Eating Animals

Foer muses on Thanksgiving, which he notes will be held for the first time at his own home soon. He argues that the turkey is not important to the holiday tradition, pointing out that removing the turkey could even add inspirational value to the meal.

Reviewing some of the abuses discussed in the book, Foer cites both Temple Grandin, a pioneer of auditing slaughterhouses, and Gail Eisnitz, who has documented worker testimony from these facilities. Referring again to Michael Pollan, Foer takes the stance that abstaining from meat is a form of confronting the reality of factory farming.

Foer includes a call to action, urging readers to make better choices in the foods they eat, noting that any purchase of factory farmed meat perpetuates the industry. While total abstinence is ideal, he at least urges readers to be more selective in choosing where their meat comes from.

Noting that Americans make up less than one-tenth of the global population, Foer comments on the power of American consumers to shape global markets, since Americans consume over one-fifth of the world’s food. Foer acknowledges that individuals do not have much power in swaying these systems, and that this reasoning is not a strong motivator in choosing foods, but he insists that each individual can have an influence on each other, leading to further change.