IBP cuts beef production at four plants

Due to poor beef sales, with the economy being blamed for less Americans eating out, IBP/Tyson is reducing production at 4 out of 10 of its US beef plants. Excel Corp., the nations third largest beef and pork producer, has also slightly reduced its production. It’s comforting to see that the formula of “people eating less beef = less beef being produced” holds true.

Reports also show that the Veg Blog has been responsible for 75% of the production decrease. OK, maybe I made that part up… (via FoodHeadlines.com)

After reading a comment from Veg Blog reader JeanNINE, I clicked through to her weight loss blog, which led me to her personal site. It’s a good read, but especially worth checking out is her decision to become vegetarian. It reminds me a lot of myself: I had considered vegetarianism off-and-on since I was young, but never gave it a shot until I was 25. It inspired me to compile a short essay on why and how I became vegetarian. At the end, I’d also like you to submit your story for a future feature on the site.

Here’s an interesting item for the kitchen: the SoyaJoy soy milk maker. Supposedly, it removes any “bean taste” and can also make almond milk and tofu. It seems pretty trendy, and perhaps unnecessary considering the wide variety of soymilks currently on the market. (randomWalks)

We all have different stories about why we became vegetarian and the difficulties we faced as we took that path. Some of the Veg Blog readers are new vegetarians, some long-time vegetarians, some vegans. And I know that some readers of the site aren’t vegetarian, but the fact that you’re here and reading this says that you’ve considered it for yourself or are at least interested. This is my story, and I invite you to submit yours (you can be vegan, vegetarian, or a meat-eater to submit).

Just like any other average American kid, I grew up on meat. Not obscene amounts of it, but “normal” amounts. I never really questioned my diet or the ethics behind it until I was in high school. My sister was a vegetarian for a number of years after seeing a movie on meat production in a sixth grade class. She stuck with it for five years and always impressed me with her commitment. There was also Rebecca, a girl I knew from online (back before the Web), who was a vegetarian for a number of years. I gave it a try a few times, but never made it more than a few meals before I had the urge to have some chicken or some meat. By the time I finished high school, it wasn’t unusual for me to have two Big Macs for dinner. This was back when I had a metabolism that could handle that sort of thing. :)

Fast forward a few years. I went through the rest of high school and college as a “normal” meat-eating American male. I knew a few vegetarians along the way and despite the fact I ate meat on a regular basis, felt some sort of distant connection. By the time I graduated college and was living on my own, my eating habits started to change ever so slightly. I started replacing hamburgers with Boca Burgers (actually preferring the taste and health benefits) and started thinking more seriously about the importance of what I was eating to my health.

In July of 2000, I decided to eat vegetarian meals for 10 days a month. Why 10 days a month? In the CaoDai religion, members are required to eat vegetarian meals for varying amount of days, depending on their rank in the church. It seemed like a good place to start, so, I began marking off days on my calendar when I was meat-free with a “V.” It was surprisingly easy, even without much research. My main lunch meal was a Subway vegetarian sandwich.

After just two months of following this 30% vegetarian diet, I took the next step. On September 8, 2000, I went to lunch with a co-worker for some pho (Vietnamese beef soup, my favorite meal). After that meal, I realized it was only the second time in the last three weeks that I had eaten meat. Somewhat anti-climactically, I said to myself, “I can do this,” and decided that from that point on, I was a vegetarian. At the beginning, I was quite uninformed about what was involved in a successful vegetarian diet (or a successful omnivorous diet, for that matter), but even so, it was a surprisingly easy transition.

Early on, I ate a lot of mock-meats. Boca Burgers, Morningstar Farm burgers, soy sausage, etc. Looking back, mock meats are the perfect transitional food for someone interested in moving from a standard American diet to a full-time vegetarian diet. I don’t rely much on mock meats too often any more since I’ve grown to love and appreciate the diversity of vegetarian cuisine, but coming from a diet that was certainly meat-centric, they were a Godsend. Going cold turkey (pardon the pun) without mock meats would have made it much more difficult for someone like me.

