The Eat with Care blog

Become a humaneitarian in 2015

December 29, 2014

Regardless of where you fall on the humaneitarian/meat-eating spectrum, there are so many ways you can boost your humane meat consumption this year — on your own terms, in your own time, on your particular budget.

Already, a growing number of people around the country are basing their meat purchases on how the animal was raised. These humaneitarians — before they buy meat in a grocery store, before they order meat in a restaurant — try to determine if the meat came from a farm that raises animals with care. If so, they buy it. If not, they make a different choice.

Consider choosing more humanely raised meat in 2015:

If you currently don’t eat any humanely raised meat…

• Start with this easy guide to meat labels or this overview of what humane can mean.
• After you decide what farming practices you’re most comfortable with, visit your local farmers’ market or see if humanely raised meat is sold at your grocery store.

If you’re having trouble finding humanely raised meat…

• Type your zip code into the online store locators of these national and regional brands.
• See if your local stores carry meat certified by America’s top humane certification programs — such as Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Humane.
• Visit your local farmers’ market. If you don’t like shopping there, just go once and get the names of local farms that sell meat, then buy meat from them directly or at your local food co-op.
• Whole Foods makes it easy to know (generally) the animal welfare practices of the farms they buy from. All of their fresh meat features a GAP (Global Animal Partnership) label, ranging from Step 1 to Step 5.

If you’re having trouble affording humanely raised meat…

• Buy less expensive cuts, serve meat as a side dish, use just a bit of meat as flavoring, or buy whole chickens and see how much meat and broth you get for your poultry penny.
• Think about something small you could give up in order to pay for better quality meat.

If you need some inspiration to eat more humanely…

• Visit a humane farm near you, or read about humane farms like this one.
• Watch this report on a Perdue chicken farmer who bravely revealed the less-than-ideal conditions he’s required to raise his birds in.
• Know that major food companies are switching to humane practices because people are switching to humane products. Consumer demand = change!

If you feel like you’re the only person trying to eat more humanely…

• You’re not!  Read the stories of fellow humaneitarians, people like….
  • Michael Lowe, a high school student in New York City
  • Erika Bruner, a Vermont veterinarian
  • Julia Phelps, a vegetarian in Georgia who prepares humanely raised meat for her husband
• Consider taking the humaneitarian pledge and joining others who eat meat with care.

Already committed?  Say so below, in the comment section.

And please share this post with friends or family who might be open to this new way of eating… use the ‘share’ buttons at the top of this page.