— from Steve Bernheim and Ingrid Kjalstrup —
According to a May 12, 2020 Tyson Foods, Inc. announcement, only limited production has resumed following a temporary halt at Tyson’s Madison, Nebraska pork plant, where 212 workers tested positive for COVID-19 out of 1,467.
If meat processing plants continue to facilitate COVID-19 transmission, less meat may be available in stores, at least for now. Fortunately, plenty of resources exist for people to adopt a plant-based diet. Without listing specifics here, search the internet for “vegan recipes for meat lovers” or any such search and relax.
Animal agriculture accounts for almost 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, so vegan meals are steps toward a sustainable lifestyle.
Animal processing abuses large numbers of chickens, pigs, and cows each year, so vegan meals are steps toward a more humane and ethical outlook toward life on earth.
Plant-based recipes don’t result in leftover and concentrated burned or congealed animal fats, so vegan meals can be healthier to make and much easier to clean up.
Locally, Orcas Veg Fest was postponed as a live Eastsound event this month, so it goes online with plant-based cooking in June: https://trimazing.com/event/cooking-to-combat-covid-19/. And www.challenge22.com offers free 22 days of plant-based support.
Once the pandemic passes, keep your favorite animal-free recipes in your weekly diet. Eating a plant-based diet, after all, is one of the most immediate ways to start a new life.
Eating a whole-food, plant-based nutrition plan is good for our bodies, the planet, the animals and preventing future pandemics. After all, tofu never caused a pandemic. ;)
As a 27 year practicing vegetarian with 15 of those years as a vegan, meat shaming posts like this make me cringe. I’m incredibly fortunate to have a well endowed food budget that allows the privilege of eating a healthy plant based diet, but it is just that: a privilege. It’s important to remember for most families food choice is dictated by necessity, not ideology.
Karen, thank you for you comments.
The solution is simple. Know your farmer. Buy local vegetables and meat products. Support our local economy if you can.
Vegetables can kill too. E. coli anyone? https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/02/health/e-coli-lettuce-explainer/index.html
I’ll admit to expecting meat shaming from this post. I didn’t find any. I’m so relieved we can talk!
Gigi- canteloupe/lettuce = ecoli.
Yes, let’s get out of this awful food-chain.