vegan

By Bruce

Right now, the USDA is allowing diseased bird organs to be sold for food, in violation of federal law. Because USDA won't enforce the law, thousands of animals are suffering miserably, and the consumers of these diseased products are at a higher risk for a variety of ailments, including type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. That’s why today, a coalition of animal protection groups that includes Farm Sanctuary, along with pro bono attorneys from Steptoe & Johnson, LLP, filed a lawswuit against the USDA for allowing adulterated poultry — foiegras — into the food supply, in violation of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). Foiegras is the diseased liver of a duck or goose who has been force-fed (twice-per day, every day) for three weeks, causing the animal's liver to become diseased and to enlarge to ten times its normal size. Production of the product is so horribly cruel that it's been banned in a dozen states, and both production and sale will be illegal in California later this year. Our lawsuit is based on the fact that the PPIA dictates that diseased animal organs are supposed to be condemned by USDA inspectors, and foiegras is — by definition — a diseased organ. Thus, USDA should do its job by banning the sale of foiegras nationally. By refusing to do its legal duty, USDA is supporting hideous cruelty to animals and putting human health at risk. Science backs up common sense: Shoving pipes down birds' throat several times a day and pumping them so full of food that their livers become diseased and balloon up is horribly cruel. For example, the European Union's Scientific Committee on Animal Health found that death rates during force feeding skyrocket by 10 to 20 times; imagine any process that causes a population's death rate to be 1000 to 2000 percent greater than normal. Of course, every animal is in misery for the entire horrid ordeal. The birds who don't die suffer from impaired liver function, skeletal disorders, and other serious illnesses. Many become so sick they can barely move. Carcasses show wing fractures and severe tissue damage to the throat muscles. It's this scientific consensus that explain why every reputable animal protection group in the world, including many that do not advocate vegetarianism, condemns foiegras as cruel, from the RSPCA to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to the Humane Society of the United States to (of course) Farm Sanctuary. There is also evidence that foiegras is a health hazard. As we note in our suit, "A recent study published by the National Academy of Sciences links the consumption of force-fed foiegras to the development of secondary amyloidosis, a deadly disease that affects humans... People with chronic inflammatory diseases, including the 2.1 million Americans who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, are at greater risk of developing secondary amyloidosis after eating force-fed foiegras.... Secondary amyloidosis is not the only disease these consumers may contract after eating force-fed foiegras. The protein deposits that support secondary amyloidosis may also encourage the development of other amyloid-associated disorders includingAlzheimer's disease or type II diabetes." Read about Harper, Kohl, and Burton, three survivors of the foie gras industry. At Farm Sanctuary, we spend our lives with farm animals, and we know them as individuals. Ducks and geese have — like all birds — unique personalities, interests, and the same range of capacities of any dog or cat. For the same reason we wouldn't induce liver disease in dogs and cats, slice the animals' throats open, and then eat their diseased organs — we shouldn't treat any animal so horribly. In the case of foiegras, this cruelty is also jeopardizing human health — and it's illegal. It's time for USDA to do its job by condemning this cruel and hazardous product.

By Bruce

Almost everyone opposes cruelty to animals. In fact, 97 percent of Americans (according to Gallup) say that animals should be protected from harm, and encouragingly, a poll by Ohio State researchers found that 92 percent want farm animals to be treated well. It’s hard to imagine any topic with more bipartisan support than the humane treatment of animals.

But if you’ve been paying attention, you know that the will of the American people on humane treatment is not in alignment with reality; the most recent evidence comes courtesy of Mercy for Animals and Brian Ross’ investigative team at ABC News, which exposed a large egg operation that supplied McDonald’s and other big corporations. MFA’s investigators documented dead and decomposing hen carcasses in cages with live hens, workers gratuitously abusing animals in myriad ways, and (of course) the standard abuses of modern poultry farming (e.g., burning off beaks without pain relief and cramming 5 hens into tiny wire cages, where they spend their entire lives).

This was just one more in a long line of investigations by animal protection organizations; every year, we see 3-4 of these investigations, and sadly, every investigation finds new and horrific abuses—abuses that shock the conscience of all kind people.

Responsible industries would meet this stream of horrid undercover investigations with a serious commitment to change their behavior; they would promulgate strong regulations to protect animals and implement “no tolerance” policies for (at least) the sadistic abuse. And they would, as Dr. Temple Grandin has suggested, put video cameras onto their factory farms and into their slaughterhouses to monitor animal treatment. They would hire independent inspectors to review the video and make sure that there was no gratuitous abuse.

Sadly, the industry does not believe that the customer is always right. Instead, the industry’s guiding philosophy appears to be “what the public doesn’t know won’t hurt us.” So in response to investigations that document abuse, the industry is not trying to stop the abuse; instead, it’s trying to stop the investigations by proposing laws that would make it illegal to investigate factory farms and slaughterhouses.

You read that right: Last year, meat and egg factory farms pushed these “whistleblower suppression” (aka: “Ag Gag”) bills that criminalize taking photos of factory farms without owner permission in four states (Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and New York) and it looks like they’ll be coming back in all four of these states, and maybe more.

Another high-profile investigation makes clear why these bills are counter-productive to the good of the American people: In 2008, the Humane Society of the United States investigated a dairy cow slaughter plant that had passed all of its USDA inspections going back years and in fact had won USDA’s “supplier of the year” award. Their investigation uncovered horrid cruelty to animals and unsafe meat that led to the recall of 143 million pounds of potentially dangerous meat, much of which was destined for our nation’s schools. If California had one of these whistleblower suppression bills, HSUS’s investigators could have been prosecuted; of course the much more likely scenario is that the investigation would not have happened, and children would have eaten those potentially lethal burgers.

