by eatingkind | Mar 17, 2011 | Blog
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| Lucas, the Pig |
Well, he won’t be actually joining me at the house, but I am not sponsoring him which means that I can go and visit him anytime at the Farm Sanctuary. I’m hoping to have some time in the next few months to do that. Isn’t he adorable?!
I’ll provide more information about where Lucas came from and how he’s getting along at the Farm Sanctuary in the next few weeks.
If you’d like to sponsor a farm animal for your family, check out Farm Sanctuary’s website.
by eatingkind | Mar 10, 2011 | Blog
I finally got a hold of the folks at House of Prime Rib, Alexander’s Steakhouse and Boulevard today!
Bad news first.
HOPR responded that they “they do their best” to buy humanely-raised meat(the general manager didn’t sound too convincing on the phone ) but that they do buy their meat from Cargill only. After doing some research on the website, it loos like Cargill is considered to be one of the cleaner and better run slaughterhouses, but it is still just another CAFO. So sad!
Good news.
Spoke to a very interested meat buyer at Alexander’s Steakhouse (the Cupertino location) who explained that some of the items on the menu are humanely-raised, while others are not. Even though they don’t currently make buying decisions according to how the animals are raised, they are very open to it. The gentleman I spoke with, C., asked me to send him an email summing up my questions and our conversation, and said that at Alexander’s they want to please the customer and are very open to carrying humanely-raised products if that is what the customers are asking for. Yay! Go Alexander’s!
More good news.
Had a great conversation with the manager at Boulevard who said that Nancy Oakes, chef at Boulevard, is extremely dedicated to buying humanely-raised meat and sustainably farmed seafood. Their menu even has the following disclaimer “our menu is guided by the principles of sustainability.” Yes!! Next time you’re at Boulevard, enjoy the delicious food and know you’re eating kind!
Still waiting to hear back from Forbes.
by eatingkind | Mar 8, 2011 | Blog
Here are some of the initiatives that I’m working on in March:
- Support Senate Bill 917! I’ve sent an email to Committee Chair, Loni Hancock, asking support for this bill. You can do the same, by going here.
- Ban shark fin sales in California! Several other states (including Hawaii and Washington) have already done so, and California is (hopefully) next. Fill out this short form to send a letter to your Assemblymember and urge them to support this important bill.
by eatingkind | Feb 28, 2011 | Blog
Here’s the list of activities that I completed in February. Thanks to Farm Sanctuary’s Action Alerts and Updates, my outreach was very easy, with minimal time and effort required. Take a look at the website and the issues below and if one stands out, please take action now!
- Urged the USDA to protect downed pigs and other animals. Take action now.
- Email to Smithfield urging them to keep its promise of no more gestation crates through the Farm Sanctuary website. Take action now.
- Email to University of Mississippi Medial Center urging them to stop abusing pigs in student labs (through the Farm Sanctuary website). Take action now.
- Signed a petition against a USDA recently allowing companies to put a “naturally raised” label on meat and meat products that come from animals whose upbringing was far from natural. Take action now.
- Email to my U.S. Representative to take action on my behalf and ask S. Ward Casscells, M.D., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to end the use of animals in combat trauma training (through the Farm Sanctuary website). Take action now.
- Email to support the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (HR4733). Through the Farm Sanctuary website. Take action now.
by eatingkind | Feb 26, 2011 | Blog
Safeway was initially ruled out as a source of humanely-raised products, but I did hear back from a representative about Open Nature, Safeway’s newest organic brand which just launched a month ago. They tout no antibiotics, no hormones, all-veg diet, etc, which is great for us humans, but doesn’t necessarily reflect humane treatment of the animals. I am waiting to hear back with a clarification.
I received a follow-up response from Safeway with this message:
“Thank you for contacting us regarding your inquiry on the treatment of the animals. The Open Nature animals have access to the outside when the weather permits. The animals consumes organic grains in the winters months. Grass (maybe organic grains – as a supplement) in the summer months. The animals all recieve humane treatment.”
Not sure what to think, I am for some reason skeptical, but I will check out my usual Safeway for the Open Nature products to see if the packaging provides more details.
by eatingkind | Feb 24, 2011 | Blog
They were very quick to respond, stating,
“We can assure you that we work very closely with our suppliers and only source humanely raised products and do not source from feedlots. At Trader Joe’s, we have been dealing with standards and practices in many different countries for over 49 years, and our buyers are diligent about making sure our suppliers and the products they provide are not below standards set by the USDA. In addition, our Quality Assurance Team and our buyers audit our vendors to monitor their facilities and practices.
Yay, I love shopping at Trader Joes and am very glad to hear that I can continue to do so!
