Buy More Beef?

In today’s New York Times, Susan Moran writes of how organic meat is more popular than ever, and even big, conventional producers want a piece of the action ("The Range Gets Crowded for Natural Beef," 06/10/06). The Gray Matter here is something I’ve been saying for a while and taking a lot of heat for: buy more beef–if it’s grass fed and organic.

I’m a realist. And you simply can’t go around saying everyone should stop eating meat, regardless of how beneficial vegetarianism might be for the human and planetary environments. Most people aren’t going to remove beef from their diet.

Given that reality, and given the horrifying conditions cows are forced to endure on factory farms, isn’t it decreasing suffering a smidgeon to advocate beef produced the old-fashioned way, on a real farm? Yes, the cows ultimately die, and that’s terrible. But does that mean we shouldn’t agitate for making their lives–and the manner of their deaths–less painful?

The bigger the market for something, the more producers will find ways to meet that demand. If you must eat meat, buy grass-fed, organic. And let’s not forget: Read labels, go to websites, research the companies and make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.