Vegetarianism and Planetary Health

Ethics and the Environment, 5(2)163-174 ISSN: 1085-6633 Copyright © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. Michael Allen Fox Vegetarianism and Planetary Health I begin by asserting that a vegetarian, even a vegan diet, from a nutritional standpoint, is at least as healthy as, and in all probability healthier than, one which centers on or includes meat. Scientific evidence supporting this claim is beginning to accumulate, and abundant material is available for those who wish to pursue the issue (Anonymous 1988a; Anonymous 1988b; Barnard 1993; Chen 1990; Melina, Davis, and Harrison 1994; White and Frank 1994). In addition, every good bookshop today has several vegetarian and/or vegan cookbooks, and many titles currently on the market contain excellent chapters on the fundamentals of vegetarian nutrition as well as references to contemporary nutritional research. For these reasons I shall not attempt to summarize here the evidence in favor of a vegetarian diet. My second preliminary claim is that meat-eating in general is, and in particular certain kinds of meat-eating are, unhealthy. The statistical correlation between high meat consumption and increased probability of colon, breast, and other cancers, heart disease, and atherosclerosis—far and away the leading causes of death in North America—has been well established by many independent researchers (Barnard 1990; Fiddles 1991; Mitra 1991; National Research Council 1989; Robbins 1987). This realization prompted Health and Welfare Canada (a federal government department ) to issue a new version of Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, which appeared in 1992. Alternatives to meats (such as tofu and legumes) are accentuated, as are 5-10 servings per day of vegetables and fruits and 5-12 servings per day of grain products. Critics maintain that an even greater shift toward a vegetarian diet might have been endorsed in the Guide had it not been for the extraordinary (and entirely predictable) behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts of the livestock industry ("Industry Forced Changes" 1993). Direct all correspondence to: Michael Allen Fox, Department of Philosophy, Queen's University, Kingston , ON K7L 3N6, Canada; E-mail: maf@post.queensu.ca 163 164 ETHICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Vol. 5, No. 2,2000 Evidence continues to mount linking meat-eating with serious health problems, and vegetarian diets with better health and greater longevity (Jethalal 1994; Melina, Davis, and Harrison 1994). ' People tend to think of animal fat as the major issue here, but numerous other risk factors are associated with eating meat. These include the presence in it of parasites (such as microorganisms of many sorts, roundworms, and tapeworms ) that cause trichinellosis, toxoplasmosis, helminthic diseases (anemia, infections , cysts, etc.), Legionnaires's disease, salmonellosis, mad cow disease, Hong Kong bird flu, and other food borne illnesses; hormone and antibiotic additives; and toxins (such as pesticides and herbicides, which concentrate as they move up the food chain).2 Mindful of these threats to health, many have begun to accept that a shift in diet is not only prudent, and therefore sanctioned by self-interest, but also reflects a differently oriented world view—a new vision of how our lives on the planet ought to be led. This includes an awareness that the good life for a human being entails good health, that good health in turn rests on a carefully chosen diet, and that our diet in part reflects as well as determines our species' impact on the biosphere. Many are learning that the amount of meat we consume collectively has a profound effect on how we use and manage natural resources—forests, land, water, fossil fuels. To put it simply, the greater our dependence on meat and other animal products, the more we commit these resources to satisfying this demand; if (as I also argue) the prevailing form of agroindustry abuses the environment in ways that are deleterious to our health then the more animal products we consume, the more our well being will suffer. What dawns here is an awareness that the orientation of an unhealthy society must be changed not only for the good of each of its members but also for that of nature as a whole. We live in a society that encourages individuality, self...