A month later, I posted an entry on my personal weblog about my decision. It’s interesting to look back at that entry and see what I was thinking after my first month of being vegetarian after nearly 25 years of the standard American diet. In that entry I discuss how “I’ve surprised myself” by starting like vegetables I hadn’t cared for before, like squash, zucchini, and eggplant. “Apparently, there are all these things that I might like that I never did before. It’s kind of a cool thing to realize there are a lot of other opportunities, actually more than when I was eating meat.” In the next paragraph, though, I mention that “there are a few things that I still do not like, though: peppers, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes.” Oddly, since then, I’ve grown to like each and every one of those things.

On November 30, 2000, I decided to start the Veg Blog as a separate blog on my personal site to explore vegetarian issues. I realized that there weren’t any other blogs that dealt strictly with vegetarianism, and I thought that if I shared what I learned along the way, it would help others who had recently become vegetarian or who were considering it. But the reasons were also partly selfish. I figured that if I was putting information out there for people to read, I’d be forced to try new recipes, read recent health-related articles, and inform myself about the many facets of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle beyond just diet. It’s worked.

16 months after becoming vegetarian, I haven’t had a single “lapse” and I feel stronger about my decision than ever. It hasn’t been all sunshine, though. I am still irritated by meat-eaters that feel like I’m attacking them by my own, personal decision to be vegetarian, even though I never say a word to them. It makes me wonder: if they’re so secure in their reasons to eat meat, why are they so threated by someone who doesn’t? I’ve found that bringing up vegetarianism with someone who doesn’t want to discuss it causes nothing but problems, but if someone approaches me first, I’m happy to discuss it with them.

I’ve enjoyed talking with various people in “the movement” and learning from everyone from people just dabbling with the idea of becoming vegetarian to people that have been vegan for more than a decade. Everyone has a different take on this issue and I love learning new facts and perspectives. Who knows… maybe someday I’ll be the one writing a book.

My current diet is still not what I’d consider “optimal” (I still snack on less-than-healthy foods too frequently), but I’m very proud of how quickly I’ve picked up some cooking skills. I’m willing and able to try new recipes to the point I have to force myself to use the same recipe twice. The meals that I make are with health and taste in mind, and I find myself leaning towards vegan dishes more often then not. My dairy intake has decreased signficantly. I use soy milk in my cereal and in most dishes that call for milk. I, do, however still eat cheese occasionally, though when I have soy cheese, I look for the brands without casein. I rarely cook with eggs, though I still occasionally eat those as well. Lifestylewise, I find myself bothered by leather more and more and winced this morning when I saw a commercial for furs. I try to make changes where I can (I’ll choose non-gelatin caplet versions of pills if I have a choice), but I don’t beat myself up about everything. I feel like I’m moving towards a vegan diet, though I’m not ready to fully make the switch yet. I’ve learned that, for me, it’s a progression, and that while the change to a meat-free diet was relatively simple and quick, the change to a vegan diet and lifestyle may take a little more time and preparation.

My story doesn’t involve any “becoming vegetarian saved my life!” lines or anything dramatic, but I can say that it has changed the way I look at food and the food industry.

Veg Pledge
Start by shifting to a plant-based diet over a 60-day period and get materials to support your attempt. And look at a picture of Kevin Nealon. :)

Vegetarian Resource Group
The VRG has a wealth of information about going vegetarian to help you.

Vegetarian Starter Kit
A guide from the Physician’s Committe for Responsible Medicine. Includes the “3-Step Way to Go Vegetarian.”

Open Directory: Going Vegetarian
A large selection of sites to help you make the switch.

Today I posted a new feature article about my volunteer time at the Farm Sanctuary. Pictures are included.

This weekend, my wife and I had some friends over and I cooked up a pair of new dishes that both went over well.

I started with a Fennel and Soy Cheese soup from the Soy for Health Cookbook by Kurumi Hayter, a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure how this dish would turn out or go over with the group since fennel isn’t exactly an everyday ingredient and soy cheese has a bad rep amongst non-vegetarians, but I decided to give it a shot since a number of people at the dinner were lactose intolerant. Soy cheese is much easier to digest and fennel is one of the best natural aids in digestion that I’ve found, which would be important considering what I served as a main dish.

