The Ethics of What We Eat: Book Review

The Ethics of What We Eat

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.
-Albert Einstein

"The Ethics of What We Eat" by Peter Singer was the first book that truly influenced my decision to become vegetarian. Peter Singer is a philosopher and presents the ethics of food ranging from vegetarianism, local food, organics, and many other food issues.

Singer divides the book into four sections. The first three examine three different families who have different diets and how ethical their food choices are. The last section dissects the defenses for eating meat and serves as a guide to making ethical food decisions.

Three Families, Three Diets
Singer looks at three families which represent a fairly large proportion of the American population. The groups are as followed:

• SAD - The Standard American Diet
• Conscientious Omnivores
• The Vegans

Briefly, SAD represents a high meat/dairy/egg diet with lots of food, conscientious omnivores are those who will make decisions to eat organic, or humanely grown meat whenever possible, and vegans who will eat no meat products at all. Singer goes into detail about each family's eating habits and reasons for making certain purchases. He provides a good overview of the ethical
implications for the major categories from factory farmed meat to organic local vegetables.

Freegans - The Most Ethical Eaters?
Singer even describes a group of people who call themselves "freegans", people who won't pay for their food. These people will go "dumpster diving" in order to get food thrown out by stores.
My initial reaction was disgust, but as I read more I saw that it could be the most ethical form of food consumption out there.

I was reminded of my friend who would take everyone's food at a table who didn't want it and even would take a stranger's food that had been left on their plate. In America this is completely unacceptable from a social perspective. However, ethically it is right on many accounts. A few of the "freegans" are quoted below describing why they don't buy into the food industry:

"What's better about dumpstering is that you're not buying into the whole process of consumption. Even buying organic food involves being part of the consumer economy. Dumpstering really does break the consumer chain".

"dumpstering has an ethical dimension... We're saving food that would otherwise totally go to waste - perfectly good food. We're recycling it."

Although this is something I could probably never justify doing, it is interesting to see their perspective and the ethical reasoning behind it. It is a shame that so much food is being wasted not only at stores and restaurants, but within homes where perfectly good food is thrown away.

How can we eat ethically?
There are so many issues that it can be hard to determine what exactly we should eat and what factors are most important. Singer summarizes his thoughts on this sense of being overwhelmed:

"When one ethical concern is heaped upon another and we struggle to be sure that our purchases do not contribute to slave labor, animal exploitation, land degradation, wetland pollution, rural depopulation, funfair trade practices, global warming, and the destruction of rain forests, it may all seem so complicated that we could be tempted to forget about everything except eating what we like and can afford.

When we feel overwhelmed, it is important to avoid the mistake of thinking that if you have ethical reasons for doing something, you have to do it all the time, no matter what."

Singer insists that we should not be fanatical about our ethical food decisions, but should do what we can within reason. He lists a few reasons why it would be justifiable to not eat ethical foods:

• The Paris Exemption
• This allows you to eat whatever you want for those "special occasions" like if you are in Paris or want to go out to a really nice place.
  
• The Hardship Exemption
• Under this exemption a person is allowed to eat non-ethical food if the cost of the more ethical food would cause economic hardship on the person/family. It should also be noted that eating ethically does not necessarily mean that it will be more expensive. Non-processed foods and raw foods that are vegan/organic can be cheaper than their non-ethical equivalents.

Of course there are other reasons why a person might not choose ethical foods, but these are the two main reasons that Singer gives.

My Thoughts
I am a currently an lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means I will eat dairy and egg products. I intend to become a "vegan at home" and try to be a vegan when I eat out whenever possible. However I will allow myself to eat a vegetarian (dairy and eggs) when I go out if there are no reasonable vegan options available.

I have also decided to include the possibility of invoking a "Paris Exemption" to eat meat for any meal that is over $50. This lets me enjoy meat on those very special meals, like if I ever decided to go to Chez Panise in Berkeley. What is interesting, is that as I have progressed through my vegetarian diet, I have had less desire to even want to institute the "Paris Exemption" and eat meat, even at a restaurant like Chez Panise.

Whatever your food choices are, remember that every food choice you make will have an impact, whether it is positive or negative. If you want to change your eating habits and choose a more ethical options, it does not have to be an all or nothing. Small changes in your diet can result in a big difference for your health and the environment.

Related Blogs:

• Food Labels: Fat, vitamins, and CO2?
• Earth Save: Website

Recommended Books:

• The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World - John Robbins
• The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter - Peter Singer

Recommended Movies:

• The Future of Food