meat but I'll probably look at it differently. Pollan presents a fairly unbiased (in my opinion) discussion of the moral dilemmas involved in eating animals. Taking the point of view of an animal rights activist, he talks about how animals are mistreated before we slaughter and eat them. He actually becomes a vegetarian for some time as he contemplates the morality of eating meat. A major reason people give up eating meat is that they learn about how animals are maltreated and brutally slaughtered, and believe that the animals are suffering from this. Pollan explains that while the animals do feel pain, it is uncertain if they suffer.

Looking at individual animals on the farm also can skew the view that some people have on this subject. The chapter discusses that it is likely that these domestic animals would not have survived if it wasn't for humans. Looking at the animals as entire species, we see that humans are allowing these animals to thrive by feeding them and protecting them from predators (other than ourselves). We also provide them with swift and painless deaths. In the wild, animal predators tear apart their prey resulting in a very painful and drawn-out death. Pollan describes these topics, and several others, in great detail but it is ultimately up to the individual consumer to decide whether or not they want to eat meat.

This chapter brings up a myriad of questions, to name a few: Do the animals we eat have souls? Can they suffer or feel happiness? Do they deserve the same rights that humans have? Is speciesism comparable to racism? If the mistreatment of animals in industrial farms is the moral problem, is hunting animals in the wild ethically sound?

The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 11: The Animals

In chapter eleven of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan focuses on the details of how Polyface Farm raises its animals. Industrial farming runs on the basis of producing extremely large quantities of one product through monocultures, which require the assistance of man-made chemicals (antibiotics, hormones, etc.) to keep them from collapsing. On Joel Salatin's farm; however, all of the animals and plants live in a single ecological system where these symbiotic relationships between organisms are essential to producing efficient, yet high-quality food.

The chapter explores these symbiotic relationships more closely. Of these relationships, Pollan puts the spotlight on the cows and chickens. As the cows graze, they leave behind waste. The waste then provides food to the chickens that in turn produce waste that fertilizes the soil. This fertilized soil allows for grass to grow and feeds the cows. Although this loop is much more complicated than what I described it to be, it ultimately generates excellent beef and eggs without the use of any chemicals, drugs, etc. In fact, every component of the farm (even the forest) plays an important role in this amazing cycle of raising and producing food.

Though natural farms like Polyface can be very efficient, they require a lot more man power than the labor required at an industrial farm, as Pollan describes from first-hand experience. This raises the questions: is this type of farm practical on a large scale? and if so, would it be able to compare to the colossal system of industrial food production?

The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 8: All Flesh is Grass

In this chapter of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan talks about an alternative method of producing food that is being overshadowed by the big, industrial system we have in place to provide consumers with sustenance. He visits Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm, where a half dozen types of animals are raised through a cyclic system involving the seemingly simple food chain of grass. I say "seemingly" because, in fact, the grass eco-system is a very complex community comprised of many, many organisms (living and dead), as Pollan describes. What I find really astounding about Salatin's 100 acre Farm is how much it produces: 25,000 pounds of beef, 50,000 pounds of pork, 30,000 dozen eggs, etc. Although it is not as efficient as the huge industrial farms, this is still quite impressive.

Near the end of the chapter, Pollan brings up the topic of what the words "sustainable", "organic", and "natural" really mean. Although supermarket produce and goods may have the label of organic, it has been shipped all around the country in vehicles powered by fossil fuels. So, are these foods really "organic?" Joel Salatin would not call those foods sustainable or organic since he does not even believe in shipping his products. Though the foods may be grown organically (without pesticides, etc.) it takes a considerable amount of energy and resources to constantly stock out stores with the vast selection of food that we as consumers enjoy. Taking this into consideration, can we label any of the foods in our supermarkets as "organic?" Also, are the people who go out of their way to buy these "organic" foods truly taking a stand against the industrialization of food production?

On a side-note, the portable henhouse, or Eggmobile, that Pollan mentions caught my eye so I looked it up on google and this is what I found:

The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 4: The Feedlot

Michael Pollan discusses in this chapter of The Omnivore's Dilemma the great many things that go into feeding and raising livestock (cattle in particular) so that consumers like us can have a delicious, tender steak (or any other form of beef) for dinner. Pollan begins the chapter by briefly describing the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, or CAFO for short. For over half a century, our livestock have gradually become more densely populated. CAFOs are these areas of high livestock density. Unsurprisingly, Pollan puts the blame for this urbanization of food animals on the federally subsidized corn that has become so cheap and abundant.

To get a better and more intimate understanding of the process in which livestock are raised and fed, Pollan purchases a calf from a ranch and follows its life in the feedlot. What he finds is that people will go to the very extremes to maximize the efficiency of their meat production.

Part way through the chapter Pollan outlines the digestive system of a cow and its most important feature, the rumen, which allows cattle to digest grass into protein. Though grass is the cow's natural food, we have found that feeding them corn is much more efficient and provides a higher quality cut of meat. What goes into the feed is not only corn, however. Pollan notes that liquefied fat, protein supplements, liquid vitamins, synthetic estrogen, and antibiotics are also included in the feed to increase efficiency and allow the cattle to process this food that is abnormal to them. He then describes the problems associated with this feeding method that affect not only the cattle but the environment and even the consumers. His main arguments include increased acidity in the cow's digestive system, environmental pollution, and bacteria such as E. coli.

Discussion Questions:

1. I personally like the fat on my steak, but I know a lot of people that do not like the taste of a fatty steak. If consumers do not prefer this type of meat, why is marbling so highly sought after in the industry?

2. Pollan kept mentioning that the meat industry is taking all of these extreme measures to maximize the efficiency of production. Is there a point where efficiency can no longer be increased? and what happens when we do reach that point?

Introduction

I have created this blog for a class at Cornell University called "Having a Lot on Our Plates: An Introduction to the Sociology of Food and Nutrition." The posts on this blog will consist mostly of short summaries of readings from various sources followed by a few questions that pop into my mind as I read the articles or chapters. Hopefully, I will provide some interesting insights and opinions on the various food topics that this course covers. Stay tuned and enjoy!