So these whistleblower suppression laws would (if enacted) literally make it a crime to save human beings from dying from contaminated meat, and would also criminalize video investigations that led to employer indictments for worker safety violations, violations of civil rights and sexual harassment laws, and any other potentially illegal activity of a corporation. These are the sorts of investigations that companies and the government should be doing, but if they won’t, the last thing we want to do is criminalize charities for doing them.

At Farm Sanctuary, we provide sanctuary for farm animals who have escaped the factory farming system, and we know these animals as individuals. For the same reason we would never eat cats and dogs, we also would never eat chickens, pigs, or any animals—they are individuals.

However, we also fight for an end to the worst abuses, and that’s where whistleblower protection and the need to legitimately criticize the worst abuses in animal agriculture come in. If your company is so afraid of being “exposed” that you feel the need to criminalize taking pictures of your work, perhaps it’s time to make changes so that you are engaged in work you can be proud of.

There is a coalition of groups opposing these bills—from the Government Accountability Project and Center for Science in the Public Interest to the Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, and Farm Sanctuary.

Want to keep up with these bills as they’re proposed and help the coalition? Sign up for Farm Sanctuary’s email list.

 

By Gene

We grow up bombarded with the false idea that consuming meat is necessary to promote strength and athletic endurance, but there are more and more vegan athletes proving that we can perform exceptionally well eating a plant-based diet. Some have even commented that they heal faster and feel better after cutting meat, eggs, and dairy from their diet. I wanted to personally demonstrate how well vegan food supports athletic feats, so I signed up to run my first marathon, which was completed just this past weekend on St. Patrick’s Day in Washington, DC.

While training for the marathon, I completed two 20-mile runs but had never run a full 26 miles, so I was a bit anxious and concerned as race day approached. I‘d heard for years about “hitting the wall,” that point when your body runs out of energy after running 20-plus miles. I hoped I would I have the mental toughness to continue running through that pain.

The week before the marathon, I consumed lots of nutrient-dense green smoothies (which I make with bananas, blueberries, flax meal, kale, spinach, and nondairy milk), along with other healthy plant foods. I wanted to store as much energy in my body as possible to get me through the race. I checked the weather forecast, and the temperature on the day of the race was projected to be in the 70s, which is very warm for March. With warm temperatures, I would need to stay properly hydrated for the 26.2-mile course.

On race day, I had a breakfast of oatmeal, nuts, and bananas, then rode a very crowded metro to the race location. Packed in tightly with other travelers on the train, I was reminded of how farm animals are crowded on factory farms and in transportation trailers.

When the marathon started, I settled in with the 3:30-pace group, hoping I would be able to maintain that pace over the 26-mile course. I guessed that I would finish the race in somewhere between three-and-a-half and four hours and didn’t want to push myself too hard too soon. I was warned by several marathon veterans that running too fast during the first part of the race causes runners to break down during the last five or six miles.

We ran along the national mall and wound our way through the streets of our nation’s capital with well-wishers and musical performers cheering along the way. I felt comfortable keeping up with the 3:30-pace group for most of the race, stopping to drink at every water and Gatorade station to stay hydrated. Then, around mile 18, I decided to speed up, hoping I could finish the race strong. During the last eight miles of the race, I had moments when my legs felt heavy and my joints ached, but I kept going. I remembered my training and the nutrient-rich foods fueling my body, and I also took heart from the vegan organization I was representing. As I approached the finish line wearing my Farm Sanctuary t-shirt, I sprinted and completed the race with a respectable time of 3:28:03. On Sunday, I learned that time qualified me for the Boston Marathon!

As numerous runners have expressed over the years, finishing a marathon is a very satisfying accomplishment. It can be even sweeter and more satisfying when a cause that is bigger than oneself provides the inspiration. For me, that cause is going the distance for farm animals and joining an ever-growing group of athletes who are thriving on a vegan diet. I’m already eager to get running again!

By Bruce Friedrich The past few months have been deeply encouraging for Americans who care about the worst abuses of farm animals, as legislation has been introduced that would—once and for all—relegate the barren battery cage to the dust bin of history and the two most well-known pork producers have pledged to stop using gestation crates by 2017.

Battery Cages Battery cages (aka “conventional cages”) are tiny cages that confine five hens per cage, with more than 100,000 hens in a shed. In these tiny cages, the animals can’t spread a single wing or do anything else that is natural to them (well, beyond breathing). Their muscles and bones waste away and the animals go insane from stress and boredom. Right now, roughly 95 percent of the nation’s 250 million hens are suffering in these tiny torture devices.

Thanks to undercover investigation after undercover investigation of battery cages by the animal rights group Mercy for Animals—most recently just a few months back in Minnesota, Iowa, and Colorado—Americans are learning just how horribly cruel these cages are. And thanks to that knowledge, citizens in the state of California voted to ban them, by the widest margin in California ballot initiative history.

The egg industry saw the writing on the wall, and is now supporting legislation that will phase out barren cages over 18 years. Obviously that’s an unfortunate timeframe, but it’s a lot better than never, and the legislation will almost immediately improve conditions for tens of millions of hens (by giving them 40 percent more space and banning starvation-induced molting) and will require labels on cartons within a year—provisions that would warrant support for the legislation even without the cage ban. Gestation Crates A gestation crate is a tiny stall that is roughly the size of a pregnant pig’s body; roughly 85 percent of pregnant pigs live almost their entire lives crammed into these hideous devices, where—just like battery cages—the animals’ muscles and bones waste away, their bodies develop sores from laying in their own ammonia-laden waste, and these very intelligent animals go insane from stress and boredom.

