Good Meat

Eating animals is a very complex issue. Some cultures ban it altogether while a few consume a mostly-meat diet (such as the Inuit). The reasons as to why or why not are many – as deep as spiritual beliefs or as simplistic as resource availability. While most places in the world obtain their meat sources through hunting or raising animals on pasture, the United States and a few other industrialized countries employ “confined animal feeding operations” (CAFOs) – more commonly known as “factory farms”- in which animals such as cows are packed in a high-density confinement. This is done to produce the highest output at the lowest cost. Yet, costs regarding the environment, human health, and animal welfare are practically ignored. Also, while these operations exist to increase profits, there is evidence that they would not be able to operate if it were not for government assistance and subsidies. The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a great report detailing the true costs of factory farming which you can find here. Also, if you want to know more, but don't have as much reading time available, The Sustainable Table has a good outline of this issue here.

Because of the prevalence of factory farming in the United States, I’m practically a vegetarian. The externalized costs of factory farming are too high for me to support, and pasture raised meat isn't always available. Also, since pasture-raised meat isn't nearly as subsidized as large factory farms, the costs tend to be much higher, which makes it out of reach for many. However, as a whole, we eat a much higher proportion of meat than we're meant to. It makes sense to me to reduce meat consumption, spend about the same or even less, and eat meat that not only is more ethically, environmentally, and socially responsible, but healthier and tastier. EatWild.com provides a directory of farms and markets that sell pasture-based meat. Here are a few resources I've found in the Charleston area for pasture-raised meat: Chucktown Chickens for chickens and eggs, Cordray's for beef, and Caw Caw Creek for pork. The farmers market at Marion Square has pasture-raised meat available, and others in the area possibly do too. My attitude is to eat good meat, or no meat at all!