Important Points About Vegetarian Food
Vegetarian Statistics
Some vegetarians and many non-vegetarians and alike question whether being a vegetarian really makes any
difference at all. Some bring up blurry ethical situations to make it impossible to see a vegetarian lifestyle as
ethical.
If you are a prospective vegetarian for ethical reasons, but aren't sure whether or not a vegetarian lifestyle
is truly a more ethical choice, here are some statistics from EarthSave to help you make your choice (for or
against):
- Livestock in the US produces roughly 30 times more excrement than human beings.
While
humans in the US have complex sewage systems to collect and treat human waste, there are no such systems on
feedlots. As a result, most of this waste leeches into water. This means that large-scale, massive production
and slaughter of animals is not only unethical, but it also
causes serious environmental degradation.
- Over 1.3 billion human beings could be fed each year from the grain and soybeans that go to livestock in
the United States.This means that the entire population of the United States could be fed (without losing any
nutritional value) and there would still be enough food left over to feed one billion people.
- In a world where millions of people die each year of starvation, that type of food excess and inefficiency
could be considered unethical.
- It takes 7.5 pounds of protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable hog protein; and it takes 5 pounds of
protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable chicken protein. Close to 90% of protein from wheat and beans is
lost to feed cycling.
This means that an enormous amount of resources are dedicated to producing wheat and soy just for the purpose of
feeding it to animals, which will be slaughtered as "a source of protein" - even though they only
provide about 1/5 of the amount they consume.
Not only can the production of meat be considered an injustice against animals, but it can also be considered an
injustice against human beings, as well as the environment in general.

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