Turns out my concerns were for naught, as the soup went over extremely well with everyone. It was a nice, light and creamy combination of fennel and leeks topped with a bit of Veganrella mozzarella-flavored rice cheese. Personally, I liked this soup so much that I’ll be making it again for another couple of guests that are coming over.

The main dish came from Nava Atlas‘ Vegetariana: Pasta with Cauliflower, Currants, and Pine Nuts. The recipe called for quite a bit of dairy (ricotta cheese, low-fat milk, and parmesan cheese), so I decided to go half-and-half. I used regular part-skim ricotta, Lactaid (lactose-free) low-fat milk, and a soy-based parmesan cheese. That way, there was still enough thickness and “regular” cheese flavor in the dish, but I cut back on the lactose, keeping in mind our guests. The toasted pine nuts added a really nice flavor to the dish, but I think I should have made a little bit more sauce, as it was a bit light on the pasta. Still, the end result was nice and tasty, and reminded me why I love barely-browned cauliflower in a dish.

My wife and I were married in September of 2001, but since she was in graduate school, our honeymoon was limited to a weekend at a local bed and breakfast. So, in December we took a delayed honeymoon to the Finger Lakes in New York. We started in Geneva, spent some time in Ithaca, and finished in Watkins Glen. While we were in Watkins Glen, we decided to take a day and volunteer at the Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal shelter established in 1986 for rescued “food production” animals.

Many of the pigs, cows, turkeys, and other farm animals at the sanctuary were once downed animals, left for dead by slaughterhouses or meat delivery trucks, or escaped food production lines (in well-known cases like Queenie’s). The animals get to live out their lives on one of two clean, spacious farms (one in New York and one in California) and are cared for by a loving, understanding staff.

We arrived in the late morning and met with Michelle, who works in the education division. She gave us a choice of working on the farm or helping out with some envelope-stuffing. We wanted to a little of both, so Huyen and I started with some farmwork.

I wonderered what kinds of things the Sanctuary folks had one-day volunteers do. Would they go easy on us since neither of us had ever been on a farm before? Turns out (thankfully): nope. In the three hours we helped outside, we helped clean the rabbit pen (a relatively easy job), the turkey pen (a little more intensive), and the chicken coop (a messy, but necessary job). What amazed me is that the barns and pens the animals live in are cleaned out daily. Keep in mind that on most factory farms, cages and stalls are rarely cleaned, but here, where animals are truly “free range,” their living quarters are kept nearly spotless. All the old hay is removed and new hay is spread. Droppings are cleaned up and cages are emptied out. It really is quite amazing, and touching, to see how well these formerly neglected and abused farm animals get to live their lives.

After we came back from lunch, we decided we’d help out in the campaign office of the Sanctuary, helping to stuff envelopes, but first we made the rounds of the farm to visit some of the animals we didn’t get a chance to work with. The cows were grazing and didn’t seem to interested in us, but the real experience was visiting the pigs. The staff was cleaning out the barn, so the pigs were all put outside. We stood at the gates and pet some of the pigs while talking with one of the Sanctuary workers. The pigs seemed quite anxious to get inside… the hogs sounded angry and many of the females were in heat. Still, there was something very cute about them… I got a sense of the individual personalities. I wasn’t looking at the source of bacon and sausage, I was looking at sentient beings with feelings like any other farm animal or pet.

As we were leaving the barn, we spotted a pig laying in the hay by himself. The worker guessed that this particular pig was “Boots,” a 1500-pound animal that was the sole survivor of a fire in the pig’s barn a number of years back. Boots was happy for the attention he got when we leaned down to pet him and talk to him. Huyen and I both swear that he smiled at us. The sad thing about Boots and a lot of the other pigs at the Farm Sanctuary is their size: many pigs are genetically engineered to grow quickly and to a greater size than nature ever intended. The reason, of course, is for a greater food yield per animal. After all, if you can get more bacon and sausage from an animal by giving it hormones, why not? Boots was one reason “why not.” He had a difficult time supporting his own weight, having trouble just standing up. When animals are engineered to exceed their natural growth pattern, the people doing the engineering don’t take into account what happens if the animal doesn’t become a side dish at breakfast.

