The term “sustainable food” does not come with a clear definition for most of us. I believe that socially it’s still a work in progress. Whereas “organic” can be defined (if poorly) by USDA rules and a certification program and “local” has a working definition as food grown within 100 miles of where it is consumed, “sustainable” is a descriptor at large. I’ve done my best to outline what I mean by it previously on this blog: ”food that can be produced and distributed at minimum cost to the environment for maximum benefit to the consumer.”
But this still doesn’t give any idea of what my personal idea of a sustainable diet is, let alone everyone else’s. One thing I think I can clear up, though, is that sustainable is not a euphemism for vegetarian. Meat can and does have a place in a sustainable food system–just not as much of it as we have in our current food system, where we look to animal products for the vast majority of our protein and fat.
There is certainly a school of thought based around the idea that vegetarianism is better for our planet as well as for our bodies. Meat is energy-intensive to produce: grass-fed beef comes from cows who need a tremendous about of grazing room and years to come to maturity. The commercial system for beef production developed to move cows off grass lots and into feedlots sooner so that they take up less land and make room for the next batch of calves. Once on feedlots, they’re fed a combo of things they were never meant to eat (like corn and hormones) to get them to physical maturity in a fraction of the time. We’ve moved from solar-powered beef to fossil fuel-powered beef, to paraphrase Michael Pollan.
Found this random educational thing of beauty and had to share.
The choice to not eat meat is to step out of the cruel and energy-intensive institution of commercial meat production, and yes, if everyone did it, said production would grind to a halt. But everyone won’t do it, which is why I think this is an ineffective approach to changing the system. Not just because eating meat is ingrained in our food culture, but because we’re omnivores and it’s completely natural for us to pursue animal food sources. Better education about the downsides to over-consumption of meat (and of protein in general) would do much; throwing animal rights at most people doesn’t convince them; ambiguous, fear-mongering health studies don’t do it; and insisting that a vegetarian diet can be just as delicious as one with meat also doesn’t cut it. Let’s face it: I love eating vegetarian food, but when I crave a steak, there is quite literally no substitute. And I’m one of the easy ones.
Education is key to moving people away from a meat-based diet in this country. Not just education surrounding the nutritional and health factors of meat eating but also menu planning. If you’re a meat-and-potatoes kind of family, it’s pretty hard to think of substitutes. The internet and the growth of natural food retailers have done a lot to make food alternatives more mainstream, not to mention highly visible media like Food, Inc. or The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but we’re not quite there yet.
Unfortunately, commercial meat is so cheap that most people can’t be bothered to seek for alternatives on the dinner table. It’s easy, it’s fast, it’s inexpensive. Eating a nutrient-rich plant-based diet is generally cheaper, not even counting in the avoided health care costs etc., but it does take more planning. And actually, if you prioritize fresh and especially organic produce, a plant-based diet can be more expensive.
On the cost front, purchasing grass-fed local beef is something I strongly advocate. It’s way more expensive than commercially produced meat, but it should be. In a food system that undervalues good food, meat I think is the most glaring example. There’s no way meat can be produced humanely and sustainably for what we pay for it at the grocery store. Yet when we do pay a fair price to local farmers for grass-fed beef, directly or through a CSA or buyers’ club, we’re encouraging fair practices, humane treatment, and local businesses.
Just replacing your commercial meat with grass-fed meat isn’t the answer, though. The amount of meat we consume in this country is not sustainable–feed cattle require too many resources. Food and health writer John Robbins makes some excellent points on his blog. Many of his criticisms are succinctly expressed here:
But I wouldn’t get too carried away and think that as long as it’s grassfed then it’s fine and dandy. Grassfed products are still high in saturated fat (though not as high), still high in cholesterol, and are still devoid of fiber and many other essential nutrients. They take less toll on the environment, but the land on which the animals graze still must often be irrigated, thus using up dwindling water resources, and it may be fertilized with petroleum-based fertilizers.
He also lists methane, a gas produced from decomposing organic matter (i.e., cow dung), as a danger. This isn’t a very powerful argument for me, as methane gas digesters that turn the waste gas into electricity are remarkably efficient, cost effective, and being implemented on many farms nation-wide with support from the federal government.
What I do suggest is leaving your meat budget the same as it is right now for the purchase of commercial meat and simply buying what you can of sustainable meat with the same amount of money. You’ll eat a hell of a lot less meat–and feel a hell of a lot better about doing so.
While I appreciate your advice, you’re suggesting people double their monthly food bills. “Sustainable” meat is simply out too expensive for almost everyone to afford. Most of us can’t afford to balloon our food bills. The only realistic option for us is to replace commercial meat entirely with cheap alternatives like beans, and conventional produce.
Cutting out half or 2/3rds of your meat is only one step, the real question is, what do you replace it with? Most people choose refined grains, processed foods, sugar, and dairy.
