My third blog this week will merely consist of my commentary on a blog I saw late last week. I've been meaning to write about and address this blog, but there is so much in the body of it that I know I will never have time. Instead, here are some notes I made in my comment. Honestly, I appreciated the author's comments about misnomers and false claims within the recently budding humane market. But he still missed on so many points.
"Mike,
"I have to say that you made a good compilation of all the propaganda out there on factory farming, mixed with some accurate facts. Especially accurate in my own opinion is your criticism of organic as a falsely humane production method. Also very accurate is the plight of "cage-free" hens which is a poorer condition for them than the original "battery cages". If "cage-free" was better, then HSUS wouldn't have just signed a deal with UEP for enhanced cages in family groups rather than "cage-free" systems. However, the list of misconceptions in your post is surprising given how much research it appears you conducted into these matters.
"I'll highlight just a few glaring misconceptions.
"1) Chipotle is a skilled advertiser and marketer and they are killing profits in a tough economic environment. They do that by advertising humanely raised product and then by only sourcing a percentage of their food from these sites. Look into it.
"2) Don't you find it ironic that EatWild.com will cite every single article that mentions health benefits of components of animal products, but in the same webpage fails to cite any articles that flaunt these increased CLAs in pasture or increased omega-3s in pasture? If they could link proof, wouldn't they have?
"3) The dairy cow is one of the most pampered creatures in farming today. They do not reside in feedlots, and instead each have a mattress for resting in well-ventilated and twice daily cleaned barns. They have a personal "doctor" (veterinarian) who inspects them regularly and the slightest discomfort to them during the day or undetected illness results in huge drops in production. By no means are they housed similarly to beef cattle, which are bred to be hardier - the only similarity between the two is the care and observation given to both throughout the day.
"4) Pigs and chickens are naturally cannibalistic. True, this behavior can be accentuated through close quarters, but this behavior is equally observed in pastured pigs and chickens as well. However, under less close observation by caretakers, the infections and death from this cannibalism can be worse in pasture-type systems.
"5) Pigs are housed in highly climate-controlled barns because they are not naturally inclined to reside in the cold and drafty outdoor environment. They are thus healthier inside in these scientifically proven and specialized barns than are their outdoor, lean-to-sheltered counterparts.
"I'm not saying that a market driven compromise isn't possible or a good thing to aim for. Welfare of animals is definitely new in the 10,000 year scheme of animal domestication, but it's important to not advocate for systems or products which are deceiving. Some systems you supported are equally detrimental or worse for animals in different ways than the systems you so harshly criticized.
"Food for thought."
Showing posts with label Chipotle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chipotle. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, December 13, 2010
The end of a boycott
I knew this was coming, but it still feels a bit weird for me to say that today I went back to Chipotle and ate a huge burrito with some fantastic chips. I've been craving and when Amanda suggested it today, I finally made the leap and returned to the light. Let's be honest, the food there is delicious.
For those of you still holding out, you might call me a traitor. However, I did some reading on my own over the past few months and while Chipotle's own intentions are not clear besides the obvious desire to sell product and make money, it is clear that they have limited intentions in supporting HSUS. Of course, since Chipotle doesn't in fact support HSUS, I have little bone to pick with them and thus I was able to justify breaking the fast and consuming their good food today.
It took a while for everything to come out of the wash on this issue, and I think there are still a lot of people in the dark, but it was really when I started going back through the compiled readings I did for my previous blog post and then the outlandish claims by Humane Watch on the issue that I realized some points had truly been pushed too far. So let me put it plain and you can do your own reading and make up your own mind.
Last year when HSUS was campaigning heavily (and often sub-legally) for their ballot initiative which disregarded the people of Ohio's opinion, Chipotle was named as one of their campaign contributors. In the backlash that ensued, I became one of the boycotters, despite claims by Chipotle themselves that they didn't financially support HSUS. However, I can now understand where Chipotle's own views did come into play with their donation to HSUS's campaign. While they don't support the organization, they do and have for a while now supported the use of higher standards of food production than are standard in the industry right now. I can respect this because it is a company choice, and frankly, the consumers are paying for it. Further, Chipotle's food prices aren't unreasonable and so I am willing to pay for it as well from a "I like their food and flavor" standpoint. Chipotle supporting the HSUS campaign was just their way of saying that they stand by their viewpoint on animal production and they wanted to put a financial backing on an issue which supported their viewpoint.
Where Chipotle went wrong is that they have assumed many things that aren't necessarily true. They assumed that the ballot was really as well-intended as HSUS proposed it was. They assumed that the ballot would really effective improve animal welfare. They assumed that the lies that HSUS was pushing around about the ineffectiveness of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board were true. They assumed that the methods of livestock care supported by HSUS truly improve animal welfare. None of these things are true or have been shown to be true, and some quite to the contrary. But I can't fault a company for good intentions and they differ from a company like Yellow Tail because their contributions were for different reasons.
And so I ate Chipotle today...
For those of you still holding out, you might call me a traitor. However, I did some reading on my own over the past few months and while Chipotle's own intentions are not clear besides the obvious desire to sell product and make money, it is clear that they have limited intentions in supporting HSUS. Of course, since Chipotle doesn't in fact support HSUS, I have little bone to pick with them and thus I was able to justify breaking the fast and consuming their good food today.
