Last night I happened to be watching Nightline (yeah, I'm 23 and watch Nightline) and my interest immediately perked up when they ran a piece on burrito titans, Chipotle.
Steve Ells, Chipotle founder and chairman, is turning the fast-food model on its back end by turning to small farms (instead of factories) and avoiding chicken and most beef treated with hormones or antibiotics.
In the piece, they visited one of the small farms that supplies Chipotle with meat. As the anchor and Ells walked through the farm, Ells shared his thoughts:
"Well, first of all, you can breathe here and it smells great," he said. "You can't breathe in a confinement operation. The odor is horrific. And you can see the terror in the pigs' eyes. And they scurry away from you. And they are chewing on the metal bars. And it's so unpleasant. And when I first saw that 10 years ago, I knew that I never wanted to buy another confinement pig, and have that be part of our business model.
Although I see his point and appreciate his aim for higher corporate social responsibility, I couldn't help but wonder how ironic it was that they were at the farm (in the midst of the animals) discussing how much better this situation is for the pigs, only for the end result to be the death of the pigs.
(Whenever I see pigs roaming about on a farm, I always think of
Charlotte's Web and Wilbur. So my heart weeps for the little guys).
Forgive me for being a bit sensitive but I feel as though I may be going through a food identity crisis. I think I could be on the brink of becoming a vegetarian, especially after reading so much press about the new movie,
Food Inc.The movie tackles issues such as genetic engineering, food borne illnesses, factory farming, and more that are plaguing the food industry. I read an article somewhere where the filmmaker said he discovered that in one hamburger patty, "bits and pieces" from up to SEVEN DIFFERENT cows are used to make it.
GAG ME.
It is amazing and horrifying to know the efforts some in the food industry will take to make that "perfect" sized chicken breast or hamburger patty. I'm talkin' injecting harmful and ridiculous hormones into perfectly healthy animals.
FOR WHAT?
As of now, the movie is playing in select theaters, you can check
here to see when it will be playing at a theater near you.
(For us Charlotte-ans, the movie will be playing at Park Terrace 6 Cinema on July 10th.)As I get older, the concern about the quality of my food increases which is why I LOVE farmer's markets and am always on the lookout for the USDA organic seal on my foods/produce.
I don't eat beef frequently (although I will chuck a cheeseburger down my throat occasionally) and only have pork one day a week (1 or 2 pieces of bacon on saturdays). My diet mostly consists of chicken-related meals. I usually check the package for the words "free-range" on the package but I don't always do the grocery shopping.
There is a lot more for me to consider in order to make the leap toward vegetarianism but the thought is definitely there.
Does knowing that your favorite restaurant/fast food chains use hormone-free chicken, beef or pork influence your decision or opinion?You can go
here to see the piece and read more about Chipotle's efforts.