Although federal legislation is not yet possible to ban gestation crates, corporations are taking notice. Thanks to undercover investigations by the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, combined with successful efforts at the state level—where Florida, Arizona, and California have banned the crates in landslide votes—the nation’s two most well-known pork companies, Hormel and Smithfield, have pledged to get rid of the crates by 2017.

Conclusion At Farm Sanctuary, we spend our lives with farm animals, and we know them as individuals. For the same reason I wouldn’t eat my cats, I wouldn’t eat a chicken, pig, or any animal. I know that other animals are individuals, with needs and emotions and the full range of emotion and cognition. There really is no difference between eating a cat or a chicken, a pig or a dog. As Jane Goodall explains, “farm animals feel pleasure and sadness, excitement and resentment, depression, fear, and pain. They are far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined . . . they are individuals in their own right.”

But like 92 percent of Americans, I also support improved treatment for farm animals, and at the very least, that means an end to confinement systems like gestation crates and battery cages that are horrible for animals, both physiologically and psychologically.

This is where you come in: These horrid industries are listening, but there is still opposition. If you want to see an end to battery cages, sign up for email alerts at FarmSanctuary.org; we’ll keep you updated on all the latest efforts to relegate these horrid devices to the dustbin of history where they belong.

This is all you saw at first, or maybe this is all that your mind could take in at one time -- not a whole picture, but manageable bits and fragments. You saw a large, white shape lumped by the side of the road. You saw an angular jumble of legs, knees, knuckles, elbows, hooves and ribs. You saw a broken, emaciated body whose breathing was so shallow as to be virtually indistinguishable from the

By Gene Late last month, hundreds of activists, academics, farmers, and business and nonprofit leaders met near Washington, DC. for the first-ever National Conference to End Factory Farming. There, they examined the personal and community health threats, environmental destruction, and animal suffering caused by industrial animal production. Presenters and attendees also ardently discussed solutions to these issues, building on momentum from around the country that has led more and more people to seek a healthier, more just and sustainable food production system. The vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and omnivores in attendance came bearing different philosophies but the same goal: to end factory farming. I am a long-time advocate of vegan living who is confronted by the fact that animals will likely be exploited for human food for some time to come. I realize that, as we work for a more complete solution to animal agriculture, it is also important to lessen animals’ suffering and to mitigate the environmental and human health costs associated with industrialized animal production. Factory farming is entrenched and ubiquitous; most consumers unwittingly support it. Challenging agribusiness, whether through incremental reforms or through a more fundamental approach, shines a light on this system’s many abuses, making it more accountable before the public. Educating the public is also important. Our government should stop supporting and subsidizing the industrialized production and mass distribution of meat, milk and eggs, and consumers need to become more enlightened about these food choices. Citizens can engage more with the political process by reaching out to our elected representatives. When we do so in increasing numbers, it will become more difficult and expensive for the factory farming industry to continue behaving so irresponsibly. We also need to shift toward valuing healthier meals and kindhearted traditions, eating more plant foods and fewer animal foods. This personal shift alone could help eliminate as much as 70 to 80 percent of our health care costs, by some estimates, while preventing untold animal suffering and environmental harm. When consumers vote with our dollars (and sense), buying healthy, whole plant foods grown by responsible farmers, agribusiness will make adjustments to meet market demands. Ending factory farming will continue to require that individuals and organizations with aligned interests seek common ground and work together in a collegial environment, as we began to do at last month’s conference. Whether among rural or urban, vegan or non-vegan, collaboration will bring contrasting opinions and perspectives to bear on the issues. Our differences are minor in comparison to our similarities, and should not distract us from achieving a common goal: To end factory farming.

By Gene In her book, “Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows,” social scientist Dr. Melanie Joy introduces us to a very important idea, a social construct, which she calls carnism. Carnism is a belief system that supports the idea that it is normal, natural, and necessary for human beings to consume the flesh of other animals. By naming and defining carnism, which has been both invisible and ubiquitous in our culture, Joy makes a significant and timely contribution to the efforts of animal rights and vegan advocates, and to our society at large. In carnistic societies, eating animals is taken as a given, a necessary part of who we are. As Joy points out, however, it is actually something people choose to do (though they are unaware that they are even making a choice). Eating animals is an option, not a requirement, and it comes with serious ethical implications. Exploiting and killing animals for food is inherently violent and inconsistent with our natural empathic tendencies, so we have developed social and psychological mechanisms to maintain our meat-eating habit. We have become largely disconnected from the painful reality of exploitation and slaughter, keeping it out of sight and out of mind. In the rare instances when we are forced to confront our subjection of billions of animals each year to unnecessary suffering, we fall back on the human brain’s great capacity for rationalization. We have come up with good reasons to do bad things for thousands of years. The techniques we use to excuse the eating of meat are the same we have used to justify other violent institutions and prejudices throughout human history. In discussions about food, vegan advocates often find ourselves defending our choice not to consume animal products, as though that decision is an aberration we need to explain. A discussion of carnism, however, emphasizes that the habit of animal consumption is itself a social construct. Reframing the meat-eating debate in this way is akin to shifting from focusing on “feminists” or “civil rights activists” to discussing sexist or racist institutions and the social systems that bolster them. As with sexism and racism, carnism is an ideology that supports violence and injustice. Humans are social animals, and we learn behaviors, including how and whom we eat, from those around us. In carnistic societies, members unwittingly support businesses that engage in systemic cruelties and conspire to look the other way. But humans are also hardwired to feel empathy. The concept of carnism is a useful tool to understand and deconstruct a dominant institution that stifles our innate compassionate impulses.

