A worthwhile read
Time magazine’s Aug. 31 cover story, “Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food,” details the consequences of conventional agriculture on the environment, farmed animals, and human health. As it says:
“The U.S. agricultural industry can now produce unlimited quantities of meat and grains at remarkably cheap prices. But it does so at a high cost to the environment, animals and humans. Those hidden prices are the creeping erosion of our fertile farmland, cages for egg-laying chickens so packed that the birds can’t even raise their wings and the scary rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among farm animals. Add to the price tag the acceleration of global warming—our energy-intensive food system uses 19% of U.S. fossil fuels, more than any other sector of the economy.
“And perhaps worst of all, our food is increasingly bad for us, even dangerous.”
Clearly an effective way to help mitigate these problems would be for Americans to eat fewer animal products, but the article barely mentions that. Still, it is heartening to see a mainstream magazine take a serious look at the issue. The article can be read online here.
