Take that, Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan spends the first handful of chapters in The Omnivore's Dilemma describing the havoc the industrial food industry (the meat business in particular) wreaks on the environment and the incredibly cruel treatment the animals in the food industry receive. Despite all of that, he argues that ultimately, animals benefit when we eat them because it ensures their survival as a species.

Anytime Stephen Colbert agrees with you, you know your argument is completely ridiculous.

Animal Welfare and the Food Industry in the New York Times

Ok, first things first. How 'bout those photos on the first page of the article? Nothing cuter than happy pigs.

Kim Severson's article for the NYT on the evolution of animal welfare in the food industry touches on everything from the changes in activists' tactics over the last few decades to the recent foie gras ban in Chicago. Because it's only a three page article on a pretty broad topic, Severson skims over a few details, like the fact that while the demand has increased for humanely raised animal products, animals raised in "free range" or "cage free" environments often live in conditions as appalling as their caged counterparts. The timeline on the left is kinda cool, but also glosses over some important facts.

But she does bring up some interesting and maybe counterintuitive tactics for activists, like investing in the companies they seek to change and then enacting that change from the inside as shareholders. And though she quotes several corporate bigwigs who say activists have had no influence on their corporate policies on animal welfare, they also say that they've created or improved their company's animal welfare policies due to pressure from consumers. And pressure from consumers is often sparked by campaigns by activists.

So, whether you're an activist, a consumer, or somwhere in between--speak up. They're listening.