Reflections on Veganuary
Reflections on Veganuary
Is veganism the only way to be a conscious consumer?
As the biggest Veganuary in recorded history comes to a close — it seems clear that the mass embrace of plant-based food has been a good thing for conscious consumerism, and therefore the planet.
Eating less meat is one of the most accessible and immediate actions we have available to us to reduce our carbon footprint, and use our money to vote for the world we want to live in.
We all know the health benefits, animal cruelty imperatives, and the environmental impact. Yet many of us still eat meat — and we don’t want to stop.
We have to ask - how realistic is it to expect people to stop eating meat full stop? And if it is the only way forward, how do we get there?
Some people report being unable to cope with a vegan diet. Others wonder if the processed, imported products most commonly eaten by the plant-based market are actually more sustainable — such as tofu, soy, quinoa, and avocados.
There’s also the argument that raising livestock and eating meat in a conscious, considered way is deeply ingrained in our evolutionary history. That hunting and animal agriculture are part of a more natural way of things than the culture we have now.
Bristol locals might have seen the news story about vegan protests outside St Werburghs City Farm, forcing the farm to abandon a Christmas auction of 9 turkeys that were already slaughtered. Staff received abusive messages from vegans across the globe — but this kind of vegan moral outrage often serves to alienate many from seeing the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Image: Bristol Post
Many people don’t really see eating meat as good or bad - but rather that the way our society farms animals is absolutely condemnable.
For determined omnivores — there has to be more ethical options on the table. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a binary choice between turning a blind eye to the evils of intensive, unethical factory farming — and becoming fully plant-based.
Regenerative farming is having a moment in the UK — and offers a plausible alternative to giving up meat for good.
It opens a window into a world where the meat we eat was produced by farms with a greater amount of care for the animals involved, and deep consideration for environmental impact.
Glen Burrows, founder of the grass-fed meat delivery service The Ethical Butcher, has for several years run a Regenuary campaign in opposition to Veganuary. A key argument of his is that it would be far better to focus on buying local, seasonal food during the winter months, rather than importing vegetables and produce from other continents.
In his words:
“The whole point of the movement is to think more about the impact of their food choices, and stop the oversimplified narrative that all plant-based foods are better than animal-based”
Like regenerative farming, there are subpockets of food cultures in the UK that place a stronger emphasis on respecting the lives of the animals killed for food.
Snout-to-tail dining — a huge recent trend in butchery and dining culture - goes to great efforts to consume every part of an animal, wasting as little as possible. People who are committed to eating meat could reduce their impact by learning more about the less popular cuts such as offal, organs, and bone marrow. They’re a lot cheaper than fillet cuts, and contain a vast amount of nutrients too.
One thing is for certain — we all need to learn more about where our food comes from, and make more informed choices.
It’s been far too easy to forget about the animal lives attached to the dishes we eat, and the circumstances they’re farmed in. Simon Amstell’s genius mockumentary Carnage makes this point brilliantly, and with a great deal of comedy — looking through our culture’s evolution over the last few decades, asking us to question when it was that we started taking meat for granted.
To be a modern human is to live in a state of frequent cognitive dissonance. Many of us feel that eating meat is natural. That we exist in a food chain, a cycle of life.
But considering the abhorrent way the meat we eat is produced, and its impact on greenhouse gas emissions — we have to keep exploring the alternates.
It’s sometimes too easy to slip back into old habits — unconsciously buying an abundance of meat in plastic boxes that creeps its way into every meal, stuffing ourselves with animals in a way that our ancestors would never be able to process.
We have a diverse range of people who work for Tusko, and their choices are diverse too. Some people are more comfortable with flexitarian eating — although many of our network enjoyed taking part in Veganuary. They report that eating plant-based for a month has done them good, and given them the inspiration and motivation to eat more plant-based food this year.
Are you a ‘Flexi?’
Veganism gives us an overnight option to make a radical contribution to reducing global emissions, and put our convenience and habits on the line in the name of what’s right.
A balanced approach for eco-conscious consumers who are determined to be omnivorous seems to be eating less meat, and balancing it out spending more on ethically skewed, high quality purchases when they do. We use the website ethicalconsumer.org to investigate our buying choices - although it has to be said, this website often points out the carbon emissions associated with meat and dairy products.
Whatever your choice ultimately is — we need to keep checking in with our values, and assessing the information we’re receiving for ourselves. We have to keep making the effort to rebel against the system, stay informed on climate science, and vote for a sustainable future with our money and our choices.
We wanted to get this article out to say that while the issue may be complex, we salute everyone thinking about their dietary choices for the environment. If you’re part of a social impact business or charity organisation who enjoy pulling apart complex, important issues as much as we do - we’d love to connect. Fire us over an email or follow us social.