While reading Eating Animals by Foer, there were many times I cringed and had to put the book down. Many of the passages had very descriptive details of inhumane practices that occurred in the factory farms he went to. Foer tries to address how food is viewed in the United States, but also responsible insights on food consumption. This book definitely exposes large scale factory farms and explains problems with them. Factory farms can cause problems with human health, the environment and are inhumane. Foer does not beg everyone to become a vegetarian or vegan, but looks through a fairly objective lens on most issues. He incorporates different perspective from all sides of the argument.
One point Foer brought up was the use of hormones and antibiotics in livestock animals. The use of these practices do not only harm the animal, but can harm the consumer over time. Many antibiotics used for pigs are very similar to antibiotics used for humans, and this can lead to higher rates of bacterial resistance. The more we expose and antibiotic to animals and humans, the more likely bacteria will build a stronger resistance. In many of these factory farms the animals are given antibiotics everyday, so a diese cannot wipe out the whole herd. The animals are so tightly packed together that if one gets sick than all of the animals are more than likely to get sick. I know there has always been an ongoing debate about the use of hormones in animals and the effects this can have on humans. I feel like a general rule of thumb is adding unnecessary hormones to the body is always a questionable move. To learn more about growth hormones in food go to hormones
Foer talks about how we need to be a responsible consumer when eating meat. He does not demand that everyone should stop eating meat, but rather have a connection to your food. When I eat a piece of meat for dinner I have absolutely no clue where my meat came from. I do not know how sanitary the slaughter house is and I have no connection to the food on my plate. Meat should not be on a factory farm scale and the animals should be thought of more than a product. However, the consumer is more to blame than anyone else for this problem because many of us want to eat meat everyday, but at a cheap price. The meat industry has managed to produce extremely cheap meat products, but many ethical and health boundaries were crossed in the process. Foer describes many gruesome events of horrible animal cruelty and it is sickening to read. The meat industry has a pretty big stronghold in the government and it does not seem like anything will change in the near future.
Another good point Foer made was discussing how we decide which animals are acceptable to eat and which ones are not. He talks about how people in the United States are repulsed by the idea of eating a dog, but have no problem digging into a hamburger. Something that is very taboo for our culture may not be in other cultures, and that is always interesting to think about. However, even if I went to a country where eating dog was encouraged I still do not think I would try it. Dog Meat