After visiting the goats, we took a short drive down the road to the office where the farm’s various campaigns are headed. There, Huyen and I took an hour or two to help address and stuff envelopes as part of their new mailing campaign. They were writing to restaurants in New Jersey, asking the proprietors to pledge not to serve veal in support of the state’s anti-cruelty laws. I read the letter that was going out, and it wasn’t pushy or aggressive, but rather, professional and informative.

Before we left for the evening, we had a chance to meet Gene Bauston, who founded the Farm Sanctuary in 1986 with his wife, Lorri. After meeting Gene, we were convinced he must have founded the place when he was 13. He’s a friendly, incredibly young looking guy that doesn’t look a day over 28. He thanked us for helping out but it would have been more appropriate if I had thanked him for all the time, effort, and love he’s put into the farm over the last 15 years.

I truly can’t say enough about the work the Farm Sanctuary does. Every person that we met there enjoyed what they were doing had a respect for the animals that I’ve never seen before. Whether it was a farmhand cleaning the chicken coop or an intern in the campaign office keeping the place clean, they believed with a passion in the common goal of better treatment for farm animals.

With factory farming such a huge industry in the United States, the Farm Sanctuary is clearly “the little guy” working against often unethical big businesses that treat their animals as objects rather than sentient beings with feelings and personalities. If you’re in Watkins Glen, make sure you take some time to stop by and visit or volunteer.

Sometimes it seems that everyone is out to make gobs of money in the business of exploitation, but a day at the Farm Sanctuary is an experience that will remind you of the good in people’s hearts.

Related Links

The Farm Sanctuary
The Sanctuary’s main site.

FactoryFaming.com
The Sanctuary’s site devoted to information about cruelty of factory farming.

NoDowners.org
The Sanctuary’s site about downed animals, “animals so diseased or badly injured that they cannot even walk.”

Poultry.org
Another Sanctuary site, this one focusing on the poultry industry.

Farm Animal Shelters
Here, the Farm Sanctuary has set up a resource for individuals and organizations interested in providing a similar service for abused farm animals.

Free Farm Animals from the Cruelty of Confinement
A Sanctuary site focusing specfically on confinement of factory farm animals.

SentientBeings.org
A Farm Sanctuary campaign to make people aware of agribusiness exploitation of animals, treating them as “tools of production” rather than sentient beings.

NoVeal.org
Of all the stories of confinement and cruelty, there is none worse than the every day treatment of cows that become veal (if this picture doesn’t bother you…). This is the central site for the Sanctuary’s “Say No to Veal” campaign.

Ban Cruel Farms
A campaign to get rid of gestation crates for pigs.

Animal Rights Law Project
From the Rutgers University School of Law, a very through site with all sorts of animal rights-related info.

MSNBC has a good article titled Menu help for vegetarian moms-to-be: Tips for getting in all the proper nutrients. While it’s only a brief overview, it’s still a good read.

One thing that puzzled me, though, was recommendation that pregnant vegetarian/vegan women “avoid soft cheese or raw seafood, which can be possible sources of a potentially harmful type of Listeria bacterium.” Seafood? Since when was that vegetarian or vegan? Otherwise, this seems to be a well-informed and researched article.

It seems like the end of 2001 brought with it an awful lot of meat recalls:

• Dec. 31: Tampering Investigated in 266,000-Pound Ham Recall: a disgruntled IBP employee may have tained the ham with nails.
• Dec. 28: Florida and Connecticut Companies Recall Corned Beef “because it contains inedible beef byproducts that are not declared on the label.”
• Dec. 28: Michigan Bakery Recalls 12-Inch Tortes because eggs were improperly left off an ingredient label
• Dec. 28: USDA: 4 Firms to Recall 461 Tons of Beef. That’s almost one million pounds of beef… yikes. (This is associated with the corned beef link above.)

But that doesn’t mean vegetarians are exempt from food safety issues: apparently, raw sprouts may cause a foodborne illness.

“People who eat a meat-laden diet have more than triple the average risk of esophageal cancer and double the risk of stomach cancer, while people who eat a lot of dairy products had double the risk of both,” reports MSNBC. (via VegSource)