The ethics behind food are a conflicting one. When it comes to eating, “ethics” can encompass a wide range of values, from environmental concerns to economic issues. Ethics can relate to how farm workers are treated or whether food is sourced locally, meaning it’s fresher and leaves less of a carbon footprint in transportation. Ethics may also include the question of whether “industrial organic” is a boon or a boondoggle, it’s usually some of both. As an avid food lover, I care deeply about sustainable agriculture practices, humane meat production, fair wages, and local sourcing. Someone else might care more about political spending by large food companies, or the need for greater access to quality food in low-income areas.
Another eater might care for just one overarching ethical principle, like the effects of cattle ranching on climate change, or the importance of hunger relief.
Our ethical positions aren’t always perfectly aligned with one another. But a lot of us want the same basic things: health and sustainability — for our individual bodies, our communities, and our shared food systems.
Even though user-comment wars might erupt on the Web whenever a controversial food story is posted, let’s face it: We just want to feel good about what we’re eating.
“People are aware of food issues to an extent never possible before social media,” says Marion Nestle, PhD, an influential author whose books include Eat Drink Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics and Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health.
“The range of issues is enormous and can be incredibly challenging to weigh. I advise people to pick their issues. I don’t think it’s possible for most people to make ethical choices in everything they eat, but some are better than none, and more are better than less.” But that might cost us our souls. “Food should never be a joyless experience,” says food activist Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation. “You can have a sense of what your values are, and you’ll likely put some thinking into issues like food miles and energy costs. But at the same time, don’t lose that excitement for what you’re eating. For me, above all else, food is a sensuous experience.”
Ethics and principles are better used to heighten our relationship with food, not replace it. In fact, enjoyment can be a value in itself.
Food means much more than nutrition. Food is enjoyment as well as cultural and personal identity. A meal is a social event, an important manifestation of the relationship with others. This means that food is an important aspect of human happiness and well-being, and not only an instrument for health. Will personalized nutrition contribute to a good life? Or will personalized nutrition instead limit the role of some or all food to medicine and transform eating to a lifelong medication?
“You don’t want to be in a constant state of worry about your food choices,” she says, “but there’s satisfaction in being an informed consumer. Ask questions, do some research, think about issues. There’s no need to drive yourself crazy. But you might find greater peace of mind if you apply some kind of ethical view toward what you eat.”
Even with a well-articulated ethical approach to what you buy, cook, and eat, there can certainly be some potholes along the high road. And you might take some U-turns, too.
For example, I was deeply involved in animal rights throughout my entire high school career. I was a devoted vegetarian, never able to fully accept the limitations of veganism, however I did try and eat vegan for ever possible meal I could, struggling to do so whenever we would go out to dinner as my parents were not going to limit their dinner options to my choices. After more research that I did online about trying to stay healthy, and find different options and recipes for vegan meals, I would somehow end up reading about people who were so devoted to the lifestyle, that they even attempted to turn their animals vegan as well – however, it never turned out well as those animals would end up going on a hunger strike, as their bodies need different nutrients than what they were being given. Eventually, my own body rebelled, too. Despite every attempt to combine foods properly, I ended up even more anemic than I originally was, constantly having migraines and feeling sick, and plagued by fatigue, and struggling at practices or in the gym. Other vegan friends who were eating exactly the same diet were thriving while I was tanking.
The entire point of that story is that everybody is different when it comes to food diets, and depending on where you live, it is harder to access certain foods in order for you to successfully fulfill your diet wishes.
Alyssa's Food Blog 