Humane farming eases pangs for some vegetarians

By Terri Coles

TORONTO (Reuters) - Vegetarianism is a popular choice for those whose personal politics extend to their diets. But "compassionate carnivores" see an option that allows them to eat meat without abandoning their principles, focusing on small farms with sustainable and humane practices.

An estimated 1 to 3 percent of adult Americans choose not to eat meat, poultry or fish, and a subset of those are vegans, who avoid all animal products including dairy and eggs.

Some vegetarians, and those who have reduced their meat consumption because of their conscience or politics, are beginning to eat sustainable meat, choosing products that are not the result of industrial farming practices.

"I was talking to this guy I know who said 'The grass-fed movement is the new vegetarianism'," said Alix Wall, a personal chef in the Bay Area of California. "I'd never heard of that but when he said it, it made a lot of sense to me."

The shift may be fueled in part by the popularity of Michael Pollan's best-seller "The Omnivore's Dilemma," which critiques industrial farming practices and celebrates small operations humanely raising livestock fed at pasture, with an eye to environmental protection and sustainability.

Some studies have shown that meat from pasture-fed animals is healthier than the conventionally farmed counterparts. Beef from grass-fed cows is lower in fat and cholesterol than that from cows fed corn and other grains.

The products of the smaller farms that Pollan extols appeal to some vegetarians who stopped eating meat because of concerns about the welfare of livestock, the environmental impact of meat production, or the health effects of eating factory-farmed meat.

However, critics say that eating meat with a label implying sustainability or humane practices doesn't get around the fact that these animals are ultimately raised to be killed.

Reading Pollan's descriptions of the two different food production practices made Wall think differently about farming and she began to see animals as an integral part of an interconnected system. It also led her to wonder if all meat was unhealthy.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz, a vegan cookbook author, points out that sustainable meat production still has its issues. Organic labeling aside, producers can use many labels that advertise humane practices without having to prove it.

"I think the term is misleading," she said about sustainable meat. "A lot of people don't know what actually goes on these farms. You have a situation of the foxes guarding the hen house, so to say."

The new availability of sustainable meat may be just another way out for people who would not have remained vegetarian anyway, Moskowitz said. "I don't think more people are leaving veganism because of this or leaving vegetarianism because of this," she said. "I think it's just the excuse they're giving."

Meat sold as sustainable costs more than conventionally raised meat, but Mollie Katzen, author of popular vegetarian cookbooks including "The Moosewood Cookbook," said that eating it in moderation counteracts the price difference.

Katzen advocates eating a three to four-ounce serving of meat as part of a meal that includes vegetables, fruits and grains instead of making it the central ingredient. "I never see the center of the plate as being a big hunk of flesh, even now that I'll have a few bites of it," she said. "It's not a big reversal for me."

Moving away from vegetarianism can bring about something of an identity crisis for those who see their decision not to eat meat as part of who they are. Wall has been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years, and said that even though she is considering making the switch, it's not easy to take that first bite.