Back in my pre-vegan days, I loved cheese. On any given day, there would be a wedge of cheese in the refrigerator- a creamy reblochon or a sharp shropshire blue or a simple piece of edam or soft-spreadable Alouette. Once I gained the full knowledge of the horrors & cruelty & pure heartbreak of dairy production, no piece of dairy cheese could ever taste delicious again. Of course, there are amazing vegan substitutes for cheese like Daiya nowadays, but sometimes I crave a little wedge... So what's a former cheese-lover to do? The answer is pretty damn simple. Make your own fabulous cultured nut cheeze! Guess this was always somewhere on my to-do list, along with making vegan kimchi and once I conquered that I was on the fast-track to fermentation. And once my Vita-Mix arrived, I had the tools to make my own glorious vegan cheeze. I found some adapted recipes from The Sunny Raw Kitchen and voilà! Here they are just flavored: Peppercorn & himalayan sea salt being molded: I varied the recipes a bit with extra probiotics instead of rejuvelac, but definitely want to try that next time. These were all cashew nut based- one with peppercorn, the paprika one based more on an Alouette flavoring with added white wine and one herb flavored. They fermented in a warm spot above the 'fridge for about 16hours and then the real fun begins- adding all the yummy flavors. The hardest part of all- was waiting for the cheeze to really firm up in the 'fridge. Had to wait about three weeks, though they were definitely ready for snacking in about two days as a soft spread...The beauty of fermented food is the pungent taste but also added health bonus of probiotics. I have all kinds of nutty cheezy plans dancing through my head...apparently cashew based will always be softer, plan on experimenting with pecans soon! Finished product three weeks later: Do yourself a favor and make some cultured nut cheeze now!

By Gene When Hurricane Irene threatened the East Coast of the U.S. in August, residents scrambled to prepare for its destruction. Though the storm left damage in its wake, including the deaths of 16,000 chickens who drowned at a Delaware farm and the loss of dozens of dairy cows who died in New York and Vermont, losses were less than expected. That was good news not only for people but also for animals – including farm animals, whose suffering and deaths during disasters are typically ignored by the media. When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, farm animals were the hurricane’s largest population of victims. More than six million farm animals, mainly chickens, perished in that disaster. The few news stories that addressed this massive loss of life focused mostly on the marketplace and what the industry would consider “insignificant” financial losses that resulted from the storm. The animals – except for the thousand or so rescued by animal protection groups, including 700 chickens who came to live at Farm Sanctuary – were seen largely as economic units, not as feeling creatures. It is tragic that so many animals died and shameful that their deaths went unnoticed by the public. Natural disasters force us to confront our own vulnerability. When disasters approach, some areas may be evacuated, but all of us are at nature’s mercy. Imagine what it’s like for farm animals, who are constantly at our mercy. Hurricane Irene’s fury diminished as she came ashore, but the brutality of the factory farming system grinds on unrelentingly. The animals are under our control from conception to consumption, never to be reprieved. Natural disasters strike from time to time, yet manmade disasters continue daily. These are the disasters we can prevent. We can choose to boycott the products of factory farming and to purchase plant foods instead. Hurricane Irene reminded us of how helpless we humans sometimes are, but we must also remember how powerful even our smallest choices can be.

Can't believe it's September already- summer has just flown by & fall is sweeping in, it's either been really busy or I'm having way too much fun or both? We didn't go anywhere- just out to the beach a few times, but we did have one especially fun experience.... One summer weekend, we were invited out to Southampton by some dear friends, who just happen to be way fancy...they rented a small house for the season and by "small", I mean small for them which is six bedrooms (Universe, if you are listening- I would be happy with a one or two bedroom bungalow by the beach)...anyway, we were looking forward to a fab few days! It happened to be the hottest weekend ever in NYC & we were just happy to be out of the concrete jungle and in the lushness of the Hamptons. The icing on the cake? Quality time with our friends and well, them having a personal chef definitely did not suck. Chef never cooked vegan before, but she's a pro & as she put it- cooking vegan was no problem! Here's a quick show & tell: Friday night dinner: a most delectable watermelon avocado salad and yes, it was delectable, delicious, delicate & perfect...  Here's where we spent most of our time- lounging, eating & drinking by the pool- well we also got a great beach day in, but forgot to grab some pics... Here's where Chef prepared our meals- this was mushroom risotto in the making: Am not a big fan of zucchini or summer squash, but this raw dish with meyer lemon dressing was quite edible! Buffet style & ready to eat- the vegan risotto was incredibly delicious. The pups know exactly where to dry off after a swim in the pool! Earlier in the day, we went into town for lunch- which was an unmemorable salad for me, but then I found an Organic Avenue - hurray! Got some Hail Merry raw chocolate almond butter tarts- tasty. There was a lot more shopping & then back to the house.... Table dressed for a Sunday get-together: Ready to feast! Assortment of sauteed mushrooms My plate consisted of: amazingly roasted/charred corn on cob- sans butter, portobello burger, beet salad, quinoa salad & more roasted veggies- YUM! Monday's light breakfast- watermelon, pineapple, canteloupe & mint: Chef built a yummy tower of leftovers for lunch: We had taken the train out & our friends offered to bring us back to NYC- I just assumed that we would drive...silly rabbit, why drive for three hrs and that's not counting traffic when you have your own helicopter that can get you back to NYC in thirty minutes? It was quite cinematic...just a lone spot along the road with helicopter waiting. As cool as the whole production was, I was simply unimpressed because I was just plain scared! Yep, never been in a helicopter & have retained all the random helicopter crash stories heard over the years for an occasion such as this...there were six of us altogether including three schnauzers. Everyone engaged in conversation except me...frozen in fear & breaking into a cold sweat. I was also super nauseated- combination of fear & the giant headset/noise buffers trapping heat. Tried to stay calm and after what felt like forever, I calmed down a teeny bit... The views got more amazing as we got closer to NYC... And here's our little ole Long Island City- we were able to kind of spot our building... And pulling in to land at the 34th Street helipad... We watched pilot & helicopter head back out as we waited for the ferry to take us home straight across the East River. The weekend was definitely relaxing, but it was also nice to get back to the furry kids in our little abode.... I know they felt us fly by in the helicopter...and they were probably by the window...  Hope everyone had a great summer!

