Eat meat, but think twice

Eating Animals is not a simple argument for vegetarianism, but an intelligent insight into the culture, economy, business and impacts of meat production. Jonathan Safran Foer makes a plea for more "conscientious omnivores", making meal-by-meal decisions. We should all think about the issues and where we stand, particularly in regards to resource use, as a topic that effects everyone on the planet

The book describes how the ever cheaper production methods used by factory farms are not only the leading cause of global resource exploitation, habitat loss and the biggest producer of CO2 emissions, it discusses how these same companies continue to promote unhealthy and unsustainable dietary choices at the expense of individual health, animal welfare and the control of cross-species viruses such as H1N1.

If every American reduced their meat consumption by one meal a week it would be equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road Jonathan Safran Foer

After two awardwinning works of fiction (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything Is Illuminated), Eating Animals is Foer’s first work of non-fiction, turning his pen with shocking effect to the very real issues surrounding what it means to eat meat. What is refreshing about Eating Animals is that Foer is not a conservationist, nor is he an animal or environmental activist, he is a novelist. His typographic techniques are quirky and visually creative and his storytelling sensibility is present from the first chapter. The book is both a narrative about family values and our cultural links to food, and hard research into the subject of eating meat. At a talk given at the RSA earlier this month he described how his initial investigations into meat production were not intended for the purposes of writing a book, but to find out for himself and his young family ‘what meat is’ and whether its good to eat it.

Foer has managed to tackle the issues surrounding eating meat in a truly comprehensive manner (perhaps he would have included more of the industry perspective on the topic if they had ever replied to his requests for information). From investigating the true meaning of words such as ‘bycatch’ and ‘free-range’ within the industry, to interviewing factory workers and vegan slaughterhouse builders, his wilful pursuit for understanding led him at one point, and against his own conviction, to join an activist breaking into a chicken farm to see for himself what was being so vehemently hidden behind the locked barn doors. His genuine shock and anger at the realities he uncovers are relayed with fervour, often humorous and always thoughtful and well researched. His arguments for re-thinking factory farming from the perspective of cross-species viruses, such as H1N1 (swine flu) are strong enough when considering global health. A pig farm in North Carolina was where bird, swine and human viruses combined in sickly, drug resistant animals to form this lethal, potentially pandemic virus and six of the eight genetic segments of the (currently) most feared virus in the world have been linked directly to US factory farms.

During the RSA talk, Foer mentioned a statistic that any environmentally aware individual or car owner should hear: "If every American reduced their meat consumption by one meal a week it would be equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road".

As a recent convert to a fully vegetarian diet, I would be a massive liar if I said the aroma of bacon and eggs wafting from a road side café doesn’t send my saliva glands into a frenzy, but after reading Eating Animals I realized that to call myself a conservationist and eat meat, when I am lucky enough to have the choice not to, is total hypocrisy. My wanting a steak is far outweighed by the need to change an industry which has taken over one third of land on planet earth and has genetically modified animals to the point they can no longer reproduce naturally.

Foer’s aim is not to preach but to inform and inspire people to ask themselves questions about their food choices, and Eating Animals fulfils that aim with style. We must all draw our own lines in the sand, whether that means becoming a vegan, vegetarian or just cutting out one meat dish a week. We must decide for ourselves, as said by Foer’s Grandmother at the start of the book, “If nothing matters, there is nothing to save”.

Watch or listen to Foer’s talk with Bibi van der Zee at the RSA on the RSA website.