Hi All – as some of you may know based on Alice’s article in the last Newsletter we on the Board are considering the idea of creating a meat buyers club that would work in the same way that the sale of local Thanksgiving turkeys is already done.  It would mean that those members who do eat meat would be able to order ethically and locally raised meat that would come to the co-op frozen to be  pick up.  The reason we have decided to readdress this issue is that many members have written in the member book that they would like the option of buying meat in ways that does not support the inhumane, unethical and environmentally destructive the practices of factory farm system.  Alice has reported that she has already received quite a few responses, most of them positive, from members who are interested in the option.  We have over 5000 members and given the population trends most are no doubt meat eaters.  As a Board member I think we need to support all of our member’s food choices and to do so while up holding our co-operative principles- as in our commitment to local, sustainable and ethical food production.  I am including below a few links of interest.  One is for a list of all the chemicals in factory farm meat that shows all the problems with super market meat.  The other link is for a book that I have recently come across that I think raises some interesting issues in the on-going debate as to whether or not to eat (sell) meat or not in relation to all the complex issues involved..

We are interested in your views as members so please post here and let us know your thoughts or you can also call Alice directly.  We are hoping to post a few times a month on topics of interest to create a lively blog spot, so check back and social network with us!

Thanks for your thoughts…

Phoebe Godfrey (board president)

Links:

Downloadable PDF: FSIS  DIRECTIVE -SAFE AND SUITABLE INGREDIENTS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS

Book: Vegetarian Myth Food Justice Sustainability