Nathan J.

Case ENGL 138T 4/5/14

Meat, the Problem

On a beautiful summer night, an all too familiar smell is the wafting scent of hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks sizzling to perfection on a neighbors grill. It is a delightful smell, a smell strong enough to whet just about anyones appetite, especially in the meat-loving culture of the United States. In fact, the average American consumes 273 pounds of meat every year (Henning). While meat may be delicious, and many argue that it is essential to maintaining a balanced diet, it is also important to consider the ethical implications of meat consumption. This applies in many categories from the slaughtering of animals to the impacts of the meat industry on humans around the world. Millions of people in this world do not have enough food to survive; yet animals are forcibly overfed only to be killed a few weeks later. A change in the meat culture in America would directly result in more prosperous lifestyles for people across the globe. Ethically speaking, it is easy to question the moral standards of slaughterhouses. Animals are raised to be killed, and are given absolutely no space to live their lives, if the life they live can even be considered a real life. They are constantly fed and injected with hormones to make them grow faster, and therefore slaughtered sooner than if they were left to develop naturally. Chickens have their beaks cut off at birth as to not cause raucous behavior, and the pens are dirty and filled with animal waste. Simply put, a slaughterhouse is neither a pleasant place to live for the animals, nor a prime job for humans either. The workers are forced to cope with squalid conditions and ultimately they kill the animals. Statistics have proven that slaughterhouse jobs have both the greatest injury and turnover rates of any job in America (Maharaj). People in favor of eating meat at its current consumption argue that humans are more intelligent beings, and therefore have the right to raise animals for food In slaughterhouses, workers (Yount). To a deal with deplorable conditions leading to people certain degree this leaving the job at the highest rate of any job in America. seems plausible, Courtesy: eatingalabama.com but when 660,000 animals are killed everyday, the situation is out of control, and needs to be mitigated (Henning). A lesser degree of killing not only means fewer animals raised for slaughter, but also requires fewer people to perform less than desired tasks. It would also result in the downgrade of an inefficient industry. The numbers prove that raising livestock is an inefficient method to acquire food. Moore Lape explains animals as, protein factories in reverse (Henning). There are more resources put into the raising of livestock than the return generated from consuming the livestock. It takes thirteen kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of beef and upwards of twenty kilograms of grain for one kilogram of lamb (Henning). Therefore, the raising of livestock essentially wastes resources. On top of this, in the United States alone, the livestock population consumes seven times the amount of grain the human population consumes every year. So not

Nathan J. Case ENGL 138T 4/5/14 only does the meat industry conduct an extremely inefficient operation, but it also uses an incredible amount of food resources to power the process. Such a system seems flawed and completely illogical. A telling fact of this flawed system is the amount of people that could be fed with the food used for livestock. In America alone, the yearly food supply for livestock is enough to feed at least 800 million people for the entire year (Henning). Even if meat consumption would decrease by only ten percent, almost 100 million people would no longer be hungry. A simple illustration depicting the inefficiency of In a world that is the meat industry. It takes constantly looking 16kg of grain to produce just one 1kg of beef. to alleviate world Courtesy: iskcontimes.org hunger, a potential solution is simply reducing the production of livestock, and instead allocating animal food resources for human consumption. Additionally, the land used for cattle and other animals could be used to grow even more food. By reducing the amount of meat in the American diet, world hunger would take a substantial blow. One arguing against making meat a lesser part of the diet will point out the nutrition facts in favor of meat. They do pose a valid argument. Meat is practically the only food source that contains all of the essential amino acids in one source (Lister). Meat is considered a complete protein because it contains all necessary amino acids, while plants do not, so a combination of plants must be consumed to meet the requirements. While this is true, cutting back on meat would not be detrimental to the average human.

2 Studies revealed that the average American consumes well over the dailyrecommended protein values. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 46g of protein per day for women and 56g of protein for men (Lister). If protein consumption were close to these recommended values there may be cause for concern. However, the numbers show that the average meateating American consumes 112g (double the recommended) of protein per day. Even vegetarians consume well over the 56g recommendation with an average of 89g of protein per day (Henning). Therefore, one can afford to eliminate meat as the staple of every meal, and they will not experience any negative health consequences. In fact, a reduction in the amount of meat in ones diet can actually prove to be beneficial. It is estimated that nearly two thirds of the United States population is either obese or overweight (Henning). A factor contributing to this staggering number is the amount of meat eaten by the average American. Back in 2000, the health bill for obesity in America was $117 billion (Henning). The obesity rate and health bills have only escalated since 2000, exacerbating the current situation. To make matters worse, obesity is not the only Obesity is increasing at an rate. According to the health risk alarming Center for disease control 36% of Americans tipped the scales as associated with obese in 2010 and by 2030 this a diet that number is projected to be 50%. relies heavily Courtesy: fasinfat.org on meat. These risks include but are not limited to, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and increased chances of certain cancers (Maharaj). By

Nathan J. Case ENGL 138T 4/5/14 eliminating some or all meat from a diet an individual promotes his or her health. A more vegetable based diet has proven to help in reducing high blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma, and even diabetes (Yount). Therefore, it is logical for people looking for a healthier lifestyle to consume less meat, and obtain essential nutrients from other sources. The United States consumes the most meat per capita in the world by a considerable margin. This meat-eating culture continually causes problems that fly under the radar. The amount of food resources put into livestock significantly exceeds the yields produced from the slaughter. In an age where resources are becoming sparser, it is irrational to essentially waste a large number of these valuable resources for an inefficient system. Even the slightest of decreases in meat consumption would allow the reallocation of food to the malnourished people of the world, edging the world closer to eliminating world hunger. America is dealing with problems in its own backyard. There are numerous health issues that can be attributed to its many meat lovers. Today, obese and overweight people represent a majority of the population, a population footing astronomical health care costs as a result of these choices. Egocentric arguments in favor of a meat heavy diet pare in comparison to a plethora of facts proving that livestock production is flawed and an unfruitful investment. While it is not Heading into Spring and Summer barbeque season, consider making plausible to these vegetables rich in protein a completely more integral part of the cookout. Courtesy: thecaribbeancurrent.com eliminate hamburgers and hot dogs from their role

3 in summer barbeques, it is certainly time to recognize the problematic nature of meat and the livestock industry. The time is now to force this industry to have a lesser role in society by reducing meat consumption and its current role as a staple in the American diet.

Nathan J. Case ENGL 138T 4/5/14

Works Cited Henning, Brian C. "Standing in Livestocks Long Shadow: The Ethics of Eating Meat on a Small Planet." Ethics & the Environment 16.2 (2011): 63-93. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

Lister, Patience. "Essential Amino Acid Content in Red Meat." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 02 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Maharaj, Jai. "Arguments Against Meat Consumption." Animal Liberation Front. Himalayan Academy, California & Hawaii, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Yount, David J. "Eight Arguments In Favor Of Eating Meat And Objections Thereto." MESA Community College, 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.