By Gene Over the course of Farm Sanctuary’s 25 year history, we have organized an annual Walk for Farm Animals. It has been a cornerstone event, mobilizing citizens and raising awareness and funding for our vital work. This year, we are ramping up the effort, and it’s going to be the largest Walk for Farm Animals effort to date. Between September 10 and November 6, thousands of concerned citizens will join together in communities across the United States. There will be Walk for Farm Animals events in dozens of cities, from New York to California, and there is also a virtual event called the “Sleep In for Farm Animals” for those unable to attend a Walk event in person. The Walk for Farm Animals provides a great opportunity to engage your family, friends and others in discussions about a critically relevant but often ignored topic: the largely hidden suffering of more than nine billion farm animals in the U.S. (that number doesn’t even include fish, who now make up the vast majority of animals killed for their flesh in the U.S.). Numerous public opinion polls have shown that citizens overwhelmingly believe that farm animals, like all animals, deserve to be protected from cruelty. But inhumane practices have become common on today’s factory farms, and most citizens unwittingly support them by consuming meat, milk and eggs. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Walk for Farm Animals invites people to think about farm animals, raises awareness about who these animals are, and urges people to explore the profound consequences of our food choices. Ultimately, the Walk for Farm Animals, like other Farm Sanctuary activities, encourages us to live by our better natures. It is inspiring and empowering to join with like-minded people for a common cause. I am looking forward to participating in several walks around the country, and I hope you will get involved too. Register today at walkforfarmanimals.org.

By Gene Like most people in the United States, I grew up eating meat, milk and eggs, and believing that it was healthy to do so. I didn’t make a conscious choice to eat animal foods – I just adopted the habit from my parents and from everyone else around me without thinking very much about it. Had I been exposed to the benefits of plant-based eating earlier, I certainly would have consumed far fewer animal products. I don’t begrudge my parents for raising and feeding me the way they did. They believed these foods where good for my siblings and me. They believed, as many parents still do, that meat, milk, and eggs are a necessary part of the human diet. In her excellent book, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, Melanie Joy describes a social construction she calls “carnism,” whereby the consumption of animal flesh and the violence of animal exploitation and slaughter are normalized and institutionalized. These habits and beliefs begin to take hold when we are children. Thankfully, there are resources and a number of youth programs now available to teach children critical thinking skills and the benefits of eating plants instead of animals. I recently had the opportunity to visit Terra Summer, a camp for kids between the ages of 11 and 14 where food is used to teach math, history, geography, and other topics. The vegetarian camp introduces young people to the benefits of plant-based eating and also teaches cooking and food preparation skills. The day I visited, the students created five different kinds of veggie burgers. All were delicious! It was wonderful to see this generation learning about the importance of conscientious eating and the profound impact of our food choices. Our individual and collective wellbeing, as well as the future of other animals and our planet, are directly influenced by what we eat and how it is produced.

By Gene Earlier this month, in an historic compromise between the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) and the United Egg Producers (UEP), citizens’ initiatives in the states of Washington and Oregon were put on hold in exchange for a commitment from UEP to work jointly with HSUS in support of a federal law to prohibit the cruel confinement of egg laying hens in barren battery cages. Although the UEP has defended battery cages for years, asserting that they promote animal welfare and food safety, the trade organization has come to recognize that the use of these cages is outside the bounds of acceptable conduct in our society. The vast majority of citizens believe that farm animals deserve to be treated with respect, and they oppose commonly employed factory farming practices. With the UEP agreement, the egg industry has joined the pork industry and the veal industry, which have announced plans to phase out gestation crates and veal crates, respectively. Farm Sanctuary and our colleagues have exposed and challenged these inhumane confinement systems for decades, and we’re finally seeing progress, especially over the past ten years. The UEP agreement is particularly important in that it calls for federal legislation. This will be the first nationwide law to address the welfare of animals on farms, and it could lead to other federal legislation addressing farmed animal welfare in the future, a possibility that has other industry groups concerned. The UEP/HSUS agreement goes beyond just cage size and conformation. It will also require that eggs be labeled according to how the hens who laid them are housed, which will remind consumers that their eggs come from real, living animals and will help increase awareness about the consequences of their food choices. Everybody, except proponents of the factory farming industry, benefits when citizens make more informed and conscientious food choices, opting for foods that are more healthful, humane and environmentally sustainable. Change occurs through the adoption of new laws and policies, like the HSUS/UEP agreement, and through consumer choices, which collectively define market trends. On both fronts, we are beginning to see positive signs. Still, there is an awful long way to go, and it is absolutely crucial that we keep pushing for improvements. Stay tuned to help enact the HSUS/UEP measure in Washington, DC, in the near future. In the meantime, you can vote with your dollars every day by choosing to eat plant foods instead of animal foods.

