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Section A: Animals in the Food System
Projected
Outcomes
- Students will become aware of the intermediate
stages between growing the animal and buying
animal products at the grocery store.
- Students will examine the role of animal
products in nutrition.
- Students will know about critiques of animal
agriculture
Background
/ Lessons
Introduction
Wisconsin is the Dairy State and Iowa is the
leading producer of pork in the nation. Most of
our crops go to feed livestock: dairy cows, pigs,
beef cattle, chickens, sheep, and turkeys, as
well as less well-known food animals such as fish,
goats, elk, etc. Animal products are the cornerstones
of our agricultural economy. This section will
get students thinking about how animal products
fit into our food system.
The section also introduces students to some
criticisms of livestock production. Some people
have criticized animal agriculture as environmentally
damaging and wasteful. Some animal rights activists
have even dismissed all animal agriculture as
cruel and unnecessary. On the other side, some
defenders of animal agriculture have dismissed
any criticisms as ridiculous. Most practitioners
of sustainable agriculture in the Midwest find
themselves right between the two extremes. They
recognize that animal production has sometimes
had negative impacts, but they also see that it
plays an important role in food systems and agroecosystems
around the world. Sustainable animal production
systems such as managed grazing can benefit the
environment, enhance farm profits, and make the
most efficient use of natural resources.
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Where's
the beef from?
- Livestock products are part of a global commodity
system
- Wisconsin , the dairy state, imports both
fluid milk and milk solids
- Iowa is a net exporter and leading processor
of beef and pork, but that does not necessarily
mean the beef and pork you buy in the store
or get in a restaurant was raised and/or processed
in-state.
Activity
1: Track it down, if you can (homework or extra
credit activity)
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Food safety
and processing
- Livestock products pose special food safety
and processing challenges
- In the US , with the exception of farm eggs,
most of the livestock products the consumer
buys have been processed (when is the last time
you saw a live, or even an unplucked chicken
for sale in the market?). Even eggs are washed,
checked, graded, and packed, but that is far
less processing than meat and dairy products
must go through.
- This processing is subject to strict regulation
- Food safety is still a concern. Preventing
bacterial food-borne illness such as salmonella,
listeria, and campylobacter is generally recognized
as a priority. However, there is debate about
the significance of other concerns for food
safety, such as mad cow disease and the human
health impacts of antibiotics and growth hormones
used in meat and dairy production. In addition,
there is some disagreement on what practices,
regulations, and structures will best promote
safety, and who should be responsible.
- This regulation and processing adds a layer
of complexity to direct marketing of animal
products.
- See Section E “Regulation and Handling of
Animal Products” for more information and activities
on food safety and processing.
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How
necessary are animal products?
- The importance of animal products in our diet
has been the subject of much debate.
- It is possible for humans over the age of
1 to 2 years to survive without deliberately
eating any animal products (and before that
age the only animal product babies need is human
breast milk or a close substitute)
- Different cultures have different amounts
and types of animal products in their diets,
and people in those cultures often seem to be
physiologically adapted to their traditional
diets.
- Although many people in the world eat little
or no red meat, animal products (including fish,
yogurt, cheese, reptiles or even insects) are
part of virtually all traditional diets.
- Humans are omnivores—we can get by on widely
differing diets, and we still don't know quite
what is the best diet, or if there even is such
a thing. What is more, the best diet will vary
depending on a person's age, gender, activity,
personal history, and genetics.
- As recently as 2000, most nutritionists thought
that too much consumption of animal products
was an important contributor to obesity and
heart disease. Some recent health studies have
thrown that thinking into question, and in very
short order meat and dairy products have become
the centerpiece of trendy low-carb diets. The
very fast re-embracing of a meat-heavy diet
probably is more a reflection of US dietary
culture than a result of clear scientific advances
in the understanding of human nutrition.
- Animals are intertwined with agro ecosystems
and food systems in many ways: they turn plants
humans cannot eat into food we can, they can
help with pest control, nutrient cycling, and
waste management, and they can store agricultural
surpluses.
Activity
2: Pyramid Presumptions
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Critiques
of Animal Agriculture
Some people hold that eating meat or even eating
any animal products is environmentally and socially
unsustainable, for the following reasons:
- Grain-fed meat is an inefficient way to produce
agricultural nutrients, and the longer lived
and larger the meat animal, typically the less
efficient it is. According to Farm Bureau statistics
it takes 10 lbs of corn to produce 1 lb of beef
and 2 lbs of corn to produce 1 lb of chicken.
This means that there is less food available
for poor people to eat. If everyone ate a vegetarian
diet, there would be plenty of food to go around,
and we could afford to return some agricultural
land to a natural state.
- Animal products require more energy for processing
and storage than most grains
- Animal production typically uses a lot of
water, which is a particular problem in arid
livestock production areas such as the high
plains and California . It takes 145 gallons
of water to produce enough flour for one loaf
of bread, compared to 1,849 gallons used to
produce 3 1/2 ounces of beef.
(This is why ecological footprint calculators
ask about how much meat you consume http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp
)
In addition, processing of meat is highly concentrated,
leading to concerns about corporate control of
this market. For example in 1998-99 the four top
beef packing firms processed 79% of the beef sold
in the US and the top six pork packers (which
include the same names as the top 4 beef packers)
processed 75% of the pork (p. 17, http://www.nfu.org/images/heffernan_1999.pdf
). Moreover, many of these same companies
produce feed and other livestock inputs and are
increasingly involved in some phase of actually
raising the animals, either through contracts
with farmers or direct ownership. The growing
corporate control of meat production has been
associated with falling wages and benefits for
workers and increased use of both legal and illegal
immigrant labor in livestock production and processing.
Activity
3: The Meatix
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Conclusion
Animal products are the cornerstone of
Iowa and Wisconsin 's agricultural economy. However,
many people have raised questions about the environmental
impact, nutritional benefits and morality of animal
agriculture. On the other hand, some farmers are
working hard to ensure that their systems of raising
livestock do not cause the problems pointed out
by critics of animal agriculture. In fact, integrating
animals into the agro-ecosystem can bring major
environmental benefits. The case studies presented
in this curriculum will introduce your students
to a few examples of sustainable livestock systems.
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