Eating more humanely

J

johnny chimpo

500+ Posts
I just read a book called "Thanking the Monkey" about animal rights. Though it promotes veganism, I am not considering giving up meat (though I am going to cut back, especially when eating out, mix in some tofu/veggie burgers, etc). But the book got me thinking about the meat I buy at HEB and cook at home. I know there is a very ugly side to food-animal production, but for the most part it is out of sight, out of mind.

I've decided to start buying meat from places that raise and slaughter animals in a humane manner, and will pay a premium for the peace of mind. My question is: where can I buy meat in Austin that is, in fact, humanely raised and slaughtered? I know food company labeling can be extremely misleading, so are there any tried and true places in Austin to find this kind of food?
 
honest question.

what do you consider to be a humanely slaughtered animal?

Chickens are stunned with an electric shock right before their necks are cut.

Most Cows have a fast moving steel spike hit their brain pan, killing them as instantly as possible.

In fact, the most brutal slaughters I can think of are the Kosher ones.* From the video I have seen the Kosher cows are locked into a pen, and a Rabbi says a prayer over them as someone uses a very sharp long knife to cut the animals throat and watch it bleed out.



* This point was not mean to be an attack on Kosher foods, just pointing out that based on visual experience, that seems to be "hardest" type of death for an animal
 
It's probably easier for you to go vegetarian. Not vegan, but buying animal products that are the step above "free range", which is more like traditional farms but I cannot recall the name.
 
KC - I think a lot of the "humane" treatment is also in the care of the animals for the time they're alive. You're right...slaughtering pretty much sucks for the animal no matter what, but the treatment while they are alive is one of the big differentiating factors between farms.

Also, if any California voters read this, vote YES on Prop 2 to require more humane treatment for some animals (egg laying hens, pregnant sows, veal calves).

If you really want a book about eating humanely (and by humanely I mean the treatment of not only animals but your own body and the planet itself) I recommend you pickup "Food Revolution" by John Robbins.
 
I hunt and eat meat. I'm not a raging carnivore but I enjoy a nice piece of meat. My wife was telling me on Opera there was a debate between these "open range" chicken/hog farms vs the ones where they are somewhat locked up.

The people that own these "open range" farms and **** have their heart in the right place but the economics support the normal "slaughter houses". The average american can't afford an extra $1-$2 per pound for this open range crap and hearing some arrogant and aloof ******* look down on the rest of the world for not supporting his way makes me want to ******* vomit.

Here's the deal. Not everyone can afford doing everything "the green way". Not everyone can afford the "open range" raised meat and all that other crap. If there's a market for it and people want to pay extra that's fine and more power to them. But **** the ************* that look down on people that don't as uneducated barbarians.
 
Congrats on doing your research. My wife and I became vegan in Jan. We love the changes we have made. Very spiritual even. For us is was the treatment of animals, but also the hormones and steriods that are pumped into the animals. Furthermore the impact on the environment is huge.

I would recommend reading Skinny ***** and the China Study.

Also the R.A.V.E. dietThe Link

The video they offer is worth ordering.



Best of luck on your journey.

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chimpo,

i have a question for you...does it really matter that the animal had some sort of decent life? it died before it was supposed to die to feed you. either way, it was a premature death that you helped cause by purchasing the product. while i get it that you are trying to do a more "humane" thing in the end you are still killing the animal.

i think even the most hard core hunters want to know that the meat they eat "had a fairly decent life before slaughter". if you want to go out of your way to try and find these places that serve this kind of product and are willing to pay for it then that's a cool decision you've made. i have two young kids and don't have the time, resources or desire to make that lifestyle switch.
 
Cows are brain dead when they're slaughtered. You can't get mad cow from eating beef unless the animals brain was destroyed/mangled before death (the prions aren't naturally in the bloodstream).

That said, I won't eat farm raised game, since those farms are breeding grounds for disease that ultimately affect wild populations as well.
 
all I'm saying is that you should know about what you're eating. the chemicals, the hormones, etc. if it doesn't make a **** bit of difference to you, that's fine, but at least you'll know.

saying you eat pretty healthy and exercise is great, and you probably are ahead of the game, but I'll still encourage you to do a little more reading on it. what could it hurt?
 
i do agree that there are probably certain chemicals that i should be more aware of. not debating the merits of that. eventually i will do a bit more research but i simply have other things that are priority right now. will i make an attempt at this some day? sure, but right now I'm more concerned with getting my kids to bed and cleaning my house.

hopefully i didn't come across as argumentative or an *** because that wasn't my objective.
 
As far as raising the animals, HEB, Central Market and others have lines of free range chicken and beef.
As far as humanely dispatching the animal, I don't know-I do think kosher practices are supposed to be more scrutinized than others.
I was at the downtown farmer's market, and one table sold buffalo meat, and the ranch represented went into detail about the manner the animals were humanely slaughtered. However, this was some time ago, and I don't know if they still sell their product there or not.
We sometimes buy the free range, sometimes lose our resolve over the price. Always buy free range turkey for Thanksgiving, though. It is much more expensive, but I prefer it.
If I really looked at the reality of the situation, I would be a vegetarian, but eating meat is so culturally ingrained. I am a sympathizer, but not a practicioner. I suppose that makes me a hypocrite. I definitely don't eat as much meat as I did years ago.
 
I have seen the free range chicken and beef at HEB. The price hike is very steep. I would pay it if I really knew it was "free range" in the way that I imagine it, but I feel like there are loopholes and technicalities that the manufacturers (or whatever you call them, farmers?) use to call their product free range while still doing it the cheaper way. Somewhere (probably here on hfs) I heard that you have to be careful buying the "cage free" eggs because the chickens only have to be out of their cage 5% (or similar) of their lives. It seems that the meat situation could easily be similar. That doesn't make it any better for me, I'll buy the cheaper kind. I (like the OP) wish that there was some way to really know how the animal was raised. The slaughter isn't as much of an issue since I (perhaps naively) believe that they are stunned or killed so quickly that they feel little or no pain.
 
WhoseHouse brings up another point. Further, by doing the PC thing and buying free range product you screw over the small time farmer who is just scraping by. So by being communist left you screw over the working man. How can you people sleep at night?
 
So I'm Jewish, and while I do not keep Kosher (and none of my immediately family does), I had always heard that Kosher slaughtering was one of the most humane methods. Apparently, their method is to cut the carotid arteries cleanly at once.
So I googled it. There was a lot of stuff, and it turns out PETA filed a complaint against a couple Kosher slaughterhouses claiming they were inhumane. Not that PETA would call any slaughterhouses humane, but anyway...
I like this JewFAQ website, partly because of the name. So here's a link:The Link
Interesting.
When I read this stuff, I want to be a vegetarian. But then i eat some delicious bbq, or steak frites at Boulud.
 
I'll never become a vegetarian... when possible, I buy grass fed beef but otherwise, I just mix in a nice variety of pork, beef, poultry, lamb, fish, etc. I simply couldn't part with that deliciousness.

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It would be a miserable existence if I looked down at each meal and wondered how it died.
 
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