By guest blogger Bruce Friedrich, senior director for strategic initiatives at Farm Sanctuary

On July 7, while most of the United States baked in the summer heat, it was a great day for snowballs in Hell. The United Egg Producers, the trade group of the most abusive of farmed animal industries, agreed to support federal legislation that will, upon enactment, improve the welfare of all laying hens in the nation.

Until now, the UEP supported industry practices that make existence a living hell for chickens. It was a proponent of battery cages, wire confinement structures so small that, for the five to ten hens crammed in each, the expression of natural behavior is reduced to little more than breathing and defecating. In these torture chambers, hens are unable to spread even one wing.

Even worse, roughly 50 million hens are crammed into these cages with only 48 square inches per bird. They are literally living on top of one another. Additionally, tens of millions are starved for 2-week periods to shock their bodies into an extra laying cycle.

Practices previously supported by the UEP are so loathsome that a state ballot initiative to ban them passed in California with the most "yes" votes in the state’s ballot initiative history. Similar initiatives were poised for passage in Washington State and Oregon over the next couple years, until the UEP relented.

Extraordinary work by Farm Sanctuary and Humane Society of the United States activists in California, Ohio, Washington, and Oregon has brought the UEP to the table: Even the egg producers can see the writing on the wall, which foretells the end of battery cages. They have agreed to aggressively support legislation that will lessen suffering for hundreds of millions of animals every single year.

The legislation supported by the UEP will: 1) require the eventual nationwide elimination of battery cages; 2) require environmental enrichment that will allow all laying hens to engage in important natural behaviors; 3) mandate labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the method used to produce the eggs; 4) prohibit forced molting through starvation; 5) prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhouses -- a problem common in the industry and harmful to both hens and workers; 6) require standards for euthanasia practices; and 7) prohibit the sale of all eggs and egg products nationwide that don't meet these requirements.

This bill, if enacted, will be the first federal law relating to the treatment of chickens used for food, the first federal law relating to the treatment of animals while on farms, and the first federal law improving the treatment of farmed animals in more than 30 years. You can rest assured that Farm Sanctuary will vigorously push for the passage of this legislation.

Some of the requirements, including the total phase out of battery cages, will take years. But some of the provisions, such as those relating to molting, ammonia, and euthanasia,will be implemented almost immediately after enactment, substantially reducing the suffering of hens. Furthermore, while our efforts so far have helped tens of millions of birds annually, this legislation will help 250 million every year within a few years and will eventually remove all U.S. hens from battery cages forever.

At Farm Sanctuary, we share our lives with hens, and we know them as individuals. We will continue to teach consumers that all egg consumption supports cruelty. The idea of confining hens in any cages, including the enriched colony cages (12-foot by 4-foot cages with perches, dust bathing areas, and other forms of enrichment) that will replace tiny battery cages, is unacceptable to us.

Nonetheless, this deal represents a victory for farmed animals. We are proud of our significant part in making it happen, and we salute the hard work of animal protection advocates nationwide who worked so hard on behalf of our nation's hens.

By Gene The agents of modern animal agriculture have a talent for obfuscation. The miseries of confined animals are hidden within dim barracks and their brutal deaths behind the blank walls of slaughterhouses. Cheerful packaging and advertisements, bucolic brand names, and labels such as “organic,” “natural” and “humane” obscure the grim, mechanical and perverse methods of an industry that runs on the exploitation of sentient creatures. When activists attempt to reveal these practices to the public through documentation, the industry defends its secrecy by seeking to criminalize such revelations (see our action alert on the country’s latest “ag-gag” bill). And when the use of its harshest instruments is threatened by the prospect of legislative reform, the industry does its best to confound that progress by muddling prospective laws. Factory farming interests are at it again in Oregon and Washington, where coalitions of animal welfare, food safety and environmental groups, along with concerned citizens, are now grappling against entrenched industry powers over the fate of the two states’ nearly 8.5 million egg-laying hens. In an April Making Hay post, I told you about our efforts to give the voters of Washington and Oregon a say over the treatment of hens in their states. In both cases, producers have responded by exerting their influence over the legislative process. In Washington, agribusiness lobbied for SB 5487, which was signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on May 11. This measure extends illusory reform while codifying inhumane practices by requiring that egg-laying hen operations meet the certification standards of the United Egg Producers, an industry group that promotes intensive confinement. The new measure mandates a very minor increase in cage size and allows producers until 2026 to comply with even that meager change. Meanwhile in Oregon, S.B. 805, which at the beginning of the current session promised real reform, has been crippled by amendment after amendment. Now it too promises to provide a veneer of legitimacy while allowing rank mistreatment to continue, barely altered, beneath it. This manipulation is an affront not only to those concerned with animal welfare but also to those concerned with the integrity of our legislative process. I am heartened to see coalitions in Washington and Oregon coming together to challenge the factory farming industry through citizens’ initiatives. Volunteers are hard at work collecting the signatures needed to put battery cage bans on Washington’s November 2011 ballot and Oregon’s November 2012 ballot. Throughout the country, our efforts to expose and outlaw factory farming cruelty, and to increase public awareness of farm animal welfare, are meeting with success. This has goaded the industry to bolster the walls of its factories against efforts to ease the suffering of those within. In the scales of agribusiness logic, an inch or two of floor space in a metal cage weighs more than the pain of the bird who stands on it. But we know how valuable the life of that bird is. We know that each hen matters. And we know that each volunteer and each signature matters. This is a crucial moment. As the industry musters itself to resist our progress, we need the weight of every compassionate voice to urge our momentum forward. Right now, Farm Sanctuary volunteers are on the ground in Washington, gathering thousands of signatures across the state, and we are sending even more activists starting next week. Please learn more about how you can help in Washington and Oregon and join us in this important work.

