Conscientious Carnivore??
June 12th, 2008 | Published in Green Living
As Americans are embracing a new way of thinking about what they eat, new jargon is being created to describe their new experiences, like the way our language exploded when technology blossomed. ‘Conscientious Carnivore’ is one of the most compelling to me because it names a lifestyle I’ve chosen.
Conscientious Carnivores are ethical meat eaters who consume only meat that has been raised and slaughtered humanely. Those two words seem to clang up against each other. Conscientious. Carnivore. But, it’s a term and a lifestyle that makes sense to me. Michael Pollan, the avatar of mindful eating, brought the concept to my attention in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”.
Some of my other favorites in this creative new way of talking about the way we eat:
Yokelvore : individuals who eat only what they grow or produce.
Vegansexuals : people who not only consume no meat or animal by products, they also choose not to be sexually intimate with anyone who does.
Rawvolutionary : Gina Mallett’s word contrived to describe individuals who believe that cooked food is dangerous and eat only raw.
Being a Conscientious Carnivore is a considered approach to what you put in your mouth that can make a profound difference to the planet—and to you personally. And there is an emotional overlay to being a Conscientious Carnivore. You’re not only making a choice to spend your protein budget on something that helps the environment, you’re making a commitment to look at the animals we raise for food with as much compassion as your household pets. I’ve found that this effort to see the living creature behind the chilled Styrofoam package is good for my soul. So far, I am still planning to eat meat (and fish and poultry) but with discrimination and an insistence on ethical farming standards.
There are currently two special labels that promise extra care has been taken with the animals that yield our meat, beyond the USDA basics of cleanliness. The most far reaching in terms of the ethical treatment of animals is the ‘Certified Humane Raised and Handled’ label, monitored by the Humane Farm Animal Care Association (HFAC). The USDA issues a ‘Certified Organic’ label to growers who ensure that their animals are raised on a diet completely free of chemicals and are allowed to mature naturally. (An estimated 70% of all antibiotics in the U.S. are fed to conventionally raised pigs, poultry and cattle.) I choose the humanely raised label over organic whenever it’s possible. Go to www.certifiedhumane.org to find a store near you that sells HFAC certified meats.
