To Veg or Not To Veg

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Support for Vegan and Allergy-Aware Food Options on Campus

Finding vegan or allergy-free options can be hard while living on campus, but the Center for a Sustainable Society is trying to change that. The CSS works to provide students an opportunity to make sustainable choices at Pacific University and cultivate a community engaged in ethical, transdisciplinary solutions that promote the wellbeing of our community. The team is composed of a group of seven students and the Center’s director, Ramona Ilea.

   The Pacific Index met with Ilea to talk about what they’re calling the Default Veg campaign. Many students feel that the UC has not sufficiently accommodated food allergies and restrictions—they want more options and more information. They want people to be more open minded. The CSS plans to write to companies to get donations for students for alternative products to have. Most students who live in the dorms have limited access to cooking facilities and local shopping, so they eat what’s provided to them.

The Reduction of Factory Farm Support

   Not only is eating vegan a healthy life choice, but did you know that it also helps reduce unsustainable factory farming? Starting this fall, the CSS’s campaign is working to reduce the Pacific community’s reliance on factory farmed meat. Ilea explained, “Our goal is to educate people about the harms of factory farming and convince more people to reduce their intake of such products.” She added that CSS is not a conversion group. They have a strong stance against factory farming, but not about hunting, fishing, or raising animals to be eaten ethically.

   In order to help students step away from factory farmed meat, the team has been having free vegan sampling in the UC to encourage students to explore and discover vegan foods they enjoy. Ilea says the transition may be easier than many students think. “You are definitely eating a lot of vegan food, you just don’t realize it.”

What Are Factory Farms and Why Are They Bad?

   Most people don’t see the treatment of the animals they eat, or the working conditions of the farms and food processing facilities.

   So, what exactly is factory farming? It is a system of raising fast-growing animals in small, confined spaces—sometimes, they cannot even turn around. These farms and processing facilities are also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and they exist to meet the global demand for meat, fish, eggs, and milk. Animals are treated like machines in these operations; their only purpose is to produce a profit, causing them to be mistreated in numerous ways.

   Not only do CAFOs have a long history of animal maltreatment and exploitative labor practices, they are harmful to the environment and their community’s well being. CAFOs and industrial agriculture contribute to the decline of small businesses and therefore, the availability of locally sourced, healthy, and ethically farmed meat and animal products.    The noise of screaming animals and the noxious smell of waste lagoons affect the air quality and quality of life disproportionately in and around communities of color. Many consider the treatment of animals to be the worst part of these operations: the debeaking of chickens, the clipping of cows’ and pigs’ tails, the cramped conditions—as if being raised to be slaughtered — Christian Mendoza Guerra

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