It took a while for everything to come out of the wash on this issue, and I think there are still a lot of people in the dark, but it was really when I started going back through the compiled readings I did for my previous blog post and then the outlandish claims by Humane Watch on the issue that I realized some points had truly been pushed too far. So let me put it plain and you can do your own reading and make up your own mind.
Last year when HSUS was campaigning heavily (and often sub-legally) for their ballot initiative which disregarded the people of Ohio's opinion, Chipotle was named as one of their campaign contributors. In the backlash that ensued, I became one of the boycotters, despite claims by Chipotle themselves that they didn't financially support HSUS. However, I can now understand where Chipotle's own views did come into play with their donation to HSUS's campaign. While they don't support the organization, they do and have for a while now supported the use of higher standards of food production than are standard in the industry right now. I can respect this because it is a company choice, and frankly, the consumers are paying for it. Further, Chipotle's food prices aren't unreasonable and so I am willing to pay for it as well from a "I like their food and flavor" standpoint. Chipotle supporting the HSUS campaign was just their way of saying that they stand by their viewpoint on animal production and they wanted to put a financial backing on an issue which supported their viewpoint.
Where Chipotle went wrong is that they have assumed many things that aren't necessarily true. They assumed that the ballot was really as well-intended as HSUS proposed it was. They assumed that the ballot would really effective improve animal welfare. They assumed that the lies that HSUS was pushing around about the ineffectiveness of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board were true. They assumed that the methods of livestock care supported by HSUS truly improve animal welfare. None of these things are true or have been shown to be true, and some quite to the contrary. But I can't fault a company for good intentions and they differ from a company like Yellow Tail because their contributions were for different reasons.
And so I ate Chipotle today...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Week 1, Post 4
Absolutely no response to the No Chipotle page nor the OFBF comment I had made previously on my other blog. I guess the conversations have toned down for a little while.
I was really shocked to read through many of the comments on the OFBF facebook page though. You can many uneducated and yet fiery arguments going on which have truly no place among the debate. So many people have expressed opinions that just reflect their ignorance on the situation and then they go on to polarize any other people who care to debate with them. I wish there was a way to stop this, but it seems to be a trend for online debating with blog, news and social sites.
In other news, this was a moderately objective article that I appreciated reading today.
I was really shocked to read through many of the comments on the OFBF facebook page though. You can many uneducated and yet fiery arguments going on which have truly no place among the debate. So many people have expressed opinions that just reflect their ignorance on the situation and then they go on to polarize any other people who care to debate with them. I wish there was a way to stop this, but it seems to be a trend for online debating with blog, news and social sites.
In other news, this was a moderately objective article that I appreciated reading today.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Week 1, Post 3 - Boycott Chipotle
I guess I can't keep my nose out of this stuff today. Keith Corcoran posted on the NoChipotle facebook page today, his comment and my response are listed below:
Keith Danger Corcoran:
HSUS stand against clubing of baby seals and sluaghter of horses andslaughter and exporting exotic animals, animail cruelity such as dog fights and cock fights And they are against puppy mills Iam glad Chipolte is apart of that group.
Me:
HSUS's anti-horse slaughter stance has led to the legislation that now increases the suffering of horses. Keith, take a look at the legislation HSUS is pushing and then consider whether it will actually benefit the well-being of animals. The horse bill didn't benefit horses as a whole or on an individual basis. And without scientific evidence to... See More support the proposed ballot initiative, there is no reason to believe that HSUS will truly benefit animals in Ohio either. The Livestock Care Board on the other hand is dedicated to improving animal well-being in Ohio. If HSUS cared about animals, then they would allow the board to make progress on their own and not poke into our business telling us how to do things. HSUS continues to exhibit behavior fitting of a political activist group, not an animal well-being promoter. And with 'baby seals', 'puppies' and 'dog fights', they are just playing the popular and sympathy cards. Logic and science should be used to improve animal care, not outside activism from a group who sits in DC offices and agitates the discontent.
Keith Danger Corcoran:
HSUS stand against clubing of baby seals and sluaghter of horses andslaughter and exporting exotic animals, animail cruelity such as dog fights and cock fights And they are against puppy mills Iam glad Chipolte is apart of that group.
Me:
HSUS's anti-horse slaughter stance has led to the legislation that now increases the suffering of horses. Keith, take a look at the legislation HSUS is pushing and then consider whether it will actually benefit the well-being of animals. The horse bill didn't benefit horses as a whole or on an individual basis. And without scientific evidence to... See More support the proposed ballot initiative, there is no reason to believe that HSUS will truly benefit animals in Ohio either. The Livestock Care Board on the other hand is dedicated to improving animal well-being in Ohio. If HSUS cared about animals, then they would allow the board to make progress on their own and not poke into our business telling us how to do things. HSUS continues to exhibit behavior fitting of a political activist group, not an animal well-being promoter. And with 'baby seals', 'puppies' and 'dog fights', they are just playing the popular and sympathy cards. Logic and science should be used to improve animal care, not outside activism from a group who sits in DC offices and agitates the discontent.
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