An ethical omnivore's Christmas

Let's finish as we began, mindfully having a wonderful celebration of all things.

Don't believe porky pies!

Sourcing truly free range or organic pork products can be a tad challenging, but it’s worth the effort, especially when learning that pigs are one of the most poorly treated animals here in Australia, with over 90 percent of pork products coming from factory farms where pregnant sows are often confined in sow stalls they cannot even turn around in. When did you last spot a pig roaming in a paddock when driving through the countryside?

Pork goes by many aliases and is a ‘filler’ in many products: ham, salami, prosciutto, bacon, sausages, bolognaise, frankfurts, crackling, dim dims, dumplings... the list goes on. It can creep into your diet more than you think, so it pays to be vigilant.

Atop tip is to eat pork sparingly and when you do, go to the effort of sourcing it from truly free range producers. It may be a tad pricier, but the taste is far superior, you’ll need less and you can be confident that the pigs had a better life.â€¨

Decode that confusing pork labelling....

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Diversify your choice & switch your fish! Populations of popular seafood species such as shark (flake*), tuna and swordfish have been reduced to only 10 percent of what they were in the 1950s. Try something different, eat lower on the food chain (these fish regenerate more quickly) and give the popular species a break to preserve the balance of the ocean and ensure that future generations can enjoy them too.

*Much of the shark sold as flake in Australia is Gummy Shark from an Australian fishery and is not overfished. However, not all flake is Gummy Shark, other types of shark can be marketed as flake also, which can make it difficult for consumers. Sharks play a vital role in maintaining a balanced and healthy underwater ecosystem and are generally vulnerable to stock depletion because of the time it takes them to reach sexual maturity, that they have few young and are long-lived. Many people choose not to eat shark at all for this reason.

Learn more about the choices you can make.....

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Gobble gobble wisely

Turkey isn’t a regular menu item for many Australians until the festive season hits, so surely they’re raised outdoors in fields just like the Christmas advertisements suggest? Unfortunately not.

The turkey industry has taken a leaf out of intensive poultry farming’s book by cramming birds in sheds and breeding them to grow at unnaturally fast rates.

Approximately 90% of the turkey sold here in Australia comes from factory farms where birds are raised intensively in overcrowded sheds. They are crammed together with barely enough room to move and never get to see the light of day or display their natural behaviours like foraging, dust-bathing and sunbathing.

Like chickens, turkeys have been bred to grow to an unnaturally large size in a very short timeframe – these birds naturally live till about ten years old, however in this intensive industry they are usually slaughtered at around 10-12 weeks old.

Sad news, but you can do something about it. Read this....

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Too confusing?

Why not defy tradition and go meatless? Surprise your guests with a no-meat meal. See how it can be done here...

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