By Gene Could the 1977 VW van that carried Hilda (our first rescued animal) to safety and played a pivotal role in the creation of Farm Sanctuary make it across the U.S. after sitting idle for more than 15 years? That was a question on many people’s minds as we prepared for the Just Eats Tour, a cross country trip to explore vegan America that depended on our old van to bring us from New York to California.

The Just Eats Tour started in New York City, where we visited incredible vegan eateries, attended Farm Sanctuary’s 25th Anniversary Gala, and participated in the Veggie Pride Parade. We left the Big Apple on a rainy evening and headed toward Wilmington, DE. As we drove along the bumpy, potholed roads of New York and New Jersey, a projectile blew a hole in our driver’s side headlight and sent a chrome ring around the light flying. It was our first day on the road, we had more than 5,000 miles to go, and we already had a vehicular mishap. Would the old van make it?

Thankfully, the van kept rolling, even though it lost a few parts here and there. We also had to replace three tires. One blew out going 70 miles per hour on a hot Texas highway - it exploded, bending metal, dislodging our battery, and knocking out the tail lights. Although we were delayed, we continued on, and happily, after three weeks on the road, the van pulled into Orland, CA, in time for Farm Sanctuary’s annual Hoe Down. It was a beautiful event and the perfect conclusion to our cross -country exploration.

Besides the dependability of our old VW van, we were taken by the remarkable passion and diversity of America’s vegan food movement. We found vegans in urban and rural areas, representing all shapes and sizes, ethnicities and lifestyles. We met entrepreneurs, authors, academics, and spiritual and business leaders. We spoke with people who have been vegan for decades and others who just recently decided to forego animal products. And we also met second and third generations of vegans. The vegan movement is bringing people of different ages and various backgrounds together around common interests.

Restaurants are catching on, experimenting with vegan dishes and reporting strong demand. They have been impressed by how enthusiastic and appreciative vegan customers are to see plant-based options. The vegan community is helping these businesses to make plant foods more widely available, providing menu suggestions, product recommendations, and even recipes and food preparation tips.  And with more vegan options available, omnivores are increasingly choosing them. Everywhere we went across the U.S., we saw that the vegan movement is vibrant and growing!

A little over a week ago the NYC vegan community got to experience the pop-up restaurant trend. A pop-up restaurant is a temporary restaurant, great for young chefs starting out or even notable chefs who might want to test out an idea with less financial risk. Wildflower, NYC's first vegan pop-up was created by Ayinde Howell , with the help of donations large & small of many many other supportive people such as yours truly who contributed via Kickstarter. It was wonderful to see Wildflower come to fruition! And indeed it did, starting the evening of June 10th & serving brunch & dinner thru the 12th. The setting was LTO- Limited Time Only, which is the former space of Broadway East where I had a birthday dinner many many moons ago! I had sampled Ayinde's food last year at a Gracious Gourmand dinner event. So I gathered up my friend, Elizabeth & new friend, Kera and it was vegan girls' night out for Wildflower's Sunday Vegan Street Food Menu.  Here was the menu: And here's the location: One of my favorites of the evening: the biscuit slider duo- we all agreed that the biscuits were divine, vegan or not, best biscuits ever. And the burger was really yummy- we couldn't believe that it was all tofu. I've eaten a lot of tofu & I have NEVER had it taste so burger like, the BBQ burger was delish...the Jamaican burger was a tad spicy for me & I like me some spice... Next up, the seitan street meat on a stick- now I've had this before at the Gracious Gourmand dinner where it was absolutely delectable....here, not so much, the texture was a little strange & just tasted oily & strangely bland. This little Pineapple Pizza Slider was yummy for sure! And this simple Nacho dish, blew me away- a modified Daiya creamy cheese sauce with smokey quinoa & olives. OMG, so good & the very idea of combining smokey quinoa with nachos was absolute brilliance. And the one dish that I was looking forward to- the tacos! We were presented with two Korean seitan tacos, not sure what happened to the beer-battered tempeh which sounded amazing...but sadly the Korean tacos were way too salty. The yummy Korean, spicy sesame oil flavor was definitely there, but was oversalted which was really disappointing because they would have been so delicious. Also thought there might be more add-ons on the taco like kimchi or cilantro & salsa variation, that might have cut the saltiness. I'm never one to pass on a taco, but I couldn't finish these....I was very sad. The Churros with Hot Chocolate never appeared, so not sure if that was crossed off the menu or just never made it to our table...Our meal ended with a Belgian Beer Float - I'm not big on beer at all, but my companions found it interesting & tasty.