Thanks for the thoughts, Greg! I do agree that asking everyone to simply replace commercial meat with sustainably raised meat is impractical–yep, way too expensive. But by leaving your meat budget the same, you can easily include sustainable meat in addition to plant-based proteins. You just end up eating far, far less of it, which is healthy from many perspectives.
Your point about what folks replace meat with is well taken, and this is where I believe education has to play a big part. School curriculae, PSAs, cooking demos at grocery stores: these are all ways people can learn about healthier, cheaper, and still delicious alternatives. How do you talk to people about changing their diet? What do you find works, or convinces them?
I like this post, very elucidating on a lot of fronts!
In the graphic fury between omnivores and vegetarians, I always feel that the oldest school of fish (pun sadly intended) sustenance gets abandoned on the shores of social awareness. I don’t have any sense of what might be either sustainable or healthy seafood production and harvest. Can discussions about sustainable agriculture (I mean, fair enough, agriculture is right there in the phrase) include our fish and mollusk fascinations? I get the vague sense on the periphery of such interests that the fishing industry has gone on a brutal, unnoticed bender that has been physically devastating our ocean environments and endangering (if not extincting) many marine populations.
Is this true? Is this relevant?
In my mind (and diet), shaped initially by meat and potato parents, and a mother (the sole family cook) who grew up in the abundance of the 50s, seafood would be the best, most prolific and healthiest protein source around. What I remember from my upbringing is that we rarely were served fish (mostly only on Fridays
— I also recall a personally-imprinted story of a study 30 years ago that, when families ate at restaurants (not fast-food chains) they most often ordered fish entrees (something they didn’t get at home).
These boxes are small, so I feel I lose direction rather quickly, but I was curious if seafood, as a sustainable commodity, will be in or out of this scope of discussion.
Seafood is tricky in a sustainability context. Overfishing of natural stocks have depleted most resources to a depressingly low point. We have depleted something like 90% of fish populations in 100 years or something crazy like that–I have to find that number again, I just remember not being able to believe it when I read it (in the NYT I believe). Farmed fish makes more sense but frequently runs into humane treatment questions as well as environmental ones, and there are some signs that farmed fish are actually less healthy for you. It seems best to look for locally wild-caught fish–something that’s fortunately pretty easy to do here in New England. But this definitely does deserve more attention down the line, thanks for bringing it up.
I was just at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Their Seafood Watch Program is a good resource for folks who want to understand more about sustainable seafood options, and learn more about WHY some options are better than others.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx?c=dd
Now that my CSA and all local farmers’ markets have closed up shop for the winter, I’m realizing I have no clue where to look for grass-fed local beef. (I live in a part of Boston sadly devoid of Whole Foods and Roche Bros. markets; the cruel irony is that the WF bakery is across the street from the tyke’s daycare, but they don’t do retail there). Resource lists would be greatly appreciated.
Also: you discuss beef, but my last sustainable-healthy-relatively-un-messed-around-with-protein discussion was on the subject of chicken. I’d love to see your take. We recently roasted a bird from Wilson Farm (Lexington, MA) which was just lovely, but closer to us it looks like it’s either Marval kosher or the “Live Chickens Fresh Killed” place….
Tom, I’ll do my best to put a list together for you! There are actually a lot of winter meat-shares in this area where local farms operate on a CSA basis. I’m also working with Vermont’s Applecheek Farm to arrange a delivery of some of their sustainable, pastured meats (including poultry) for just before T-day. If you’re interested, let me know! And yes, I’ve got my work cut out for me discussing chicken and other branches of the animal production industry (like fish…); but cattle are so much more energy-intensive even when humanely and thoughtfully raised that they’re a bigger issue from some perspectives, I think. And thanks for the neat link on the seafood front!
Oh, @Erik – check out http://www.montereybayaquarium.com/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx ; they have printable lists specific to different US regions.
Margaret,
Fellow Somervillain here. Interesting post. I appreciate your moderate take. It’s hard to stomach the most pious sustainability advocates. Too often there is simply no recognition of the sacrifices involved in their demands and the importance to others of what is sacrificed. But what you say seems far more reasonable.
One way that I think is effective in terms of reducing meat consumption is to “titrate” down. Start by ensuring that you eat no more than one meal per day with meat in it. I think that for a lot of Americans, this is a real hurdle, but not insurmountable. When that’s all set, pick a couple of days a week when you will eat no meat at all. I’m not sure what the optimum number of meat meals/week is, but you can keep whittling down until you’re happy with it. You’ll eat less meat, but you might also appreciate it more.
This has forced me to get creative with non-meat options. I’d be happy to send you some original recipes. Send me an email if you’d like.
Cheers,
Simon
That’s a great approach, Simon, thanks for sharing it–it’s like any good exercise or diet plan, where you set a reasonable goal, achieve it, and then move on: new habits tend to stick when you come by them this way. Do you have a favorite place in the greater Camberville area where you prefer to buy your meat?