I love Italy. I have been to Italy so often, one would have thought that I had Italian roots (far from it, I'm of Asian descent)...I fell in love with the country & it's language. For years, it was a nonstop love affair with Italy from Bellagio & Lake Como to Venice, Florence & Naples. I came back from my first visit & attempted to learn Italian. There was the year that I decided to travel to Ravenna and planned on coming back with a new career as a mosaic artist (still love mosaics, but hate the craft). That was also the year, I studied Italian for two weeks in Siena and still only speak rudimentary Italian enough to get by. There was the time some friends & I rented a seriously haunted villa in Lucca- ghostly piano playing at night & traversing the Tuscan countryside by day....And the time that flights to Rome were so cheap, I convinced my dad to pull my sister out of school so that I could take her...I am years overdue for a trip back to Italy. In the meantime, I make due & peruse old pictures and of course, head to Eataly- the mega-market/eatery Italian food mecca.... This pic is of Assisi: As one can see from the sign- Italy is Eataly... This place is filled with gorgeous produce... And even a Vegetable Butcher- for the New Yorker who couldn't possibly prep their own veggies.... Bottled Italian water con gas & senza gas & soda galore... An Italian dessert bar... Aisles filled with Italian torrone candy (no vegan, but I used to love this stuff).... Jars of jams & preserved fruits... Walls of Italian candy in super cute packaging.... Fresh pasta.... Dried pasta for miles... Pesto & tapenade for days... Freshly baked bread.... And even a restaurant where they only serve vegetables! (they also have other separately sectioned restaurants for pizza, seafood, meat, etc) Haven't eaten there yet, but there are a few vegan options.... Eataly is 50,000 square feet & stuffed with people & products & sights & smells- most of them not vegan sadly...like the giant ham hocks that hang in the wine & cheese eatery or the live lobster tank in the seafood restaurant...boo, but will be back to check out the veggies for sure. This was my small stash takeaway- it can be quite overwhelming doing any shopping there- picked up some pasta, Balsamic, chocolate, candy, olives & some antipasti. The olives were cured with citrus & basil & just tasted bright & yummy: Sundried tomatoes, artichokes & capers: And my American-Italian Fcat made the most delicious sauteed garlic with fried, crispy basil- so amazing on crusty bread: And this was Fcat's Italian masterpiece- the best Italian food is simple & fresh, but big on flavor and this definitely delivered on all. This simple little plate of pasta was simply amazing. Fcat veganized this recipe here which is adapted from Scott Conant of NYC's Scarpetta. Viva Italia!

Have been a busy bee as usual and am a tad late on the Farm Sanctuary Gala update! Two Saturdays ago, I attended the best birthday party ever!!!! Farm Sanctuary turned 25! This amazing non-profit organization has been working hard to rescue & protect farmed animals for twenty-five years strong & growing. Farm Sanctuary has campaigned to educate on the horrors of factory farming, and importantly, they work to push legislation to protect & alleviate the suffering of factory farmed animals. Farm Sanctuary is also a haven for lucky rescues- happy, sweet pigs, cows & goats that get to live out their natural lives running around, playing, cuddling- go visit Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY or in Orland, CA. This is an organization dear to my heart & I was so thrilled to be at Cipriani Wall Street to celebrate their hard work. Here's my hero & hero for the animals, Gene Bauer, looking so dapper in his tuxedo! Gene started Farm Sanctuary by selling veggie hot dogs out of the back of his VW van. That VW van! It's been refurbished & ready to take Gene on his Just Eats Cross-Country Tour to explore vegan American eats & to celebrate Farm Sanctuary's 25 years. Yes indeed, bet the folks at Cipriani have never had a VW van highlight the entrance to their grand space. There were vegan pigs-in-blankets served along the red carpet entrance... And little pig ice sculpture graced the VIP cocktail area: Just to give a sense of how grand the space is, take a peek at the ceiling: The lovely Ashley Lou Smith from the Board of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary bedazzled all with the plastic farm animals in her hair: Ashley, Marisa Miller-Wolfson of Kind Green Planet & new documentary, Vegucated & me posing with the piglet- yes, did I mention the drinks flowed from 5pm-12am? Me, Elizabeth from Olsenhaus & two talented designer friends from the West Coast: Ashley again with better hair shot of plastic animals and Rory Freedman, who authored Skinny Bitch...crazy thing, I haven't seen Rory in over twelve years since we both worked at Ford Models...who knew back then that she would go on to be a vegan rockstar & that I would actually be vegan?!?! Here's Joshua Katcher from The Discerning Brute & Pinnacle with his boyfriend, James: Leanne from Vaute Couture & I in ambient dinner lighting...haha. There were a ton of hor's d'oeuvres being passed that I didn't get pics of because of course, my friends & I were too busy taking pics of ourselves ;) Especially memorable was the phyllo cup with porcini mushrooms, had quite a few. David Lee of Field Roast Grain Meat Co. worked closely with Chef Paolo Dorigato from Cipriani to create the menu. First course: Heirloom Tomato, fava beans, romaine salad, crostini with tapenade- yum! Main Course: porcini, shitaki mushroom Field Roast cutlet topped with marinara sauce, side of polenta & asparagus After the delicious meal, was the award ceremony- so many amazing stories of all Farm Sanctuary has done, as well as inspirational people who advocate for the animals: Here's David Lee from Field Roast- those blurry cow paintings are Peter Max originals of Maxine the cow, a resident of Farm Sanctuary- those paintings were auctioned at $10,000 a piece- whoo hoo, go Maxine! Kathy Freston was one of many honored  for her work on behalf of the animals. Plenty of auction items to bid on! And the cutest dessert ever from Vegan Treats- there were ducks... And piggies... And cows... Oh my...at this point, I was too stuffed to even try dessert, but Vegan Treats is always da bomb, especially the peanut butter bomb... Animal Planet was there to film Vegan Treats for their new reality show, think working title is Sweet Avenger- yay for vegans on reality tv! The party went late into the night... And us girlies couldn't stop taking pictures because everyone looked so damn cute & well had more than our fair share of drinks... Yep, that Cipriani clock had struck well-past midnight... An amazing, wonderful evening celebrating Farm Sanctuary....I was so thrilled to be in the same room with so many inspirational people celebrities & not, all with the same purpose to save farmed animals. When Kathy Freston was asked what she would say if she could talk to the animals, she would tell them- "Hold on, we're coming..." Brings tears to my eyes. The world will be vegan one day- hope springs eternal.